January 31

CONTENTMENT – "You can't have everything...where would you put it?" -- Stephen Wright

"That man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest." -- Henry David Thoreau

"I am a big believer in the 'mirror test.' All that matters is if you can look in the mirror and honestly tell the person you see there, that you've done your best." -- John McKay

"When we have done our best, we should wait the result in peace." -- J. Lubbock

• "God Is" Banner in Subways
Last Friday, Times Square Church, located in the heart of New York City, launched an ad campaign on 1,000 subway cars and 50 platforms in Manhattan stations. The ads boldly feature the words "God is" in the center of a poster surrounded by attributes of God in various fonts and colors, such as: With you ... Willing to help ... Able to protect ... A father ... A husband to the widow ... Your friend, etc. Senior Pastor Carter Conlon explained, "We are praying that people who don't know God, and would like to know Him, would be moved by these ads to visit Times Square Church or any Bible-believing church in New York City and find God through the forgiveness freely offered through His Son, Jesus Christ. And to those who once knew God and need to get back to God, we want to say simply this: His arms are open wide, always ready to welcome you home." [GospelHerald.net]

In Dennis Waitley's 'Empires of the Mind' Waitley reports that although there are approximately 450,000 words in the English language, about 80% of our conversations use only about 400 words. The most common words in the English language are. . .
"I," "Me," "My," and "Mine."
What does that say about us?


JOY 11
Illustrations to Glorify God ... and Unify God’s People, the Church!
When we discern that people are not going on spiritually and allow the discernment to turn to criticism, we block our way to God. God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede. -- Oswald Chambers

Trouble always comes whenever we begin to take credit for any of the gifts of the Spirit, be they gifts of prayer, tongues, prophecy, art, science. -- Madeleine L'Engle

REMINDER ...
The Life Application Bible™ has this great explanation: “...no matter what gift(s) a person has, each gift is given by the Holy Spirit...the Holy Spirit decides which gifts each one of us should have...we are responsible to use and sharpen our gifts, but we can take NO CREDIT for what God has freely given us...”

* The fellowship of the body is always two-way; receiving and giving. Wanting only to receive is not fellowship. We may not be preachers, but when we come to worship we nevertheless bring what we have. There must be help of the pulpit from the pew. Sitting and looking on will not do. We must give others to drink, not necessarily by speaking, but maybe by quiet prayer. ... Every member of the Body has a ministry, and every member is called to function in the place appointed by the Lord. It makes no difference who does the work if the glory is His. -- Watchman Nee,


"Don't say, 'If I could, I would.' Say, 'If I can, I will.'" -- Jim Rohn

"Choice determines direction...Decision determines destiny." -- Doug Firebaugh

There's the one about the fellow who liked to "let the spirit move him" in selecting passages to study. He would randomly open his Bible and let his finger land on a verse and that would be the one he would study.
One day his practice landed him on Mat 27:5 "and he went and hanged himself". Thinking this was a bit gruesome, he decided to use his search method to find a more appropriate passage to study. This time his finger landed on Luke 10:37 "Go and do likewise." Being very upset he decided to make one last effort to find a better passage to ponder. This time he selected John 13:27 "Do quickly what you are going to do."


I am convinced more than ever, that if one wants to practice “unconditional love” while here on earth, they should have a dog! Really! First of all, spell the word backwards–ha! Then ask yourself this, who or what in my life–outside of God–loves me when I am completely unlovable? Yep–your dog will! In fact, study after study has shown that even a dog that is beaten by its master will still love them (go figure!). When dogs are brought into nursing homes, care centers, pediatric and terminally ill hospital wards, hospice centers, there is a remarkable change in people! Here’s the rub: we were created higher than a dog–and it’s time to live that way in how we share our love with others–and God!

*Why LOVE is the most powerful spiritual gift:
More people have been brought into the church by the kindness of real Christian love than by all the theological arguments in the world, and more people have been driven from the church by the hardness and ugliness of so-called Christianity than by all the doubts in the world. --William Barclay

Do Sermons Really Have Impact? "Nearly 100 percent of churchgoers look forward to sermons, but only 17 percent think preaching changes the way they live,"
The research also discovered that:
* Many Anglicans wanted the sermon to last less than 10 minutes, but up to 20 minutes was fine if there was no "waffle."
* Baptists were happy to sit through a 75-minute sermon.
* Catholics wanted the sermon to be completed within 10 minutes.
* Sermons were seen as being very good at teaching about God, the Bible and "being comforting," but needed to do more to "motivate and challenge" people to look at the world differently.
* Sermons seem to encourage Christian reflection, but not Christian action.
* Nearly 17 percent felt sermons did actually change the way they lived.

