Inspirational Page
~~~~~~~~~~~
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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has unfortunately gone astray.
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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.
~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The e-mail of the
list member who sent this message
has unfortunately gone astray.
If you sent this message to the list, please let us know!
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!
~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~
This page was last
updated February 6, 2003.
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