Just sharing.

Fat Dad

When I was seven, we drove to my cousin’s for dinner and to show off Fat Dad’s new car, a 1960 Ford Fairlane. I fell asleep on the backseat; my folks left me sleeping. When I woke up, I stumbled out of the car and headed for the porch.

Woof. OWWWOOO. I was surrounded by a pack of black-and-tan hunting hounds. My heart jumped. Then so did I - to the trunk and then the roof of that new car.

I was frozen like a treed raccoon. I was bawling and screaming. The hounds were circling and howling. An ugly one-eyed dog clawed and scratched its way onto the trunk, its yellow teeth snapping and foaming. I was standing in water—it was mine. He screeched and slipped on the glass when I heard—SON! I dove at the voice—to be caught in Fat Dad’s arms. Safety was a flannel shirt that smelled of cherry tobacco—and a bellow that scattered hounds like cottonseed on the wind.

The next morning I saw Fat Dad trying to buff the scratches out of his new car. I said, “Fat Dad, I’m sorry you had to rescue me.” He scooped me up in his big arms and said, “Son, in life sometimes you’re the catcher, sometimes you’re the caught. When you love somebody, their trouble is your trouble.” The lesson was love.

Fat Dad was my Daddy. That loving nickname, “Fat Dad,” has been handed down through four generations to the men in my family.

When I was sixteen, Fat Dad bought me a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle—wide tires, chrome wheels. I was driving one sunny afternoon listening to Simon and Garfunkle on the eight track, singing “Cecelia, you’re breaking my heart,” when a humungous horsefly shot through the window, in my mouth and down my throat. It came back up, lodged in my right nostril. What would you do with a horsefly buzzing in your nose; taking bites the size of Texas? I steered with my knees—tried to fire that bug from my nose.

The car shot to the left. Then catapulted to the right. Chopped down Morison’s fence. Sailing across their yard—right at Mossburger’s fountain where Mary Poppins stood—pouring water from a can. I hit that fountain so hard I launched it like Sputnik. Mary Poppins hovered briefly, then went down faster than a spoon full of sugar. The Morisons and the Mossburgers were a bit excited. Not Fat Dad. He rode in like the cavalry—made peace with the neighbors.

I sat on a rock—in shock. As Fat Dad put his arm around me, I burst into tears. “Shhhh. We can fix the fence. I’ll buy another fountain. We can even replace that old car. But I could never replace you. Besides the town will be talking about this for weeks!” The lesson was love.

Teenage boys don’t always think about cars. Sometimes they think about girls. Fat Dad overheard me and my buddies bragging about our adventures with women! Not being the shy type he joined right in. Listened for a while, then like ice water thrown on you in a hot shower said, “Boys, real men love for a lifetime--not for a moment.” Ruined the whole conversation!

Fat Dad loved my Mama. When they were walking in the garden, or sitting on the sofa, their hands always seemed to find each other. When Mama would sit in her chair watching TV, Fat Dad would come up behind her, wrap his strong arms around her, rest his chin on her shoulder and kiss her on the cheek.

Ooh! As a teenager, I couldn’t believe old people carried on like that.

But Fat Dad’s love for my Mama was more than romance. When Mama battled the cancer that eventually took her life—Fat Dad—like a good Shepherd caring for a wounded lamb fed, bathed, read and sang to her. When my Mama’s sunset fell and turned to starlight, Fat Dad held her close. He whispered words of love and faith to calm her fears.

Fat Dad’s love for my Mama was a gift to my wife and children, because watching him I learned to love them for a lifetime. The lesson - love.

This year I had my first Father’s Day without Fat Dad. I miss him. But the lessons he taught me will last a lifetime. When you love, sometimes you’re the catcher; sometimes you’re the caught. When there is trouble, love rushes in, wraps its strong arms around you. Real men—well—they love for a lifetime, not for a moment.

The lesson is love, and today my heart overflows when my children call me FAT DAD!

.

If Plants Were PeopleIt was a very strange garden....

...It had been planted by the gardener, with each plant lovingly and thoughtfully chosen. The gardener had put a wide variety of plants in his garden—ones of every hue, texture, and height. Some were designed to bear large, showy flowers; others were to provide a restful green backdrop. Some were designed to cover the ground; others to grow high and provide shade. They were all designed to grow strong where they’d been planted, only in different ways.