You Can BE Letter of Love in This World! 1 Corinthians 1:1-13 for the believer: A Christian is a loving letter. Love is basic to being Christian. If we love not, we are not. This is not sentimentality or effusive feelings, but good old basic love that reaches out to heal the hurt of the world. Love's simplicity is its attraction; its transforming power is its glory. Love is practical, yet transcendent; earthly, yet heavenly. Love is the essence of the divine Author and permeates the whole of life.

January 24

St. Peter and Satan were having an argument one day about football. This goes on and on with both arguing about who would field the best team.
Satan proposed a game to be played on neutral grounds between a select team from the heavenly host and his own hand-picked boys.
"Very well," said the gatekeeper of Heaven.
"But you realize, I hope, that we've got all the good players and the best coaches."
"I know, and that's all right," Satan answered unperturbed, "we've got all the officials!"

“Look at this mess!” roared an angry customer at a local cafe, pointing to his squashed doughnut. “It’s just as you ordered it, sir,” the waitress replied meekly. "You told me to bring you coffee and a doughnut and step on it.”

TIME TO GO
A visiting minister was very long-winded. Worse, every time he would make a good point during his sermon and a member of the congregation responded with "Amen" or "That's right, preacher" he would get wound up even more and launch into another lengthy discourse.
Finally, the host pastor started responding to every few sentences with "Amen, Pharaoh!" The guest minister wasn't sure what that meant, but after several more "Amen, Pharaohs" he finally concluded his very lengthy sermon.
After the service concluded and the congregation had left, the visiting minister turned to his host and asked, "What exactly did you mean when you said 'Amen, Pharaoh'?"
His host replied, "I was telling you to let my people go!"

In the midst of a generation screaming for answers, Christians are stuttering. --Howard Hendricks

The most pleasant and useful persons are those who leave some of the problems of the universe for God to worry about.

It's a good thing to have all the props pulled out from under us occasionally. It gives us some sense of what is rock under our feet, and what is sand. --Madeleine L'Engle

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

Act As If You Do Love
In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote, "Do not waste your time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less." C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Faith has to do with things that are not seen and hope with things that are not at hand. Thomas Aquinas

JOY 10
Resurrecting the Message of Christ
Ralph Waldo Emerson made the observation: "An institution is the lengthened shadow of one man." Take that thought -- the institutional church is the lengthened shadow of one Man -- Jesus Christ. We Christians owe it to ourselves and to the world to resurrect this message of Christ from the debris of history.

The Lake Wobegone Effect
A scandal is brewing in the hallowed halls of Academe. It has to do with test scores given to our young people. A West Virginia doctor noticed sometime back that all 50 states claim that their students score above average on standardized test scores. That, of course, is impossible -- for everyone to be above average. Someone has even given this scandal a thoughtful name -- the Lake Wobegon effect. Lake Wobegon is author Garrison Keillor's mythical town where "All the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average."
Obviously, by definition it is impossible for everyone to be "above average." Average is what most people are. Nobody, though, wants to admit it.
In a General Electric survey some years ago, the average person surveyed placed themselves in the 77th percentile. That is, their view was that their performance on the job exceeded that of 76% of their associates. In fact, only 2% of the respondents placed themselves as below average. Everybody is in the top half of the class. Everyone is a star.
What has Jesus got to do with the Lake Wobegon effect? Just this. How can I look across this congregation--we who have so much, who are so well-fed, so well-clothed, so surrounded by the good things of life--how can I look across this congregation and tell you that Jesus came to save the poor, the captives, the blind and the oppressed? That's not us! We are winners. We are stars. We're all above average. This is one text we can skip over. It's for someone else.
Still, it's there. Maybe we ought to listen. Arthur G. Ferry, Jesus and the Lake Wobegone Effect

Prayer: Our Father, each day is a little life, each night a tiny death; help us to live with faith and hope and love. Lift our duty above drudgery; let not our strength fail, or the vision fade, in the heat and burden of the day. O God, make us patient and pitiful one with another in the fret and jar of life, remembering that each fights a hard fight and walks a lonely way. Forgive us, Lord, if we hurt our fellow souls; teach us a gentler tone, a sweeter charity of words, and a more healing touch. Sustain us, O God, when we must face sorrow; give us courage for the day and hope for the morrow. Day unto day may we lay hold of thy hand and look up into thy face, whatever befall, until our work is finished and the day is done. Amen. Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226

"It really doesn't matter if the person who hurt you deserves to be forgiven. Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. You have things to do and you want to move on." -- Author Unknown

"You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take" – Wayne Gretzky



"Every generation of Americans [and others] needs to know that freedom exists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought." -- Pope John Paul II

"We can stand affliction better than we can prosperity, for in prosperity we forget God." --Dwight L. Moody

"If it is desirable that our children be kind, responsible, pleasant and honest, then those qualities must be taught--not hoped for." -- James Dobson

"When your only tool is a hammer, you see every problem as a nail." -- A. Maslow

All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

If Moses, after spending 40 days and nights with the Almighty, had come down from Mount Sinai today bearing two tablets with the Ten Commandments, he would have been hard pressed to find a publisher.

