Just sharing.

[beensetfree]

A True Story

​ By: Mildred Honor​


At the prodding of my friends I am writing this story. My name is Mildred Honor and I am a former elementary school music teacher from Des Moines, Iowa. I have always supplemented my income by teaching piano lessons - something I have done for over 30 years.

During those years I found that children have many levels of musical ability, and even though I have never had the pleasure of having a prodigy, I have taught some very talented students.

However, I have also had my share of what I call 'musically challenged' pupils - one such pupil being Robby. Robby was 11 years old when his mother (a single mom) dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer that students (especially boys) begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby. But Robby said that it had always been his mother's dream to hear him play the piano, so I took him as a student.

At the end of each weekly lesson he would always say 'My mom's going to hear me play someday'. But to me, it seemed hopeless, he just did not have any inborn ability.

I only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled, but never dropped in. Then one day Robby stopped coming for his lessons. I thought about calling him, but I was also glad that he had stopped coming - he was a bad advertisement for my teaching!

Several weeks later I mailed a flyer recital to the students' homes. To my surprise, Robby (who had received a flyer) asked me if he could be in the recital. I told him that the recital was for current pupils and that because he had dropped out, he really did not qualify. He told me that his mother had been sick and unable to take him to his piano lessons, but that he had been practicing. 'Please Miss Honor, I've just got to play' he insisted. I don't know what led me to allow him to play in the recital - perhaps it was his insistence or maybe something inside of me saying that it would be all right.

The night of the recital came and the high school gymnasium was packed with parents, relatives and friends. I put Robby last in the program, just before I was to come up and thank all the students and play a finishing piece. I thought that any damage he might do would come at the end of the program and I could always salvage his poor performance through my 'curtain closer'.

Well, the recital went off without a hitch, the students had been practicing and it showed. Then Robby came up on the stage. His clothes were wrinkled and his hair looked as though he had run an egg beater through it. 'Why wasn't he dressed up like the other students?' I thought. 'Why didn't his mother at least make him comb his hair for this special night?'

Robby pulled out the piano bench, and I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen to play Mozart's Concerto No.21 in C Major. I was not prepared for what I heard next. His fingers were light on the keys, they even danced nimbly on the ivories. He went from pianissimo to fortissimo, from allegro to virtuoso; his suspended chords that Mozart demands were magnificent! Never had I heard Mozart played so well by anyone his age. After six and a half minutes he ended in a grand crescendo, and everyone was on their feet in wild applause!

Overcome and in tears, I ran up on stage and put my arms around Robby in joy. 'I have never heard you play like that Robby, how did you do it?' Through the microphone Robby explained: 'Well, Miss Honor, remember I told you that my mom was sick? Well, she actually had cancer and passed away this morning. And well ..... she was born deaf, so tonight was the first time she had ever heard me play, and I wanted to make it special.'

There wasn't a dry eye in the house that evening. As the people from Social Services led Robby from the stage to be placed in to foster care, I noticed that even their eyes were red and puffy. I thought to myself then how much richer my life had been for taking Robby as my pupil.

No, I have never had a prodigy, but that night I became a prodigy ......... of Robby. He was the teacher and I was the pupil, for he had taught me the meaning of perseverance and love and believing in yourself, and may be even taking a chance on someone and you didn't know why.

Robby was killed years later in the senseless bombing of the Alfred P. Murray Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April, 1995.

And now, a footnote to the story. If you are thinking about forwarding this message, you are probably wondering which people on your address list aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. The person who sent this to you believes that we can all make a difference!

So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice. Do we act with compassion or do we pass up that opportunity and leave the world a bit colder in the process?

You now have two choices:
1. Delete this; OR
2. Forward it to the people you care about. You know the choice I made.

Thank you for reading this.. May God Bless you today, tomorrow and always. If God didn't have a purpose for us, we wouldn't be here!
Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Leave the rest to God.

