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The U in Jesus

Before U were thought of or time had begun,
God even stuck U in the name of His Son.
And each time U pray, you'll see it's true,
You can't spell out JesUs and not include U.
You're a pretty big part of His wonderful name,
For U, He was born; that's why He came.
And His great love for U is the reason He died,
It even takes U to spell crUcified.
Isn't it thrilling and splendidly grand,
He rose from the dead with U in His plan.
The stones split away, the gold trUmpet blew,
And the word resUrrection is spelled with a U.
When JesUs left earth at His upward ascension,
He felt there was one thing He just had to mention.
Go into the world and tell them it's true,
That I love them all, just like I love U."
So many great people are spelled with a U,
Don't they have a right to know Jesus too?
It all depends now on what U will do,
He'd like them to know, but it all starts with U!

Oh, dear people. yoU are the greatest. Make this real in yoUr life.


The following is attributed to an Australian dentist and is absolutely worth reading. I dare say no American could have described an American as articulately accurate as this Australian.

An American

You probably missed it in the rush of news last week, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American. So I just thought I would write to let them know what an American is, so they would know when they found one. An American is English, French, Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Australian, Iranian, Asian, Arab, Pakistani, or Afghan. An American may also be a Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.

An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in
Afghanistan. The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses. An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God. An American is from the most prosperous land in the history of the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God given right of each man and woman to the pursuit of happiness. An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need. When Afghanistan was overrun by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country. As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan.

Americans welcome the best, but they also welcome the least. The national symbol of America welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America. Some of them were working in the Twin Towers in the morning of September 11, earning a better life for their families. [I've been told that the people in the Towers were from at least 30, and maybe many more, other countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.] So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung, and every bloodthirsty tyrant in the history of the world. But, in doing so you would just be killing yourself. Because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.

So look around you. You may find more Americans in your land than you thought were there. One day they will rise up and overthrow the old, ignorant, tired tyrants that trouble too many lands. Then those lands, too, will join the community of free and prosperous nations. And America will welcome them!
 


The Daffodil Garden

"We're going to my garage the long way," Carolyn smiled," by way of the daffodils." 

"Carolyn," I said sternly, "please turn around." 

"It's all right, Mother. I promise you will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience." 

After about twenty minutes we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church I saw a hand-lettered sign "Daffodil Garden." We got out of the car and each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. 

Before me lay the most glorious sight. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes. 

The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted as a group so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. Five acres of flowers. 

"But who has done this?" I asked Carolyn. 

"It's just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. 

We walked up to the house. On the patio we saw a poster: "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking" was the headline. The first answer was a simple one: "50,000 bulbs," it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. "Two hands, two feet, and very little brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958." 

There it was. The Daffodil Principle. For me that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than thirty-five years before, had begun - one bulb at a time-to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top. Still, just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, had changed the world. 

This unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of ineffable magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. 

The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration: learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at a time - learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. 

When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world. 

"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years. Just think what I might have been able to achieve!" My daughter summed up the message of the day in her direct way. 

"Start now," she said. 

Oh, dear people. My passion is that each of you "start now" to win one person at a time to the Lord Jesus until we have a "garden of souls" that will bloom all over the world and be a sight that will glow and transform this world to His glory. 


Darts

A young lady named Sally, relates an experience she had in a seminary class, given by her teacher, who we'll call Brother Smith. She says Brother Smith was known for his elaborate object lessons.

One particular day, Sally walked into seminary and knew they were in for another fun day. On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table were many darts. Brother Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that they disliked or someone who had made them angry . . . and he would allow them to throw darts at the person's picture.

Sally's girlfriend (on her right), drew a picture of a girl who had stolen her boyfriend. Another friend (on her left), drew a picture of his little brother. Sally drew a picture of Brother Smith, putting a great deal of detail into her drawing, even drawing pimples on his face. Sally was pleased at the overall effect she had achieved.

