Inspirational Page

 

Inspirational Page

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Amen

from Shirley

Someone finally hit the nail on the head .......


I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December.

I don't agree with Darwin, but I didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught the theory of evolution.

Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because
someone says a 30-second prayer before a sporting event.

So, what's the big deal?  It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire book of Acts.

They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game.

"But it's a Christian prayer," some will argue.  Yes, and this is the United States of America, a country founded on Christian principles.

And we are in the Bible Belt.  According to our very own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1.  So what would you expect -- somebody chanting Hare Krishna?

If I went to a football game in Jerusalem, I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer.

If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad, I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer.

If I went to a ping pong match in China, I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha.

And I wouldn't be offended!  It wouldn't bother me one bit!

When in Rome I go to the Plaza to see the Pope.

"But what about the atheists?" is another argument.  What about them?  Nobody is asking them to be baptized.  We're not going to pass the collection plate.  Just humor us for 30 seconds.  If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs.  Go to the bathroom or visit the concession stand.  Call your lawyer.

Unfortunately, one or two will make that call.  One or two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do.

I don't think a short prayer at a sporting event is going to shake the world's foundations.  Nor do I believe that not praying will result in more serious injuries on the field or more fatal car crashes after the game.

In fact, I'm not so sure God would even be at all these games if He didn't have to be.  That's just one of the downsides of omnipresence.  If God really liked sports, the Russians would never have won a single gold medal, New York would never play in a World Series and Deion Sanders' toe would be healed by now.

Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights.  Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating, to pray before we go to sleep.  Our Bible tells us just to pray without ceasing.  Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying.

God, help us.

And if that last sentence offends you - well..........just sue me.

   ~ author unknown

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My Friend

I have a new delightful friend,
I am most in awe of her.
When we first met I was impressed,
by her bizarre behavior.

That day I had a date with friends,
we met to have some lunch.
Mae had come along with them,
all in all . . . a pleasant bunch.

When the menus were presented,
we ordered salads, sandwiches, and soups.
Except for Mae who circumvented,
and said, Ice Cream, please: two scoops.

I was not sure my ears heard right,
and the others were aghast.
Along with heated apple pie,
Mae added, completely unabashed.

We tried to act quite nonchalant,
as if people did this all the time.
But when our orders were brought out,
I did not enjoy mine.

I could not take my eyes off Mae,
as her pie a-la-mode went down.
The other ladies showed dismay,
they ate their lunches silently, and frowned.

Well, the next time I went out to eat,
I called and invited Mae.
My lunch contained white tuna meat,
she ordered a parfait.

I smiled when her dish I viewed,
and she asked if she amused me.
I answered, Yes, you do,
but also you confuse me.

How come you order rich desserts,
when I feel I must be sensible?
She laughed and said, with wanton mirth,
I am tasting all that's possible.

I try to eat the food I need,
and do the things I should.
But life's so short, my friend,
indeed, I hate missing out on something good.

This year I realized how old I was, she grinned,
I've not been this old before.
So, before I die, I've got to try,
those things for years I had ignored.

I've not smelled all the flowers yet,
there's too many books I have not read.
There's more fudge sundaes to wolf down
and kites to be flown overhead.

There are many malls I have not shopped,
I've not laughed at all the jokes.
I've missed a lot of Broadway Hits,
and potato chips and cokes.

I want to wade again in water,
and feel ocean spray upon my face.
Sit in a country church once more,
and thank God for It's grace.

I want peanut butter every day,
spread on my morning toast.
I want un-timed long-distance calls,
to the folks I love the most.

I've not cried at all the movies yet,
nor walked in the morning rain.
I need to feel wind in my hair,
I want to fall in love again.

So, if I choose to have dessert,
instead of having dinner.
Then should I die before night fall,
I'd say I died a winner.

Because I missed out on nothing,
I filled my heart's desire.
I had that final chocolate mousse,
before my life expired.

With that, I called the waitress over,
I've changed my mind, it seems.
I said, I want what she is having,
only add some more whipped cream!
.
"Be mindful that happiness is not based on
possessions, power, or prestige,
but on relationships with people you love and respect."

Money talks. Chocolate sings.

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The Game

from Shirley

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the school's students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.  After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question.

"Everything God does is done with perfection.  Yet, my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do.  He cannot understand things as other children do.   Where is God's plan reflected in my son?"  The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued.  "I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like Shay into the world, an opportunity to realize the Divine Plan presents itself and it comes in the way people treat that child."

Then, he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball.  Shay asked, "Do you think they will let me play?"  Shay's father knew that most boys would not want him on their team.  But the father understood that if his son were allowed to play it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play.  The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates.  Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by six runs, and the game is in the eighth inning.  I guess he can be on  our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning."

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.  At the top of the ninth  inning, Shay put on a glove  and played in the outfield.  Although no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.  Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base.  Shay was scheduled to be the next at bat.  Would the team actually let Shay bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat.  Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.  However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.  The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shay.  As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher.  The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman.  Shay would have been out and that would have ended the game.

Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman.  Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first, run to first."  Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.  Everyone yelled, "run to second, run to second!"

By the time Shay was rounding first base, the right fielder had the ball.  He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman for a tag.  But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions had been, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head.  Shay ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home.  As Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "run to third!"

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were screaming, "Shay!  Run home!"  Shay ran home, stepped on home plate and was cheered as the hero for hitting a "grand slam" and winning the game for his team.

"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of the Divine Plan into this world."

And now, a footnote to the story.  We all send thousands of jokes through e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages regarding life choices, people think twice about sharing.  The crude, vulgar, and sometimes the obscene pass freelythrough cyberspace, but public discussion of decency is too often suppressed in school and the workplace.  If you are thinking about forwarding this message, you are probably thinking about 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.  We all have thousands of opportunities a day to help realize God's plan.  So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice, do we pass along a spark of the Divine?  Or do we pass up that opportunity and leave the world a bit colder in the process?

You have two choices now:
1.  Ignore this.
2.  Send it to the people you care about.

You know the choice I made.

~~~~~~~~~~~

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has unfortunately gone astray.
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I Believe

There's a little old Christian lady living next door to an atheist.

Every morning the lady comes out onto her
front porch and shouts "Praise the Lord!".
The atheist yells back, "There is no God".
She does this every morning with the same result.

As time goes on the lady runs into
financial difficulties and has trouble buying food.
She goes out onto the porch and asks God for help
with groceries, then says "Praise the Lord".

The next morning she goes out onto the porch
and there's the groceries she's asked for,
of course she says "Praise the Lord".

The atheist jumps out from behind a bush and says,
"Ha, I bought those groceries - there is no God".

The lady looks at him and smiles, she shouts
"Praise the Lord, not only did you provide for me Lord,
you made Satan pay for the groceries!!"

Where there is no way, God will make a way!

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Christian One Liners

from Shirley

1.  Some people are kind, polite and sweet spirited, until you try to sit in their pew.
2.  Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisers.
3.  It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.
4.  The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose...mosquitoes come close.
5.  When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there.
6.  People are funny, they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church.
7.  Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn't belong.
8.  The phrase that is guaranteed to wake up an audience:  "And in conclusion."
9.  If the church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has.
10.  Not only are the sins of the fathers visited upon the children, but nowadays the sins of the children are visited upon the fathers.
11.  God Himself does not judge a man  until he is dead.  So why should you?
12.  Some minds are like concrete, thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
13.  Peace starts with a smile.
14.  I don't know why some people change churches:  what difference does it make which one you stay home from?
15.  A lot of church members who are singing "Standing on The Promises are just sitting on the premises.
16.  We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.

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This page was last updated February 6, 2003.