But these plants, rather than simply growing and being all they were created to be, started comparing themselves with each other. Some of the large, showy plants began holding back their flowers (they didn’t want to look so conspicuous), while others puffed out abnormally wide in pride over their beauty. The background plants felt badly that they didn’t have flowers and thought they didn’t matter.

The tall plants began stooping so they wouldn’t look so much taller than the others, while the shorter ones exhausted themselves trying to grow tall. The ones in the shade drooped, wishing they could be in the sun; the ones in the sun drooped, wishing they could be in the shade.

In the end the garden did not look good at all and failed to achieve what the gardener wanted.

The silly plants didn’t realize that they’d been created and placed where they were placed for a purpose. They were all part of the same garden, and each one needed to do its job.

“But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” 1 Corinthians 12: 20-21, 27 (KJV)

Though eternal life is a gift of grace from God that comes by faith, true faith inevitably is accompanied by actions of obedience.

Faith and Action

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus said:
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

I think what we see here is the same kind of thing James is talking about in James 2:14-26:

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.

And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."

The foolish man may hear and even believe a house built on the rock is better, but his house still crumbles if he doesn't actually build it there. If we aren't living our faith, our faith is dying. Let's hear, believe, and then act accordingly.

There was a large group of people gathered. On one side of the group stood a man, Jesus. On the other side stood another, Satan. Seperating them was a fence running through the group.

The scene set, both Jesus and Satan began calling to people in the group. One by one, each having made up his or her own mind, went to either Jesus or Satan. This kept going for a time. Soon enough, Jesus had gathered around him a group of people from the larger crowd, as did Satan.

One man joined neither group. He climbed the fence that was there and sat on it. Jesus and his people left and disappeared, and so too did Satan and his people. The man on the fence sat alone. As this man sat, Satan came back, looking for something which he appeared to have lost.

The man said, "Have you lost something?" Satan looked straight at him and replied, "No, there you are. Come with me." The man said, "But I sat on the fence. I chose neither you nor him." Satan said, "That's okay; I own the fence."

"Whoever is not with me is against me." - Jesus in Matthew 12:30

Cake helps a teen girl feel better about her problems in more ways than one.

God's cake

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. 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!

Hope your day is a "piece of cake!"

The ABC's of Life

Accept differences.
Be kind

Count your blessings.
Dream.

Express thanks.
Forgive.

Give freely.
Harm no one.

Imagine more.
Jettison anger.

Keep confidences.
Love truly.

Master something.
Nurture hope.

Open your mind.
Pack lightly.

Quell rumors.
Reciprocate.

Seek wisdom.
Touch hearts.

Understand.
Value truth.

Win graciously.
Xeriscape.

Yearn for peace.
Zealously support a worthy cause.

God put a million doors in the world for his love to walk through and
one of those doors is you.

Christians and non-Christians alike are reminded of how far from perfect they are

God's email.

One day, God was looking down at Earth and saw all of the rascally behavior that was going on. He decided to send an angel down to Earth to check it out. So, he called one of His angels and sent the angel to Earth for a time.
When he returned, he told God, "Yes, it is bad on Earth; 95% are misbehaving and 5% are not."

God thought for a moment and said, "Maybe I had better send down a second angel to get another opinion." So God called another angel and sent him to Earth for a time too.

When the angel returned he went to God and said, "Yes, it's true. The Earth is in decline; 95% are misbehaving and 5% are being good."

God was not pleased. So, He decided to e-mail the 5% that were good, because He wanted to encourage them, give them a little something to help them keep going.

Do you know what that e-mail said?

No?

Oh, so you didn't get one either?

A short story reminds us that God is always with us, even if we don't recognize His presence.

God with us.

The man whispered, "God, speak to me"
And a meadowlark sang.
But, the man did not hear.
So the man yelled, "God, speak to me"
And the thunder rolled across the sky.
But, the man did not listen. The man looked around and said,

"God let me see you."
And a star shined brightly.
But the man did not see.

And, the man shouted, "God show me a miracle."
And, a life was born.
But, the man did not notice.

So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here."
Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.
But, the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.

I found this to be a great reminder that God is always around us in the little and simple things that we take for granted even in our electronic age, so I would like to add one more:

The man cried, "God, I need your help!"
And an e-mail arrived reaching out with good news and encouragement.
But, the man deleted it and continued crying...

Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that you expect.

Forgive.

You only have to forgive once.

To resent
You have to do it all day
Everyday
All the time

You have to keep
Remembering
The bad things

It's too much work

A teacher's dart game reveals the severity of hate.

