In step

[RiverOL]

The Pretty One
=====================​

This was the last litter of puppies we were going to allow our
Cocker Spaniel to have. It had been a very long night for me.
Precious, our only black Cocker was having a very difficult time
with the delivery of her puppies.

I laid on the floor beside her large four-foot square cage
watching her every movement. I was watching and waiting just in
case we had to rush her to the veterinarian.

After six hours the puppies started to appear. The first born
was a black and white party dog. The second and third puppies
were tan and brown in color.

The fourth and fifth were also spotted black and white. "One,
two, three, four, five," I counted to myself as I walked down
the hallway to wake up Judy and tell her that everything was
fine. As we walked back down the hallway and into the spare
bedroom, I noticed a sixth puppy had been born and was now lying
all by itself over to the side of the cage.

I picked up the small puppy and laid it on top of the large pile
of puppies, which were whining and trying to nurse on the
mother. Instantly Precious pushed the small puppy away from
rest of the group and refused to recognize it as a member of her
family.

"Something's wrong," said Judy. I reached over and picked up
the puppy. My heart sank inside my chest when I saw the little
puppy was hare-lipped and could not close its little mouth.

We had gone through this once before last year with another one
of our cockers. That experience like to have killed me when the
puppy died and I had to bury it. If there was any way to save
this animal I was going to give it my best shot.

All the puppies born that night, with the exception of the small
hare-lipped pup, were very valuable because of their unusual
coloring. Most would bring between five to seven hundred
dollars each.

The next day I took the puppy to the vet. I was told nothing
could be done unless we were willing to spend about a thousand
dollars to try and correct the defect. He told us that the
puppy would die mainly because it could not suckle.

After returning home Judy and I decided that we could not afford
to spend that kind of money without getting some type of
assurances from the vet that the puppy had a chance to live.
However, that did not stop me from purchasing a syringe and
feeding the puppy by hand, which I did every day and night,
every two hours, for more than ten days.

The fifth week I placed an ad in the newspaper, and within a
week we had taken deposits on all of the pups, except the one
with the deformity.

The little guy had learned to eat on his own as long as it was
soft canned food.

Late that afternoon I had gone to the store to pick up a few
groceries. Upon returning I happened to see the old retired
school teacher, who lived across the street from us, waving at
me. She had read in the paper that we had puppies for sale and
was wondering if she might buy one from us for her grandson.

I told her all the puppies had been sold, but I would keep my
eyes open for anyone else who might have a cocker spaniel for
sale. I also mentioned we never kept a deposit should someone
change their mind, and if so I would let her know.

Within days all but one of the puppies had been picked up by
their new owners.

This left me with one brown and tan cocker, as well as the
smaller hare-lipped puppy.

Two days passed without me hearing anything from the gentleman
who had placed a deposit on the tan and brown pup. So I
telephoned the school teacher and told her I had one puppy left
and that she was welcome to come and look at it.

She advised me that she was going to pick up her grandson and
would come over about eight o'clock that evening. Judy and I
were eating supper when we heard a knock on the front door.

When I opened the door, the man who had placed a $100 deposit
on the dog was standing there. We walked inside where I filled
out the paperwork, he paid me the balance of the money, and I
handed him the puppy.

Judy and I did not know what to do or say if the teacher showed
up with her grandson. Sure enough at exactly eight o'clock the
doorbell rang. I opened the door and there was the school
teacher with her grandson standing behind her. I explained to
her the man had come for the puppy just an hour before and there
were no puppies left.

"I'm sorry, Jeffery. They sold all the puppies," she told her
grandson.

Just at that moment, the small puppy left in the bedroom began
to yelp.

"My puppy! My puppy!" yelled the little boy as he ran out from
behind his grandmother.

I just about fell over when I saw that the small child was hare-
lipped. The boy ran past me as fast as he could down the
hallway to where the puppy was still yelping. When the three of
us made it to the bedroom, the small boy was holding the puppy
in his arms. He looked up at his grandmother and said, "Look
Grandma. They sold all the puppies except the pretty one, and
he looks just like me."