 

[septuagint]

[video=youtube_share;s8w-2skZp-Q]https://youtu.be/s8w-2skZp-Q[/video]

 

[beensetfree]

The Eagle's Doom


Hail to thee proud eagle on thy rocky throne, a'top the mountain wilderness thou makest home. Now hark as He who made the Sun and moon draws nigh to freeze thy heart with words of doom. And tell the number of thy days, cut short by man's appalling greedy ways

Well mayest thou flap then soar and glide, aloft the lively countryside. And focus down with stony stare that penetrates full mile of mountain air. So through the morning's misty haze, espy small furry creatures as they graze. On greeny shoots raised by the Sun, then swoop and snatch them as they play and run . . .

Alas, for thus the foul and potent brew spread by the farmer on the things he grew. Bids death ascend the living chain from grass and grain -- and seep inside and rot thy brain . Then snare they hairy offspring in his chalky womb, affording thus his putrefying flesh a pretty tomb . . .

And now o'man who does these deeds, take heed and tremble as thou readests. Know this, and know it well, that He who made the eagle's eye sees thee and all thy greedy grasping ways, whose only value is what pays. Soon shall He swoop with mighty wrath, and seize they neck and shake thee like a dirty cloth

And lay great weals across thy back, until the shell of human nature crack And let the Holy Spirit in, that thou mayest kneel and weep and worship Him . . .
..
Then shall He change the eagle too, no more to feed on mouse and shrew But like the lion with the lamb, to live at peace with God and man.

 

[beensetfree]

The Fuzzy God


If you ask around, you find that there are not at all many hard- core atheists about. Most people say they believe in "god", but I want to suggest that they are usually not talking about the Creator God of the Bible, but about a false, "fuzzy" god, whom I shall label "fuzzgod" for short.

Unless our concept of God is totally based upon what God has revealed about Him-self, the word "God" has no fixed content, and communicates no objective meaning. As evolution has eroded trust in the reliability of the Bible, many churches have begun contemplating such ideas as whether God could be referred to as "she". Let’s face it--if people are only talking about a god of their own imaginings (which is all that is possible if the revelation of the true God is effectively discarded) they might be conceivably talking about a three-horned cosmic cow.

On the other hand, once revelation is accepted as authoritative, there is no room for argument on the subject of God’s "gender." Having been told that God is spirit, we are plainly told that He wishes believers to address Him as Father, not mother-- end of discussion.

Let’s list some features of this popular god of today:

l. "Fuzzgod" is not a god of holiness. Whereas the true God hates sin and has repeatedly acted in judgment in history, fuzzgod wouldn’t do anything like that. Fuzzgod only makes people feel good, not bad. Fuzzgod is convenient to give comfort when you need warm fuzzies, and doesn’t really mind about you cheating on your tax. Fuzzgod is good to send just about everyone to heaven (or maybe arrange reincarnation).

2. Fuzzgod accommodates everyone’s opinions. We’ve all heard people say what they think God would or wouldn’t do, oblivious to the pronouncements of the Bible. They must be talking about fuzzgod, since the true God has what is right and wrong regardless of our opinion.

3. The character of the true God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Many regard that as a little stodgy today-- unwilling to change (evolve) with the times. Not like fuzzgod, who is quite flexible, depending on the need--sort of fuzzy around the edges. Fuzzgod’s adherents are similar. I remember asking a hospital chaplain whether he was theologically liberal or conservative. He replied, "Whichever the patient wants me to be."

4. Fuzzgod is broadminded--offering many different ways to truth and enlightenment, whereas God the Creator says there is only one way to Him, through the death and sacrifice of His Son, Jesus.

5. Fuzzgod is only "sort of" the creator of all things. When fuzzgod’s devotees are engaged in sinful actions, it’s convenient to focus on the "impersonal" aspects of the idea that we just evolved from animals- less sense of responsibility that way. But when they want meaning or purpose to existence, the idea of fuzzgod as some sort of vague, impotent guiding force to the evolutionary process helps in a fuzzy sort of way.