The class lined up and began throwing darts, with much laughter and hilarity. Some of the students threw their darts with such force that their targets were ripping apart. Sally looked forward to her turn, and was filled with disappointment when Brother Smith, because of time limits, asked the students to return to their seats.

As Sally sat thinking about how angry she was because she didn't have a chance to throw any darts at her target, Brother Smith began removing the target from the wall.

Underneath the target was a picture of Jesus . . .

A complete hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture of Jesus; holes and jagged marks covered His face and His eyes were pierced out.

Brother Smith said only these words, "In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me."

No other words were necessary; the tear-filled eyes of each student focused only on the picture of Christ. The students remained in their seats . . . even after the bell rang . . . then slowly left the classroom, tears streaming down their faces.

"And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' Matthew 25:40

Oh dear pastor and people, we must realize our job is to bring people to Christ and do all we can to make ourselves and them more like Christ in every way. Fighting and fussing among ourselves and other Christians in hurting the Lord Jesus. 


"A little leaven leaventh the whole lump"
1 Corinthians 5:6 

Many parents are working hard to explain to their children and teens why some video games, music, movies, books, and magazines are not acceptable for them to bring into their home.

One parent came up with an original idea that was hard to refute. He listened to all the reasons his children gave for wanting to see a particular PG-13 movie. It had their favorite actors. Everyone else was seeing it. Even church members said it was great. It was only rated PG-13 because of the suggestion of wrong behavior. They never really showed it. The language was pretty good. They only used the Lord's name in vain three times in the whole movie.

The video effects were fabulous, and the plot was action- packed. Yes there was the scene where a bunch of people and a building got blown up, but the violence was just the normal stuff. It wasn't very bad.

Even with all these explanations for the rating, the father wouldn't give in. He didn't even give them a satisfying explanation for saying, "No." He just said, "No."

A little later that evening, this same father asked his teens if they would like some brownies he had prepared. He explained that he had taken the favorite family recipe and added something new.

They asked what it was. He calmly replied he added a special ingredient -- dog dung. He stated that there was only a little dog dung in the brownies. All the other ingredients were gourmet quality. He had taken great care to bake the brownies at the precise temperature for the exact time. He was sure the brownies would be superb. Even with all the explanations of the perfect attributes of the brownies, the teens would not try one.

The father acted surprised. There was only one little element that would have caused them to act so stubbornly. He assured them that they would hardly notice the difference, if at all. But they all held firm and would not try the brownies.

He then explained that the movie they wanted to see was just like the brownies. Sin enters our minds and our homes by deceiving us into believing that just one little bit of evil won't matter. With the brownies, just a little bit makes all the difference between a great brownie and a totally unacceptable product. He explained that even though the movie people would have us believe the movies that are coming out are acceptable for adults and youths to see, they are not.

Now when this father's children want to do something they should not, their father merely asks them if they would like some of his special brownies -- and they never ask about that activity again.


The World Is Mine

Today, upon the bus I saw a lovely girl with golden hair,
I envied her, she seemed so gay, and I wished I were so fair,
When suddenly she rose to leave, and I saw her hobble down the aisle,
She had one leg, and wore a crutch, and as she passed, a smile.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine...
I have two legs. The world is mine.

And then I stopped to buy some sweets, The lad who sold them had such charm,
I talk to him: he seemed so glad... if I were late 'twould do no harm,
And as I left he said to me :"Thank you. You have been so kind.
It's nice to talk to folks like you. You see," he said, "I'm blind".

Oh God, forgive me when I whine...
I have two eyes. The world is mine.

Later, walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue.
He stood and watched the others play; it seemed he knew not what to do.
I stopped a moment, then I said, "Why don't you join the others, dear?"
He looked ahead without a word, and then I knew he could not hear.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine...
I have two ears. The world is mine.

With legs to take me where I'd go,
With eyes to see the sunset glow,
Two ears to hear what I would know...

Oh God, forgive me when I whine...
I'm blessed indeed. The world is mine.

- Author Unknown

      

 

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