Well, old Grandma wasn't the only one with tears in her eyes
that day. Judy and I stood there, not knowing what to do.

"Is this puppy for sale?" asked the school teacher.

"My grandma told me these kind of puppies are real expensive and
that I have to take real good care of it," said the little boy
who was now hugging the puppy.

"Yes, ma'am. This puppy is for sale."

The lady opened her purse, and I could see several one-hundred
dollar bills sticking out of her wallet. I reached over and
pushed her hand back down into her purse so that she would not
pull her wallet out.

"How much do you think this puppy is worth?" I asked the boy.

"About a dollar?" He replied.

"No. This puppy is very, very expensive; more than a dollar."
I told him.

"I'm afraid so." said his grandmother.

The boy stood there pressing the small puppy against his cheek.

"We could not possibly take less than two dollars for this
puppy," Judy said squeezing my hand. "Like you said, 'It's the
pretty one'". She continued.

The school teacher took out two dollars and handed it to the
young boy.

"It's your dog now, Jeffery. You pay the man."

I think it must be a wonderful feeling for any young person to
look at themselves in the mirror and see nothing, except "The
pretty one."

There is a light that shines beyond all things on earth, beyond
the highest, the very highest heavens. This is the light that
shines in your heart.

 

[RiverOL]

Bricks or Balloons?
===========================​

There are people in your life
who will either lift you up
or weigh you down.

Which one are you?

Learn to recognize the two.

 

[RiverOL]

The Divine Dud
=====================​

I do hope you do not mind my emailing.

My son is in Baghdad, Iraq. We’ve had no word of him in several
days now. He was to leave for home (on April 22,) but due to the
circumstances now, he was held over for at least four months,
for sure.

A couple of weeks ago, he saw a mortar shell coming at him with
NO time to dive, move or anything else. He said all he had time
to even think was, I'm dead.

The mortar hit the ground approximately five feet from him and
rolled towards him. It did not explode. Considered a "dud," as
they'd say about some kind of fireworks on the 4th of July, it
would have completely blown him apart had it exploded. But with
so many prayers going up for him, and all the other men and
women there, he was protected.

Do I doubt the Lord caused it to be a "dud????" NO, NO, NO!
I do not doubt it one bit. He said when his adrenalin came down
he shook like a leaf on a tree, but he was alive.
I am so thankful for his protection.

I say all that to say this. I visited your website and went to
the movies to check them out. My goodness - I first looked at
Alone. I wept. We have not heard from our son as I said in
several days. With all the fighting and killing going on in his
area, we are very nervous.

To say the very least, I HAVE felt alone. In a different way
than the movie implies, I guess, but all the same--ALONE!

My husband is a pastor of a church here where we live, but we
in the ministry DO feel alone sometimes even with spouses whom
we adore so very much, as he also does me.

Your movie "Alone" touched me so deeply. I am in NO way alone!
NO WAY! My sweet Lord Jesus is with me every day, and night.
Just as He is also with our son around the world.

Thank you so very much for making that lil film for people like
me. It spoke to my heart in a special way and reminded me that
I am never alone. NEVER!

Thank you MountainWings staff for reminding me that the great God
of Heaven walks with me, and my son---daily! It is very evident.
I just need to slow down and remember that.

Bless you
J. Snow

 

[RiverOL]

When You Are Happy
=============================
An employee made a powerful statement today.

I have one-on-one meetings with the managers in the company.
I am their boss, so I allow them to privately express whatever
is on their minds.

I asked Carolyn Mincy, a supervisor, “How are things going?”

She looked at me and with a depth of feeling that punctuated her
words, she spoke one sentence.

I believed her.

After dealing with people for as many years as I have, you get
to a point where you can sense when people are sincere and when
they have an ulterior motive.

I believed her.

The facility where she works has some problems. All places do.
There are people and wherever there are people there are
problems. People have problems and they bring those problems in
one form or another to work.

Ms. Mincy said:

“Everything is great, it can’t get no better.”