The "unfuzzy" miracle-working God of the Bible tells us clearly that He did not stand by while millions of years of death and accidents did the creating.

That sort of powerful God, who caused billions of dead things to be buried in rock layers because of judgment on a sinful world, is quite uncomfortable for the unconverted.

A Christian commercial on public TV features children telling us that "God made everything." I suspect it will do little to wake people up to the Gospel because most would respond, "Yeah, I know that God (they mean the fuzzy variety) let everything evolve." A fuzzy god leads to a fuzzy (or non- existent) Gospel.

All of this underscores why it is so important to make it clear that proclaiming and defending Genesis creation is about more than just "God making things." It is about the authority of the Bible, and the power and nature of (the true) God. It is about the reality of the Fall and the origin of sin.

Thus the ultimate concern is about the whole message of salvation--only through the blood of Jesus Christ.

 

[beensetfree]

The Gossiper


A woman repeated a bit of gossip about a neighbor. Within a few days the whole community knew the story. The person it concerned was deeply hurt and offended. Later, the woman responsible for spreading the rumor learned that it was completely untrue. She was very sorry and went to a wise old sage to find out what she could do to repair the damage.

"Go to the marketplace," he said, "and purchase a chicken, and have it killed. Then on your way home, pluck its feathers and drop them one by one along the road." Although surprised by this advice, the woman did what she was told.

The next day the wise man said, "Now, go and collect all those feathers you dropped yesterday and bring them back to me."

The woman followed the same road, but to her dismay the wind had blown all the feathers away. After searching for hours, she returned with only three in her hand.

"You see," said the old sage, "it's easy to drop them, but it is impossible to get them back. So it is with gossip. It doesn't take much to spread a rumor, but once you do you can never completely undo the wrong."

So we take heed of James chapter 3 and take extra care to tame our tongue.

 

[beensetfree]

The Guide
By: Alicia Hopkins


The Lord Will Guide
You When It Is Dark
And You Cannot See.
The Lord Will Guide You
When You Are
Lost And No One Can
Find You.
The Lord Is Always
With You No Matter
Where You Are.

 

[beensetfree]

Easy

"He has it sooo easy," my wife Puddin said as she looked at
21-month-old Christian sitting in the chair.

I looked at Christian.

Sure enough, Christian sat in the chair clutching his milk
bottle, staring at us through contented eyes.

When his bottle ran dry, he would be able to get another one or
something else. He never goes hungry for long.

When he gets sleepy, he goes.
When his diaper is full, it is changed.

He is loved.

He has it real easy.



Did I suddenly realize that Christian has it easy?

No.

I told Puddin, "So do we."

Puddin and I sat in our respective chairs.

Both of us were as full of food as Christian.
Actually, we were fuller and had more variety.
We never go hungry for long.

Do you?

Both of us often stay up beyond when we are sleepy.
We are able to go to sleep in a warm bed,
but just like Christian,
we are often up until sleep overtakes us.

Are You?

Both of us are loved,
both by those on earth and a heavenly father.

You are loved by a heavenly father at a bare minimum.

Both of us have clean underwear, and we don't even have to wear
diapers.

You've probably got clean underwear and don't wear diapers either.

Christian often cries or makes a fuss when a trinket is taken
away from him or when something he shouldn't have is forcibly
removed from his grasp.

So do we.

So do we.

We sure have it easy.

 

[beensetfree]

A man was asked ' what have you gained by praying regularly to your God? ' The man replied , ' so far nothing gained, but let me tell you what I lost. I lost anger, ego, greed , depression, insecurity and the fear of death.'

Sometimes the answer to our prayers is not gaining , but losing....which ultimately is the great gain.

