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How to Stay Young

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry
about them That is why you pay "them"

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the
brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire
life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants,
hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is
beyond what you can improve, get help.

9 Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country
but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:  Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
 


Gifts to Share

Scripture: Luke 11:13 - “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”

Following is a list of the Top Ten Priceless Gifts --- anyone can give, anywhere and at anytime: Adapted from an email sent to me.

10. THE GIFT OF LISTENING
No interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your answers --- just listen.
"Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way and while he opened to us the Scriptures" Lk 24:32

9. THE GIFT OF AFFECTION
10 hugs a day, kisses, pats on the back and hold hands.
"And she stood at his feet behind him weeping and began to wash his feet with tears and did wipe them with the hairs of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with ointment" Lk 7:38.

8. THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER
Cartoons, articles and funny stories delivered daily show you care.
"These things have I written unto thee, that thy joy might be full" i Jn 1:4.
"The joy of the Lord is your strength" Neh 8:10.

7. THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE
A scribble, note, email or card may change a life.
"These things have I written unto you" "God wrote you a letter, you ought to read your mail."

6. THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT
"You look great today," "Great job" or "Wonderful meal" can make a day.
"Enoch had this testimony that he pleased God" Heb 11:5

5. THE GIFT OF A FAVOR
Apply a random act of kindness to the one you love and make an impression.
"Whosoever shall give to drink...a cup of cold water...shall in no wise lose his reward" Matt 10:42.

4. THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE
A time to be alone and a time to be together --- make it pleasurable.
"What, could ye not watch with me one hour?" Mat 26:40.

3. THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION
A bubbly personality is contagious --- try it and see the difference.
"A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance," "hath a continual feast" and "doeth good like medicine" Pro 15:13, 15, 17:22.

2. THE GIFT OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
There is no better security than knowing you are loved for who you are.
"Having loved his own, he loved them to the end" Jn 13:1."Lovrest thou me?" Jn 21:16.

1. THE GIFT OF SALVATION
Share the gospel with someone and give them the gift of eternal life.
"Ye shall receive power and ye shall be witnesses unto me" Acts 1:8

Prayer: Father thank you for giving me good gifts that I can pass along to others I care about. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
 


The Treasures of Old Age

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.  Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life."

Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing." Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
 


Count Your Blessings

Don't miss my paragraph near the bottom... Sumner

If you have food in the refrigerator,
clothes on your back, a roof
overhead and a place to sleep ... you
are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the
bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a
dish someplace ... you
are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If you woke up this morning with more health
than illness ... you are more blessed than
the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of
battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the
agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation...
you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear
of harassment, arrest, torture, or death ... you
are more blessed than three billion people in the
world.

If your parents are still alive and still married ...
you are very rare, even in the United States.

If you hold up your head with a smile
on your face and are truly
thankful ... you are blessed because the
majority can, but most do not.

If you can hold someone's
hand, hug them or even touch them on the
shoulder ... you are blessed
because you can offer healing touch.

If you know that Jesus suffered and
died for your sins, paid your debt in full,
rose again and was seen by hundreds
and you believed and received Jesus as
your personal Savior, rejoice, by far,
most have not heard or received this
This paragraph added by C. Sumner Wemp

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in
that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore,
you are more blessed than over two billion people
in the world that cannot read at all.

Have a good day, count your blessings, and pass
this along to remind others how blessed we all are.
 


God is crazy about you!

If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.

If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.

He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.

Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen.

He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.

Face it, friend. He's crazy about you.

Author unknown
 


Trusting God

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened, and everything was lost.

He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. "God, how could you do this to me?" he cried. Early the next day he was awakened by the sound of a ship that
was approaching the island.

It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" Asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain, and suffering.

Remember that, the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.
 


Things I Cannot Understand

Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. ~ Job 42:3b

If there was any one man on earth who had reason to question God's love, it was Job. He lost his family, his health, and his wealth - all at the same time. His friends came to his side only to question his spirituality. God had already answered the question of his integrity. Job was described in the opening verses of the book as "blameless and upright" (see Job 1:1). His calamities were not born from sin. Job acknowledged God's right to do anything in his life until one day he could take it no longer. He questioned God's motives.

God answered Job, but not in the way he wanted to hear. God answered him with a series of questions that represents the most incredible discourse of correction by God to any human being. Three chapters later, Job realized that he had questioned the motives of the Author of the universe, the Author of love. He fell flat before his Creator and realized his total depravity. "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know."

Have you ever questioned God's activity in your life? Have you questioned His love for you based on circumstances that came your way? The cross at Calvary answers the love question. He sent His own Son in replacement for your sin. If you were the only person on earth, He would have done the same. His ways cannot always be understood or reconciled in our finite minds. That must be left for a future time when all will be understood. For now, entrust your life to Him completely. Embrace Him in the hard times and the good. - OS Hilman


Will You Let Go for God?

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face. "A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace. Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up.

She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, daddy. You know that I love you." "Then give me your pearls." "Oh, daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail. Remember, daddy? The one you gave me. She's my very favorite." "That's okay, Honey, daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?" "Daddy, you know I love you." "Then give me your pearls." "Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper. "That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you." And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.

"What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?" Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, daddy, this is for you." With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny.

He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure.

So it is with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures.

Isn't God good? Are you holding onto things that God wants you to let go of? Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners, relationships, habits and activities that you have come so attached to that it seems impossible to let go? Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the other hand but do believe this one thing ....

God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place.

The greatest gifts happen when you share love and touch others' hearts!

Author Unknown


His Image

Malachi 3:3 says:
He will sit as a Refiner and purifier of silver." This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully Refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it".

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.


"THE LAMB"
(Think carefully about what you will be reading.)

Mary had a little lamb,
His fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went,
The Lamb was sure to go.

He followed her to school each day,
T'wasn't even in the rule.
It made the children laugh and play,
To have a Lamb at school.

And then the rules all changed one day,
Illegal it became;
To bring the Lamb of God to school,
Or even speak His Name!

Every day got worse and worse,
And days turned into years.
Instead of hearing children laugh,
We heard gun shots and tears.

What must we do to stop the crime,
That's in our schools today?
Let's let the Lamb come back to school,
And teach our kids to pray!


When I Say I Am a Christian

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!

When I say "I am a Christian"
I believe Jesus suffered and died for my sins
paid my debt in full and rose again
I believed and received Him as my Savior

He gave me a new birth, a brand new life
He gave me a new purpose and power in life
He gave me a deep love for God and you
He will give you the same, why not receive him too

Share this with somebody who already has this understanding, as reinforcement. But more importantly, share this with those who do not have a clear understanding of what it means to be a Christian, so that the myth that Christians think they are "perfect" or "better than others" can be dispelled.

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