I knew that it was not the place that was that great.
Sure, it’s a good place to work but that wasn’t the key.
Others worked there and were full of complaints.
You will find that at all companies, whether good or bad.

The key was that SHE was happy.
She was happy within herself.
She was happy at home.
She was happy at church.
She was happy with her manager.
She was happy with her co-workers.

She was happy.

And when you are truly happy,

It can’t get no better.​

 

[RiverOL]

Pecans In The Cemetery
==================================​

On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big, old pecan
tree just inside the cemetery fence. One day, two boys filled
up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the tree, out of sight,
and began dividing the nuts.

"One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me," said one
boy. Several dropped and rolled down toward the fence.

Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle. As he
passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery.
He slowed down to investigate. Sure enough, he heard,
"One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me."

He just knew what it was. He jumped back on his bike and rode
off. Just around the bend he met an old man with a cane,
hobbling along.

"Come here quick," said the boy, "you won't believe what I
heard! Satan and the Lord are down at the cemetery dividing up
the souls."

The man said, "Beat it kid, can't you see it's hard for me to
walk." When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled to the
cemetery. Standing by the fence they heard, "One for you, one
for me. One for you, one for me..."

The old man whispered, "Boy, you've been tellin' the truth.
Let's see if we can see the Lord." Shaking with fear, they
peered through the fence, yet were still unable to see anything.

The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron bars of the
fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of the
Lord.

At last they heard, "One for you, one for me. That's all.
Now let's go get those nuts by the fence and we'll be done."

They say the old man made it back to town a full 5 minutes ahead
of the boy on the bike.

 

[RiverOL]

The Philosopher
=======================​

I saw him sitting in his door,
Trembling as old men do;
His house was old; his barn was old,
And yet his eyes seemed new.

His eyes had seen three times my years
And kept a twinkle still,
Though they had looked at birth and death
And three graves on a hill.

"I will sit down with you," I said,
"And you will make me wise;
Tell me how you have kept the joy
Still burning in your eyes."

Then like an old-time orator
Impressively he rose;
"I make the most of all that comes,
The least of all that goes."

The jingling rhythm of his words
Echoes as old songs do,
Yet this had kept his eyes alight
Till he was ninety-two.

 

[RiverOL]

More Month Than Money
==================================​

More month than money is a staple in our household.

As a single, disabled mother of two (one in college) on a fixed
income, saying that money is tight is an understatement.

Our living situation dictated that we move from the overpriced
rented apartment we had been in for nearly three years to
something more affordable.

Divine providence led us to a wonderful house that the owners
needed to sell right away because the wife's job had moved to
another state. Blessing #1, the mortgage payment would be
significantly less than our apartment had been.

A few months later I felt led to donate money to my church's
world hunger drive. I gave a few dollars, but felt God telling
me that local families were hungry, too. So, I planned to
gather a few canned goods and staples to take to the local food
bank, but, again, seemed to hear God telling me that cash was
the way to go.

"But I can barely pay my family's bills now. How can
I afford to give money to feed other families?" I thought.

I figured God must somehow be affiliated with Nike because His
response was, "Just do it."

I did as instructed, wondering which bill I could skip paying
that month.

About a week later I received a letter from the title company
that handled my home purchase. It stated that the enclosed
check was a refund for hazard insurance.

I had no idea what that meant, and really didn't care.

All I knew was that, once again, God showed His faithfulness.

The check was for 20 times more than I had donated to the local
food bank.

 

[RiverOL]

Helping Someone Else
================================​

Helping someone else instead of yourself.

Hi. More Month Than Money reminded me of something I've done
yesterday afternoon. My parents have a guesthouse and even with
this guesthouse, we end up scraping by every month. Yes, it causes
a lot of unhappiness here at home but, God always makes sure that
we get through that month.

Anyway, here in South Africa they are giving everyone with an ID, a
free decoder and dish because the analog signals would be switched off
in September. So, yesterday five men came around to put the dish up
and connect it to the decoder. Since I'm blind, I didn't know that
there were five guys instead of two as I had thought. I asked them if
they wanted something to eat with a cup of coffee. They answered, "Yes," and told me that they haven't eaten that morning before they left to put up all the dishes they had with them.