 

[beensetfree]

The Hobo

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

As I got closer I saw a man leaned up against the wall outside the church. He was almost laying 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 could not 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 fellowshipped for a few minutes, and someone brought up the man laying 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 to 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 where 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 preacher took his Bible and laid it on his stand. "Folks, I don't think I have to tell you what I am preaching about today."

 

[beensetfree]

The Note From Hell



One day a woman name Louise fell asleep in her bed and dreamed a very fitful dream. She dreamed that someone in hell wrote a letter to her, and it was to be delivered to her by a messenger. The messenger passed between the lakes of burning fire and brimstone that occupies hell, and found his way to the door that would lead him to the outside world. Louise dreamed that the messenger walked to her house, came inside and gently but firmly woke Louise up. He gave her the message, saying only that a friend had wrote it to her from hell. Louise, in her dream with trembling hands took the letter and read:


My Friend
I stand in judgment now,
And feel that you are to blame somehow.
On earth, I walked with you day by day
And never did you point the way.
You knew the Lord in truth and glory,
But never did you tell the story.
My knowledge then was very dim
You could have led me safe to Him.
Though we lived together on earth
You never told me of his second birth.
And now I stand this day condemned
Because you failed to mention Him.
You taught me many things that true
I called you “friend” and trusted you
But I learn now that it’s too late
You could have kept me from this fate.
We walked by day and talked by night
And yet you showed me not the Light.
You let me live and love and die
You knew I’d never live on high
Yes I called you a friend in life
And trusted you through joy and strife
And yet on coming to the end
I cannot now call you “My Friend”
Marsha

After reading the letter, Louise awoke. The dream was still so real in her mind, and sweat dropped from her body in pools. She swore she could still smell the acrid smell of brimstone and smoke from her room. As she contemplated the meaning of her dream she realized as a Christian she has failed in her duty to “go out to all the world and preach the gospel”. As she thought of that she promised herself that the next day she would call Marsha and invite her to church with her.

The next morning she called Marsha and this was the conversation: Yes, Bill is Marsha there?

Louise, didn’t you know?

Know what Bill?

Marsha was KILLED LAST NIGHT IN A CAR ACCIDENT. I thought you knew.

What is our excuse today, tomorrow, and next week? There may not be another chance!

 

[beensetfree]

The Paper Clip Hug


Georgia, a friend of my wife's, was recently divorced and trying to raise her two sons when the Gulf War broke out. She heard about soldiers in the service who had no family and needed pen pals. Letters addressed to "Any Soldier" were distributed by commanding officers who noticed any soldiers getting little or no mail.

Georgia wrote to 25 such soldiers almost daily, most of them men. Keeping up with 25 pen pals on a daily basis almost consumed Georgia's time and talents. She sent poems, little stories, and words of hope and encouragement.

When there were time constraints, she would write one letter and copy it for everyone. Greetings were sent whenever she knew about a special event, like a birthday.

One day, Georgia received a letter from a soldier that was depressed and discouraged. She pondered as to how she could help lift his spirits. It was then that she noticed that at work there were paper clips of various colors.

Georgia took one of the yellow paper clips and photo copied it in the palm of her hand. She sent this picture with the paper clip with the following message: "This yellow paper clip that you see in my hand represents a hug that I am sending to you. You can carry this paper clip in a pocket or anywhere, and whenever you feel down, you can just touch and hold it and know that somebody cares about you, and would give you a hug if she were there." Georgia sent a copy of this picture along with a paper clip and the message to each of her other correspondents.

After the war ended, Georgia received one of the pictures of her hand holding the yellow paper clip, and on the back were over 150 signatures of people that had been given her "hug."

During the years, Georgia named other paper clips. Pink came to mean a kiss, green was for good luck, and so on. Years later, Georgia was giving a class as part of a seminar for positive thinking. She shared with the members of the class her paper clip symbolism, and made a bracelet of multicolored paper clips for each of them.

One of the women exclaimed "So you're the one!"