A young lady named Sally relates an experience she had in a seminary class given by her teacher, Dr. Smith. She says that Dr. Smith was known for his elaborate object lessons.
One particular day, Sally walked into the seminary and knew they were in for a fun day.

On the wall was a big target, and on a nearby table were many darts. Dr. Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that they disliked or someone who had made them angry, and he would allow them to throw darts at the person's picture.

Sally's friend drew a picture of a girl who had stolen her boyfriend. Another friend drew a picture of his little brother. Sally drew a picture of a former friend, putting a great deal of detail into her drawing, even drawing pimples on the face. Sally was pleased with the overall effect she had achieved.

The class lined up and began throwing darts. Some of the students threw their darts with such force that their targets were ripping apart. Sally looked forward to her turn, and was filled with disappointment when Dr. Smith, because of time limits, asked the students to return to their seats. As Sally sat thinking about how angry she was because she didn't have a chance to throw any darts at her target. Dr. Smith began removing the target from the wall.

Underneath the target was a picture of Jesus. A hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture of Jesus; holes and jagged marks covered His face, and His eyes were pierced.

Dr. Smith said only these words, "In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me." Matthew 25:40

No other words were necessary; the tears filled eyes of the students focused only on the picture of Christ.

Would you give gold and silver for iron? Could the iron somehow be more valuable?

Iron Cross


Early in the nineteenth century, the King of Prussia, Frederick William III, found his nation in great trouble. He had been attempting to bring prosperity to his land, but constant wars had drained the treasury. After prayerful consideration, he wrote an open letter to the women of Prussia asking them voluntarily to bring their silver and gold to be melted down.
He offered a small token of appreciation to anyone who contributed. In exchange for their jewelry, he gave them a simple cross made of iron.

It was inscribed, "I gave gold for iron, 1813." The response was overwhelming. The women of Prussia prized the gift from the king more highly than they had prized their former possessions. Women wore the iron cross with pride. In fact, gold jewelry became unfashionable. The Order of the Iron Cross was established, and members wore no ornaments save a cross of iron for all to see.


Today, we need an order of people who are committed to the King of Kings: people who will sacrifice for God's kingdom, people who esteem God's favor more than the esteem of friends and strangers. In the third century, Bishop Cyprian said, "Their property held them in chains which shackled their courage and choked their faith and hampered their judgment and throttled their souls. If they had stored up their treasure in heaven, they would not be enslaved as they are to their own property. They are not the masters of their money, but its slaves."

A rich man values pennies for their message from God.

In God we trust.

A few months ago, my husband and I were invited to spend the weekend at his employer's home. I was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than our house. The first day and evening went well, and I was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live.

My husband's employer was quite generous as a host and took us to the finest restaurants. I knew I would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so I was enjoying myself. As the three of us were about to enter an exclusive restaurant one evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of us. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment. I wondered if I was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped and a few cigarette butts.

Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny. He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure.

How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up? Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at me. Finally, I could stand it no longer. I causally mentioned that my daughter once had a coin collection and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.

A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for us to see. I had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?

"Look at it." he said. "Read what it says."

I read the words, "United States of America."

"No, not that; read further."

"One cent?"

"No, keep reading."

"In God we Trust?"

"Yes!"

"And?"

"And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin, I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray. I stop to see if my trust is in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God, that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!

When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I can not change. I read the words, "In God We Trust," and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message. It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And God is patient

A routine prayer is interrupted unexpectedly, but the interruption helps make the prayer much more meaningful.

The Lord's Prayer.

- Our Father Who Art In Heaven.
- YES?

- Don't interrupt me. I'm praying.

- BUT -- YOU CALLED ME.

- Called you? No, I didn't call you. I'm praying. Our Father who art in heaven.

- THERE -- YOU DID IT AGAIN.

- Did what?

- CALLED ME. YOU SAID, "OUR FATHER, WHO ART IN HEAVEN." WELL, HERE I AM. WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?

- But, I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying my prayers for the day. I always say the Lord's Prayer. It makes me feel good, kind of like fulfilling a duty.

- WELL, ALL RIGHT. GO ON.

- Okay, Hallowed be Thy name...

- HOLD IT RIGHT THERE. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?

- By what?

- BY "HALLOWED BE THY NAME"?

- It means, it means ... good grief, I don't know what it means. How in the world should I know? It's just a part of the prayer. By the way, what does it mean?

- IT MEANS HONORED, HOLY, WONDERFUL.