My father wasn't pleased with me and promptly called me into the house and gave me a lecture about giving food away to strangers and that there were five men out there and not just one or two. I nearly burst into tears because I had no idea that there were that many people out there.

I only wanted to do something and make them feel appreciated. My mom told my dad off and went to the kitchen to make the men each a sandwich. My dad's a good person, don't get me wrong here. It's just well, he doesn't always like to share what little we have for ourselves.

I fetched two tins of corn beef and gave them to my mom who made a nice mixture with chutney and tomato sauce. I got five cups out and made some coffee for the guys. We didn't have enough bread but, it was enough for the guys and my mom. Mom ended up cutting her hand on one of the tins and I felt horrible about that even if it wasn't my fault.

When the guys left, they were happy and said thanks for the food and coffee. This morning dad got some money and put it into the bank so that everything that needs to be paid could get paid. It's still not enough but, I know that everything will be okay. My Grandma used to give what little she had to her kids and in return, she always got more back.

I believe in helping others because I had done it in boarding school and
college and always got more back than what I'd given away.

Mom's like that too and well, helping others always gives me a happy
feeling, like I've won a million.

Thanks for this story, it reminded me that our Heavenly Father is always
looking out for his children.

 

[RiverOL]

The Cookie Thief
========================​

The woman arrived at an airport one night
With several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shop,
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book but happened to see,
That the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be,
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between,
Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

So she munched the cookies and watched the clock,
As the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock.
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, "If I wasn't so nice, I would blacken his eye."

With each cookie she took, he took one too,
When only one was left, she wondered what he would do.
With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other,
She snatched it from him and thought... ooh, brother!
This guy has some nerve and he's also rude,
Why he didn't even show any gratitude!

She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate,
Refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate.

She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat,
Then she sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise,
There was her bag of cookies, in front of her eyes.

If mine are here, she moaned in despair,
The others were his, and he tried to share.
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief!



How many times have we absolutely known that something was a
certain way, only to discover later that what we believed to be
true was not?

Keep an open mind and an open heart, because you just never
know, you might be eating someone else's cookies....

~by Valerie Cox~

 

[RiverOL]

You Can’t Do This Alone
================

You can’t do this alone.

You are in a crowd, yet by yourself for where you want to go.
You struggle, do a little better, then backslide to where you
were before and feel guilty about it.

Realize that you can’t be or do what you are destined to alone.

You need God, but God sends guidance in a physical form.
In a human.

God did that with His son, but He also does that by sending
people into your life to teach, guide, direct and correct you.

You need to go to church. There is usually one within walking
distance of every home in any American city.

Yes, you’ve got some problems with the church because it is made
up of people with flaws. Even the preachers, we have flaws.

You won’t find a perfect church or a perfect preacher but you
can find one that’s perfect for you.

You can’t do this alone.

You need guidance, teaching and example in a human form.

You must do three things.

1. Select
You must find the person who is right for you to teach and lead
you where you want to go. I recommend you find someone whose
life is where you want yours to be. No ones life is perfect but
some are certainly better than others. Find someone who has
SUCCESSFULLY gotten their life in order the way you want yours.

2. Submit

Look, if you knew it all or had the right answer, you wouldn’t
be in this mess. Recognize that you need to submit yourself to
the leadership of another.

To truly change you, they may say some things that will make you
mad. Both truth and change often hurts.
Medicine is usually bitter.

Stop your own headstrong independent thinking and realize that
maybe you just need to do things differently and listen and
follow someone else with wisdom for a change.

That’s a key... “for a change.”

3. Sit

It will take time.

You didn’t get in this overnight and you won’t get out overnight.
It will take time.

Don’t get discouraged, hang in there.
It takes 90 days of doing something different to break a habit
and form a new habit.

Hang in there.

You can’t do it alone

...but then you are not alone.

 

[RiverOL]

Two Coats
================​

A man said to the crowd...