The class member told Georgia that she was visiting her brother and needed something to hold papers together. She had noticed a yellow paper clip on the refrigerator held there with a magnet. She borrowed the paper clip for her papers.

When the brother saw it, he grabbed it and scolded her, and told her never to touch the yellow paper clip again. Now she knew why.

No one will never know how far her message has spread, nor how many lives have been touched by a simple yellow paper clip.

 

[beensetfree]

The Savior's Words


If you never felt pain,
then how would you know that I'm a Healer?

If you never went through the darkness,
how would you know that I'm a Deliverer?

If you never had a trial,
how could you call yourself an overcomer?

If you never felt sadness,
how would you know that I'm a Comforter?

If you never made a mistake,
how would you know that I'm forgiving?

If you knew all,
how would you know that I will answer your questions?

If you never were in trouble,
how would you know that I will come to your rescue?

If you never were broken,
then how would know that I can make you whole?

If you never had a problem,
how would you know that I can solve them?

If you never had any suffering,
then how would you know what I went through?

If you never went through the fire,
then how would you become pure?

If I gave you all things,
how would you appreciate them?

If I never corrected you,
how would you know that I love you?

If you had all power,
then how would you learn to depend on me?

If your life was perfect,
then what would you need Me for?

 

[beensetfree]

The Power of Your Actions


One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd."

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friend tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.



As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.



My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives."

He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before.

He said he had gone to private school before now. Until then, I never would have hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes.

We hung all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. And my friends thought the same of him.

Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. He stopped him and said, "Damn boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books.



Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going

For business on a football scholarship.

Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak.



Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than me and all the girls loved him!

Boy, sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said.s

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years.

Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach ... but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story."



I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.

He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.

I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse. God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way. Look for God in others.

 

[beensetfree]

The Rock


Upon this rock He lays His hands
His eyes bleed
But the color is not red
It's the clear blood..a tear
Many fall
He was made a man for this moment
Pain
Pain has come, is it now more than He can bear
The pain I have felt is powerful
Driving a man to desperation
Give me something for this pain
A needle to jab my vein
Make it all flow away
A bottle to swallow it up
A pill to swallow
A lover to validate me
Power to kill pain
This man has all the power, but He can not kill the pain
Pain is coming
Abandonment. Betrayal. Shame. Ambivalence.
This man rises from His rock
A purpose in His stride
Pain has come
Abandonment. Betrayal. Shame. Ambivalence.
But His will is stronger than the pain
And He walks into the night, into His destiny
And I walk into the night, searching for my destiny
It's coming. The pain will soon be a memory
A memory that can define me, or bind me
My third day is coming
A day that brings validation and justification
So upon this Rock I lay my hands
And I cry. I have found myself in pain
Pain demands a response
And I have responded
Love. Sacrifice. Obedience

 

[beensetfree]

The Silent One


I was there for His trial and His scourging,
when they accused Him of crimes He'd not done;
But I spoke not a word in His defense,
I was "The Silent One."

I was there as He struggled up Calvary,
as dark clouds covered the sun;
And when they nailed His torn flesh to the cross,
I was "The Silent One."

I was there when they cast lots for His garment,
As they jeered and heckled in fun;
And when the spear was thrust deep in His side,
I was "The Silent One."

I saw Him die for all mankind,
And when it was "finished" and done;
He raised Himself up as He promised,
yet-I was "The Silent One."

And now, everyday I encounter,
lost souls sent my way by God's Son;
Still I act as though I don't know Him,
I am "The Silent One."

Dear Lord, when at last I'm before you,
when my race on earth is run;
Will you speak up for me to the Father?
Or will YOU be "The Silent One?"

 

[beensetfree]

The Supreme Scientist



THE MYSTERY

Try to imagine God as a scientist. An inventor, creator, desingner, engineer. He would, naturally, be the greatest of all scientists -- the Supreme Scientist.