- Hey, that makes sense. I never thought about what 'hallowed' meant before. Thanks. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.

- DO YOU REALLY MEAN THAT?

- Sure, why not?

- WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT?

- Doing? Why, nothing, I guess. I just think it would be kind of neat if you got control of everything down here like you have up there. We're kinda in a mess down here, you know?

- YES, I KNOW, BUT HAVE I GOT CONTROL OF YOU?

- Well, I go to church.

- THAT ISN'T WHAT I ASKED YOU. WHAT ABOUT YOUR BAD TEMPER? YOU'VE REALLY GOT A PROBLEM THERE, YOU KNOW? THEN, THERE'S THE WAY YOU SPEND YOUR MONEY -- ALL ON YOURSELF. WHAT ABOUT THE KIND OF BOOKS YOU READ?

- Now, hold on just a minute! Stop picking on me! I'm just as good as some of the rest of those people at church!

- EXCUSE ME. I THOUGHT YOU WERE PRAYING FOR MY WILL TO BE DONE. IF THAT IS TO HAPPEN, IT WILL HAVE TO START WITH THE ONES WHO ARE PRAYING FOR IT. YOU, FOR EXAMPLE.

- Oh, all right. I guess I do have some hang-ups. Now that you mention it, I could probably name some others.

- SO COULD I.

- I haven't thought about it very much until now, but I really would like to cut out some of those things. I would like to, you know, be really free.

- GOOD. NOW WE'RE GETTING SOMEWHERE. WE'LL WORK TOGETHER -- YOU AND ME. I'M PROUD OF YOU.

- Look, Lord, if you don't mind, I need to finish up here. This is taking a lot longer than it usually does. Give us this day, our daily bread.

- YOU NEED TO CUT OUT THE BREAD. YOU'RE OVERWEIGHT AS IT IS.

- Hey, wait a minute! What is this? Here I was doing my religious duty, and all of the sudden you break in and remind me of all my hang-ups.

- PRAYING IS A DANGEROUS THING. YOU JUST MIGHT GET WHAT YOU ASK FOR. REMEMBER, YOU CALLED ME. HERE I AM. IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW. KEEP PRAYING.

- ...

- WELL, GO ON.

- I'm scared to.

- SCARED? OF WHAT?

- I know what you'll say.

- TRY ME.

- Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

- WHAT ABOUT ALICE?

- See? I knew it! I knew you would bring her up! Lord, she's told lies about me, spread stories. She never paid back the money she owes me. I've sworn to get even with her!

- BUT -- YOUR PRAYER -- WHAT ABOUT YOUR PRAYER?

- I didn't -- mean it.

- WELL, AT LEAST YOU'RE HONEST, BUT IT'S QUITE A LOAD CARRYING AROUND ALL THAT BITTERNESS AND RESENTMENT, ISN'T IT?

- Yes, but I'll feel better as soon as I get even with her. Boy, have I got some plans for her. She'll wish she had never been born.

- NO, YOU WON'T FEEL ANY BETTER. YOU'LL FEEL WORSE. REVENGE ISN'T SWEET. YOU KNOW HOW UNHAPPY YOU ARE? WELL, I CAN CHANGE THAT.

- You can? How?

- FORGIVE ALICE. THEN, I'LL FORGIVE YOU, AND THE HATE AND SIN WILL BE ALICE'S PROBLEM -- NOT YOURS. YOU WILL HAVE SETTLED THE PROBLEM AS FAR AS YOU ARE CONCERNED.

- Oh, you know, you're right. You always are. More than I want revenge, I want to be right with You... *sigh* All right...all right...I forgive her.

- THERE NOW! WONDERFUL! HOW DO YOU FEEL?

- Hmmmm. Well, not bad. Not bad at all! In fact, I feel pretty great! You know, I don't think I'll go to bed uptight tonight. I haven't been getting much rest, you know.

- YEAH, I KNOW, BUT YOU'RE NOT THROUGH WITH YOUR PRAYER, ARE YOU? GO ON.

- Oh, all right. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

- GOOD! GOOD! I'LL DO THAT. JUST DON'T PUT YOURSELF IN A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN BE TEMPTED.

- What do you mean by that?

- YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

- Yeah. I know.

- OKAY. GO AHEAD. FINISH YOUR PRAYER.

- For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

- DO YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BRING ME GLORY? WHAT WOULD REALLY MAKE ME HAPPY?