“If you had two cars in your driveway, would you
a) either sell one and give the money to the poor, or
b) give the car to the poor?"

The crowd shouted, “Why yes! Of course we would.”

Again the man shouted, "And if you had two houses, would you
give one of them to the poor, as you cannot possibly live in two
houses at the same time?”

Again the response from the crowd was overwhelming,
"Yes" they cried.

The man shouted again, "If you had two coats, would you..."
and was interrupted by a man in the crowd who said,
"Hold on a minute, we ALL have two coats."

The man no longer continued.

Everyday in life we are the first to condemn others for having
many things while there are people in the world who have
nothing.

"Why don't the celebs give some of their money, etc., etc.?"

However, when it comes down to it and we are being questioned,
we are the first ones to say, "Hold on, why us?"

Too often in life people don't think before they speak.
They judge others before looking thoroughly through themselves.

Next time... Please THINK

What you do to others... you should do to yourself.
What you say to others... you should say to yourself.
What you think about others... you should think about yourself.
What you see in others... you should see in yourself.

THINK BEFORE YOU ACT!

 

[RiverOL]

The Company That You Keep
========================================​

It Is Better To Be Alone, Than In The Wrong Company


Tell me who your best friends are, and I will tell you who you are.
If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl.
But, if you associate with eagles, you will learn how to soar
to great heights.

"A mirror reflects a man's face, but what he is really like is
shown by the kind of friends he chooses." The simple but true
fact of life is that you become like those with whom you closely
associate - for the good and the bad.

The less you associate with some people, the more your life will
improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases
your mediocrity. An important attribute in successful people
is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting
people.

As you grow, your associates will change. Some of your friends
will not want you to go on. They will want you to stay where
they are. Friends who don't help you climb will want you to crawl.

Your friends will stretch your vision or choke your dream.

Those who don't increase you will eventually decrease you.

Consider this:

Never receive counsel from unproductive people.

Never discuss your problems with someone incapable of
contributing to the solution because those who never succeed
themselves are always first to tell you how.

Not everyone has a right to speak into your life.
You are certain to get the worst of the bargain when you
exchange ideas with the wrong person.

Don't follow anyone who's not going anywhere.
With some people you spend an evening, with others you invest it.

Be careful where you stop to inquire for directions along the
road of life.

Wise is the person who fortifies his life with the right
friendships.

 

[RiverOL]

20,000
==========​

Years ago I watched the famous basketball star Wilt Chamberlain
on a television talk show.

Wilt was one of the original old-time big basketball stars.

In the days before Michael Jordan, Shaq, Rodman and the other
household basketball names, there was Wilt Chamberlain.

Wilt broke all kinds of basketball records.
He had a 100-point game among the other records he established.

I was counseling a man who stated that he wished that he had a
harem of several women to end his romantic problems.

I thought of Wilt and that television interview.

Although Wilt held numerous basketball records, the record that
Wilt is most famous (or infamous) for is the statement he made
concerning his personal life.

Wilt claimed that by age 55, he had slept with 20,000 women.
That statement shocked the sports world.

Wilt started at 15; that's 500 new women per year.
That's 10 per week.

How did one man have an average of ten new women in his life
each week for 40 years?

I couldn't fathom that yet I knew many men secretly wished they
had such a life.

The world focused on the 20,000. I am sure many men imagined
those were 20,000 rather attractive women as Wilt was a sports
icon the world over. Wilt said, "The average Joe would have
proposed to any of those 20,000 on the first date."

Yes, Wilt appeared to be living the "life."

What the world missed was Wilt's other statement.
It's the "other" statement that always stayed with me.

Wilt Chamberlain in essence said, "I would rather have had one
woman that I truly loved, than 20,000 that I didn't."

Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines and he reached a
similar conclusion.

"...all is vanity."

While scoring over 30,000 points on the court, Wilt Chamberlain
never fouled out. Off the court, he never truly scored.

Wilt died in 1999.

The score

20,000 to 0

 

[RiverOL]

The Delivery Plan
=========================​

I had a bit of an epiphany just now as I reflect on something that
happened to me last night.