This scientist can create anything. To pusue his experiments and studies He has created a vast science center -- the Complex -- on thousands of square miles of rolling hills, plains, and deserts. The buildings and laboratories strectch on and on, beyond numbering, beyond calculation. Housed within them are great cyclotrons, nuclear power plants, mammoth banks of computers, soaring towers, architectural masterpieces, infinite varieties of color, sounds and shapes. Nearby, on unbounded tracts of forest and meadowland, new life-forms dance in the golden light of a morning sun that never sets.

The Complex vibrates and thunders and shimmers and sings. Working throughout this Complex is a huge company of white-cloaked techinicians, tireless servants of the Scientist who witness His limitless wisdom and creative power and move at the speed of thought to do His bidding.

From the least to the greatest, every techinician knows that the Prime Directive calls for absolute purity in the Complex. No hint of impurity -- not even the merest thought of contamination -- could be tolerated. These standards, however are no burden for the technicians, who serve their Leader with passionate loyalty and great joy. A perpetual sense of awe sweeps across the great environs like freshening rain -- each creative wonder from the hands and heart of the Supreme One seems to exceed the last. Anticipation is always rewarded with greater realization that the most daring techinician could have imagined.

But here the story takes an unusual twist. There was a mystery in the Complex... a mystery so baffling, so deep, that not one among the numberless hosts of techinicians could offer the slightest clue toward its answer, though they ached to know it. For the mystery involved the Supreme Scientist himself.

Day after day they watched the Scientist leave His other pursuits and walk toward one building -- just one out of all the buildings with the sprawling reaches of the Complex. It was an average sort of building, a single galaxy cluster out of all the millions of clusters He had made.

Soon there wasn't a technician throughout the whole realm --for news traveled rapidly -- who wasn't familiar with the Scientist's strange obsession. He would always walk to exactly the same spot -- into that one ordinary building, through the halls, past many doorways, until just past a door marked "ANDROMEDA" He would walk into the room designed "MILKY WAY".

Inside the room were long rows of translucent cabinets filled with trays of billions of glass slides. Every day, without exception, the Scientist would walk down the aisles to one cabinet marked "ORION ARM". Then to one particular drawer which he would pull open. And finally to one particular glass slide. Just one, with the tiny label, "Solar System".

Then He would take that all-too-common-looking slide over to His electron microscope and begin to move it around. He would see the sun within that slide, but move quickly past it. Jupiter and Saturn would come into view, but the Scientist would hurry past these as well, all the while boosting the magnification of His massive microscope, until... a tiny bluish-green speck came into view.

A planet called Earth.

All the massive army of technicians was aware that He would spend hours looking at that one bit of blue-green on that one tiny slide form the one file drawer, from the one bank of files, in the one room of the one building among the mind-staggering millions of buildings within the Complex.

Why?

The Scientist only added to the perplexity of His technicians when He told them to pay attention to two infinitesimally small creatures on the face of that bluish-green speck -- two thinking, moving, feeling creatures. "Watch carefully, My servants," He told them. "What happens with these creatures will be the greatest exhibition of My creative capacity. The ultimate expression of My greatness."

The Supreme Scientist also informed them that by some process known only to Him, He had placed something of Himself in those beings. In fact, He had created them in His very image.

Wonders and more wonders! The technicians were reduced to astonished silence. To think that anything so small...

The scientist in His wisdom had also developed a means of communicating with the creatures -- of actually introducing thoughts from His infinite mind into the minuscule world of their own minds. He spoke in their language. They could hear His very voice. They could hear the sound of Him in their garden in the cool of the day.

Day after day the technicians witnessed this most incredible of relationships, as the Supreme Scientist visited with the little ones on the tiny bluish-green speck.

Though no one would have thought of questioning the Scientist's activities, it was... well, difficult to comprehend. The technicians were awere -- and only partially aware at that -- of the length and breadth and multiplied marvels of the Complex. So many wondrous happenings in so many laboratories and galleries and observatories throughout the Scientist's realm -- the terror and beaty and glory of it all! Rivers of music... mountains of living crystal... cathedral caverns of pure color... sky-rending explosions of joy... all this! Yet the Scientist spent so much time with that speck. That one all-but-invisible speck.