- No, but I'd like to know. I want to please you now. I've really made a mess of things. I want to truly follow you. I can see now how great that would be. So, tell me, how do I make you happy?

- YOU JUST DID.

Church members ignore a homeless man. What could go wrong?

The Least of These

It was a cold winter's day that Sunday. The parking lot to the church was filling up quickly. I noticed as I got out of my car that fellow church members were whispering among themselves as they walked to the church.

As I got closer, I saw a man leaned up against the wall outside the church. He was almost lying down as if he was asleep. He had on a long trench coat that was almost in shreds and a hat topped his head, pulled down so you couldn't see his face.

He wore shoes that looked 30 years old, too small for his feet. With holes all over them, his toes stuck out. I assumed this man was homeless and asleep, so I walked on by through the doors of the Church.

We all enjoy fellowship for a few minutes, and then someone brought up the man who was lying outside. People snickered and gossiped, but no one bothered to ask him to come in, including me. A few moments later, church began. We all waited for the preacher to take his place and give us The Word when the doors to the church opened. In came the homeless man, walking down the aisle with his head down.

People gasped and whispered and made faces. He made his way down the aisle and up onto the pulpit. When he took off his hat and coat, my heart sank. There stood our preacher. He was the "homeless man".

No one said a word. The room was silent and still.

The preacher took his Bible and laid it on the stand.

"Folks, I don't think I have to tell you what I'm preaching about today. Jesus said, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" He proceeded to preach a sermon about treating others with dignity and kindness even if they seem to be the "least".

We as Christians believe that an afterlife so much better than this life exists, but can we act like it when a loved one dies? It can be difficult.

Lost Loved Ones

Even though we know that it is not a sad thing when someone goes to be with the Lord, it is difficult not to mourn.

This is because our minds so easily get caught up in this life. This life seems so big to us, so long. It seems so long to wait an entire lifetime to see someone again, and even the most sincere Christians don't think happily about the possibility of dying sooner rather than later.

My hope and prayer is that those who have lost loved ones can overcome this, that they can see this life for what it truly is - a short period of time during which we can glorify our Savior before we go to live with Him forever along with the loved ones who went to Him before us.

A woman is blessed by helping some homeless men at McDonald's.

McDonald's Breakfast

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 reactions. 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.

Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonald's one crisp March morning. It was just our way of sharing special playtime 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 short 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 challenged 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. If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm.

Then I really felt it - the compulsion was 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 every action. 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. 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 to be healed.

In my own way, I had touched the people at McDonald's, 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

Much love and compassion is sent to each and every person who may read this and learn how to LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS - NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE.

To handle yourself, use your head.
To handle others, use your heart.

God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into its nest.

A young boy's experience reminds us that others can see God in us and that we should seek to see God in others.

Meeting God.

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and he started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old man. He was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie. He gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.

Again, he smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old man, and gave him a hug. He gave him his biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy? "He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? He's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the old man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked, "Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring.

Christians are reminded to take time for God in their lives.

I knelt to pray but not for long;
I had too much to do.
I had to hurry and get to work
For bills would soon be due.
So I knelt and said a hurried prayer
And jumped up off my knees.
My Christian duty was now done.
My soul could rest at ease.

All day long, I had no time
To spread a word of cheer.
No time to speak of Christ to friends.
They'd laugh at me I'd fear.

No time, no time, too much to do;
That was my constant cry.
No time to give to souls in need,
But at last the time, the time to die.

I went before the Lord.
I came, I stood with downcast eyes.
For in his hands, God held a book;
It was the book of life.

God looked into his book and said,
"Your name I cannot find.
I once was going to write it down
But never found the time

Does God do what He wants to do or does He do what we ask Him to in prayer? It can be hard to understand. I try to explain it.

Prayer.

Should we pray for things we want to happen?
Won't God do what He's going to do and not change His mind anyway? (Num. 23:19, 1 Sam. 15:29)

We should pray.

God already knows what He will do. (Matt. 6:8)

He also knows how much and how earnestly you will pray. (1 John 3:20)

God may do something you like whether you pray for it or not. (Ex. 33:19)

He may not do it no matter how much you pray. (Jam. 4:3)

However, He may sometimes do something if you pray and not do it if you don't. (Jam. 4:2)

You can't make Him do it.

Rather, He has chosen certain things to happen if you pray. (1 John 5:14)

God knows which things He will do if you pray and which things He will not do no matter how much you pray.

You don't.

So pray.