Every Friday and Saturday night I moonlight as a food courier for
a local food delivery company - and this is in addition to my
regular, daytime, 40 hours a week full time job. I work this 2nd
job to pay off some bank and personal debt that have accumulated
due to some unfortunate circumstances that have happened to me the
last few years.

Anyway, something happened to me last night that gave me an
insight into how God operates.

It was about 1.5 hours prior to the end of my shift and I got an
order in which the restaurant and customer's house were pretty far
away from each other - but in the case of my job this is actually
a good thing since a) the customer gets charged a higher delivery
fee which is paid to me and b) unlike other orders, this customer
is a good tipper which means this order is lucrative enough to
start out with.

Anyway, I picked up the customer's food and drove to the
customer's house. Despite the fact I was using Google Maps I was
having problems finding the customer's house.

I called the customer to ask him how to get to his house and
clarified his address. He then told me the address on the order
was wrong - the address on the order was 72 Avenue and 138 Street,
and the customer told me his address was actually 138 Avenue and
72 Street.

Whoops.

I then became infuriated and notified my dispatcher that the
address on the order was wrong (they have put the wrong address on
the order in the past, so a precedent had been set for my
frustration).

By this time I had already spent 30 mins on this order and wasn't
happy to hear this - and I had already lost another order which
got reassigned to another customer in the process, meaning I had
just lost income because of this screw-up!

In my city the address on the order is in the Southwest end of the
city, and the customer's actual address is now in the Northeast
end of the city.

I had ~ a 30 minute drive at night to get to the customer's actual
address now.

So, I plugged the new information into Google Maps and made my way
to the actual address.

I got to the customer's door and I expected him to be in a bad
mood because his delivery had taken so long (despite the fact it
wasn't my fault).

Instead, I was greeted by a very pleasant customer who explained
to me that his wife put in the order on the company's website and
paid for it online, and her vision is not that great so she put in
the wrong address in the order by accident, so this whole thing
was their own fault.

I felt so bad for this customer the whole time, but the customer
said he felt so bad for me that he decided to throw math out the
window and gave me an additional $30 cash for my trouble.

My company also confirmed to me after I told them that they'd pay
me a little extra for the order as well since I had such a long
drive on this order.

This means that in total on this 1 order, factoring in the guy's
$30 tip, I made $45 on just this order - and ended up setting a
record for income in 1 shift. I made 3 figures off this one night,
something that has never happened to me before.

The real kicker is the order I lost I might've made $10-15 on at
most, but with all the extra money I made because of this gaffe I
ended up making way more than I would've otherwise.

As I reflected on this today, it struck me that this is often the
way God works.

God throws all kinds of stress and adversity our way and
oftentimes we get angry, stressed out, frustrated, or anxious
asking him "Why me?" When oftentimes once the situation plays
itself out, we end up on the other side of it in better shape than
we were before.

That food order took me almost 1.5 hours to deliver, but I made
more money on it than I would've if I had the right address from
the start and moved on to another order sooner.

How many times have we heard people who have gone on a weight loss
journey in their 40s, 50, or older and after they reach their goal
they say "I have more energy now than I did when I was in my 30s."

This is often what adversity will do to us. We see it as a bad
thing at the time but God has a plan for us and is shaping us in
his image, so that we can fulfill his purpose for our life.
Oftentimes we end up better once we get out of it than we were
before we got into it.

So if you're going through adversity right now, just remember that
God has your back and you'll come out at the other end of it
better than you were before.

God bless, and as a great Canadian TV Show once said, "Keep your
stick on the ice."

 

[RiverOL]

Real Mistakes
====================​

The only real mistake is one from which we learn nothing.
John Powell


In most of my counseling sessions as a pastor, very rarely is it
a person's first time in the situation. It has just finally
gotten so bad or so confusing that they must seek help.

"When you pay for experience, keep the receipt,"
is another popular saying my mother used a lot.

Gomer Pyle perhaps said it best...

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

The only real mistake is one from which we learn nothing.

So don't make any real mistakes.