The creative years sped by as the Complex remained alive with motion and discoveries and celebrations and a great deal of hard work by the technicians.

CONTAMINATION!

When the news came, it fell over the Complex like a sudden shadow. An unspeakable tragedy had taken place. Something inconceivable, monstrous.

Contamination had been discovered within the Supreme Scientist's domain! There was no need of sirens or alarm bells. The Scientist's grief was a tangible presence that could be felt in every corner of the Complex. To make matters worse, the impurity had been discovered in that one building, in the one corridor, in the one room, on the one slide... on the tiny bluish-green speck. The very object of the Scientist's prime concern! Some dreadful, incurable virus had somehow enveloped the two tiny creatures. And as the creatures multiplied, the contamination multiplied too. The whole population was dreafully marked by this vile thing called "sin".

It would only be a matter of time. All the technicians knew what had to be done. The Scientist could not live with impurity -- that speck had to be destroyed. He would take a bottle of sulfuric acid, draw out a microscopic portion, and let the droplet fall on the diseased speck. In just an instant it would fume and froth and boil and that would be the end of it. It was unfortunate, but it had to be done. The Prime Directive demanded it. The very purity and integrity of the whole Complex was at stake.

Why then did the Scientist seem to... hesitate? The technicians looked at one another as they pursued their many tasks. What was it they felt in the air? A sense of foreboding. An inexplicable feeling that something -- an incredible something -- was about to happen.

And it did.

THE PLAN

It began when the Scientist called His Son into the galaxy room of the Milky Way. Word was out that They had talked through one long day and far into the night. They had conceived a plan -- a final solution to the contamination dilemma. Yes, the virus would be utterly destroyed. That much had been obvious from the start. The wrath of the Scientist would certainly fall. The deadly sulfuric acid would do its work. But not in the way all the technicians had supposed. Not in a way anyone could have ever imagined.

Was there any limit to this Scientist's power? Did He ever do anything in "the expected way"? Which of the wisest of the technicians could have predicted a plan that would involve shrinking the Scientist's own dearly-loved Son down to the size of one of those infinitely tiny contaminated creatures?

His own Son! His equal in power and wisdom and dignity. The technicians had known the Son from the time of their first awareness. Now He would become like one of those little ones -- or was He actually going to become one of them?

The Scientist Himself said very little. He simply invited them to watch.

In the days that followed the technicians found themselves thinking constantly about the drama unfolding on the microbe called Earth. A number of them had been permitted to watch in amazement as the Scientist's Son willingly laid aside all His robes and all the vestiges of His authority and honor -- and shrank down, down, down until He was lost from sight on the thin glass plate. Still others were allowed to accompany Him on His journey, and bits of strange stories came back about songs on a dark night, a lonely village, and some workmen on the hillsides called shepherds. (How the technicians longed to know more!)

Much later they would sing the stories of the Supreme Son in the days of His smallness. They would speak of how He lived among the diseased ones and ate their food and drank their wine. Of how He shared their joys and their sorrows. They would speak in hushed tones of the day when the Scientist drew the Son aside form the rest and caused all the ghastly filth and contamination of the whole planet to be absorbed into His body.

It would be called the Black Day forever, for who could forget how the Supreme Scientist drew out a measure of the white-hot acid and in great wrath dropped it on His own Son? The scream from the tiny slide could be heard in every corner of the Scientist's realm -- "My God, My God! Why have You forsaken Me?" Those who witnessed it said the Son burned and foamed and wrenched and died.

In perfect agreement with the Son of His love, the Supreme Scientist called once more on His awesome power -- for what He would do next would surpass all that He had done before. Calling Him back from the far side of eternal destruction, the Father restored His Son to all His former glory, exalted far, far above the blue-green speck on the glass slide.

In the days that followed, the technicians were aware that from time to time the Scientist would reach down into that slide with infinitesimally small tweezers and pick up those human creatures who had responded to His love. With deep joy He would lift them tenderly from the disease-damaged slide to a new, golden slide -- clean and fresh, where no sin, suffering, or sorrow could ever come again

 

[beensetfree]

The Time Has Come


Everyday I look around and see the pain in people's eyes.
The hate taht spreads around is once again on the rise.
It is hard to see who is winning this war between Heaven and Hell.
People are slipping into sin without raising their eyes after they fell.

We need to show the world of the love that is within us.
We need to show them the joy that grows without a fuss.
This joy and love we need to spread through the eyes of Him.
The world needs to meet Jesus Christ and reach out with every limb.

For without the help of our brothers and sisters, the war will gain more loss.
So everyone on their knees and pray for the strenght we need for our cause.
Every child of God must helpl lead others to salvation and life.
We must feel for those who are lost in the world, for this we must strive.

I feel deep within me that His coming once again is near.
We need more children who can face Him without any fear.
No fear, because we know without a doubt we are in the book.
So as shepards to the world, for the little lost lamb must we look.

The time is coming where we must stand up and fight.
Against the demons of Hell, we can win with the help of Christ.
For this fight I pray, that we can all see what needs to be done.
We must show His love to others before Jesus Christ comes.

 

[beensetfree]

Think About Life

Life is worth everything
Yet living is worth nothing

Thinking is a skill
Yet if we solve all problems there's nothing to think about

School let's us learn
Yet it teaches nothing about life

T.V. is fun to watch
But it's all a fantasy wishing to be true

Giving up your life for someone else is worth everything
Yet almost everyone ignores it

Jesus gave his life for us
Yet we let Satan take control

 

[beensetfree]

His Ways

As I prayed over a prayer request, God spoke and I emailed the
words to the person requesting prayer. These were the words:

"I see her for it is Me who has been holding both her and her
truck together. She does not understand My ways or my plans for
her but let her know that I have her in my hands."

She wrote among other things that her truck was 15-years-old.

We are all similar. God has been holding things in our world
together including our own bodies and though we often
experience deep pain, He has us in the palm of His hand.

We don't understand His ways.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my
ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the
earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts
than your thoughts. (Isa 55:8-9 KJV)

 

[beensetfree]

When the Home Fires Rage


I am in an area near the fires that are raging here in San Diego.
My son's high school is one of the evacuation points.

Because of our recent grocery store chain strike, I had to go
out this morning to a different store a little way north from me
to shop. From the time I left my home to the time I was
shopping, the fire starting coming closer.

While I was in the store, a woman standing next to me received a
call on her cell phone. I heard her say "you're kidding" and
then she apologized to no one in particular and ran off in tears
saying, "My house is burning down!"

I have thought about that woman since this morning. I wouldn't
know her if I ever saw her again; I couldn't even tell you the
color of her hair. However, she has been in my prayers since I
saw her run off.

I prayed that her home could be saved; I prayed she would be
safe. I prayed that her loved ones would be safe.

My husband and I dropped off a pillow and blanket at our son's
high school as well as some food items. As I walked on the
campus I saw people walking around somewhat dazed. A pet center
had been created for those with pets, and some tents were going
up.

We never spoke to the people there as they were busy
helping those in need. We just walked in unnoticed, dropped some
things off, and left.

I was proud to see others in our community coming forward as
well, bringing in food and bedding.

I would like to let anyone out there who is going through
something tragic, whether it is because of the fires or some
other loss, that there are people out there pulling for you,
people you may never see or know. People who want to help in
some small way, even if it is just to say a prayer and hold you
in their thoughts.


We should say two prayers: one for those undergoing trauma and
seeming tragedy where flames and feuds threaten
and another prayer of thanks for the safety and continued
protection of our own homes.