 

[RiverOL]

Merci
==========​

"Merci" is the French word for "Thank You."

On Air France on the way to a connecting flight in Paris, the
French-speaking crew kept using the word "Merci."

In the Paris airport the word kept popping up again. I became
sensitive to it. "Merci" sounds virtually identical to the
English word "Mercy" just a slight difference in enunciation.

Perhaps their tonal similarity is spiritually connected.

When we are thankful, mercy follows.

When things go bad in our world, I often find that the
thankfulness is also gone. We focus far more on the things that
go wrong than on the things going right.

We wonder why has God abandoned us?
Why are we forsaken?
Why have things gone so sour?
Why is everyone else doing OK but us?

When that happens, we've usually forgotten about all of the
things that have gone right.

Merci is a word we no longer speak; therefore, mercy is a thing
we no longer see.

 

[RiverOL]

Enjoy the Gift You've Been Given​

“Wow!” the exclamation came almost collectively from everyone in the room as Jessica pulled the beautiful sweater out of the wrapping paper. It was gorgeous!

One by one, each of the children finished opening the Christmas presents their father had bought them. Each present was different. They ranged from clothing to a bike to jewelry to electronics. Although the children didn't realize it at the time, each gift was exactly what the recipient needed.

In the following days, however, a strange thing happened. Each one, rather than enjoying his or her own gift and using it to serve others, wished for what one of the other children had. Jessica longed for the mobility Sarah had with her bike; Sarah wished she had the sweater.

It took awhile for the children to stop comparing and to simply start enjoying the gifts they’d been given. When they did, however, they discovered the joy of embracing what they'd been given with thankfulness, discovering that their father had given each of them a special present...and the responsibility to use that present well.

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." Colossians 3:15 (KJV)

 

[RiverOL]

Job Position
==================​

POSITION: Mother, Mom, Mama

JOB DESCRIPTION:
Long-term team players needed for challenging permanent work
in an often chaotic environment.

Candidates must possess excellent communication and
organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours,
which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24
hour shifts on call.

Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive
camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments
in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed.

Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least
temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite
tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a
pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds
flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not
someone just crying wolf.

Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges such
as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets, and stuck
zippers.

Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate
production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to
plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and
mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one
minute, an embarrassment the next.

Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half
million cheap plastic toys and battery-operated devices.

Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of
the end product.

Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial
work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT AND PROMOTION:
Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for
years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating
your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass
you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:
None required unfortunately.
On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION:
Get this -- you pay them!
Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due
when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will
help them become financially independent.
When you die, you give them whatever is left.

The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you
actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS:
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition
reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are
offered, this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal
growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.

 

[RiverOL]

Bitter Cures
=================​

One day as I sat musing,
Sad and lonely,
And without a friend,
A voice came to me,
From out of the gloom,
Saying, "Cheer up, things could be worse!"
So I cheered up,

And, sure enough,

Things got worse.

Sometimes it does look like things get worse when you do the
right thing.

It’s just temporary.

Sometimes it’s like medicine.
It’s bitter and often the cure seems bad, but it’s working.

 

[RiverOL]

The Speed of Life
=========================​

The busier I get, the less I get done...
The faster I go, the less I progress...
The Bible?! I don't have time to read that.
I'll hear it on Sunday anyway...
Prayer?
God knows my heart and the Holy Spirit can read my mind...

I cannot stop to pick him up,
appointments won't allow...
to get into a conversation--
I cannot see how...
I don't have time to listen to
that man that said "Hello..."
Have I too many things to do
to really get to know?

Who are those people growing up
before my very eyes?
It seems each time I stop and look
they are another size!
Who is that woman in my home?
Her beauty changes not,
but if I have to ask these,
what priorities have I got?

"O where did I ignore that compass
keeping me on track?
Each chapter and each verse of such--
Lord, have I been that slack?
Stable me again upon
that course that prospers all:
where I am guided by Your Spirit--
answering Your call."

Repentance. It MUST be from the heart!
It MUST start in the home.
It MUST be done if I am to be effective at all...
ANYWHERE!