It took John D. Rockefeller 16 years to become a billionaire. Bill Gates did it in 10. Mike Dell in five. And Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page became multibillionaires in their late 20s.
Goldman Sachs' golden touch delivered $16.5 billion in year-end bonuses, up 40 percent in a year, or $623,418 for every employee. But that wasn't the way it was divvied among the 26,467-strong work force. Some star traders made $100 million as their reward for boosting Goldman's stock 61 percent in 2006.
Winston Churchill once said socialism is the equal sharing of miseries whereas capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings.
A worker earns in a year roughly what the CEO on the top floor takes home each day.

Life is made up of sobs, sniffles and smiles, with sniffles predominating. -- O. Henry


Healthy Relationships--Healthy Life
Everybody's Normal Until You Get to Know Them by John Ortberg. I've included this quote from the book: "One of the most thorough research projects on relationships is called the Alameda County Study. Headed by a Harvard social scientist, it tracked the lives of 7,000 people over nine years. Researchers found that the most isolated people were three times more likely to die than those with strong relational connections.
"People who had bad health habits (such as smoking, poor eating habits, obesity, or alcohol use) but strong social ties lived significantly longer than people who had great health habits but were isolated. In other words, it is better to eat Twinkies with good friends than to eat broccoli alone. Harvard researcher Robert Putnam notes that if you belong to no groups
but decide to join one, "you cut your risk of dying over the next year in half."
"For another study, as reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 276 volunteers were infected with a virus that produces the common cold. The study found that people with strong emotional connections did four times better fighting off illness than those who were more isolated. These people were less susceptible to colds, had less virus, and
produced significantly less mucous than relationally isolated subjects." Talmadge Hobbs

Olympian Hits Wrong Target Matt Emmons had the gold medal in sight. He was one shot away from claiming victory in the 2004 Olympics 50-metre, three-position rifle event. He didn't even need a bull's-eye to win. His final shot merely needed to be on target.
Normally, the shot he made would have received a score of 8.1, more than enough for a gold medal. But in what was described as "an extremely rare mistake in elite competition," Emmons fired at the wrong target. Standing in lane two, he fired at the target in lane three. His score for a good shot at the wrong target? Zero. Instead of a medal, Emmons ended up in eighth place. It doesn't matter how accurate you are if you are aiming at the wrong goal.

The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot. Michael Altshuler

January 17

"Look for the good in every person and every situation. You'll almost always find it." -- Brian Tracy

"Don't join an easy crowd; you won't grow. Go where the expectations and the demands to perform are high." -- Jim Rohn

If you kick a stone in anger, you'll hurt your own foot.
-- Korean Proverb

Temper is one thing you can't get rid of by losing it.

A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Several years ago a preacher moved to Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change.
As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, you better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it. Then he thought, "Oh", forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway the bus company already gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a gift from God and keep quiet."
When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, "Here, you gave me too much change".
The driver with a smile, replied, "Aren't you the new preacher in town? I have been thinking lately about going to worship somewhere. I just wanted to see what you would do, if I gave you too much change."
When my friend stepped off the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, and held on, and said, "O God", I almost sold your Son for a quarter".
Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. (author unknown)

“If your Bible is in real good, shape, you’re probably not!”

I want to give you a quote from Martin Luther that powerfully substantiate St. Peter’s exhortation in Acts 4:12: “There is salvation in no one else! Under all heaven there is no other name for men to call upon to save them.''
“It is certain that whoever tries to go around Christ won’t meet the true God. God is completely in Christ and places Himself in Christ for us. No one will be able to succeed in dealing with God apart from Christ. No one will find God on the basis of human thoughts and devotion. Whoever wants to take the right path with his faith and not lose the way should begin where God has placed the path and where God wants to be found. Otherwise, everything he does and believes is useless.”

"What others do or say is their stuff; how we react, or not, is our stuff." – Unknown

"True happiness in life isn't having what you want, but wanting what you have." – Unknown

"Love is like a rose. You have to see past the thorns to appreciate its beauty." – Unknown


When the Statue of Liberty was remodeled, it was discovered that the entire inside support system had to be replaced. The outside copper skin of the statue was okay; it only had to be cleaned. Rust and corrosion had ruined the inner iron supports. If repairs had not been made, the statue in 20 years would have fallen over. The iron supports were replaced with stainless steel. Now it can withstand 125 mph winds. A nation without inner supports of moral integrity is doomed to lose her liberty.

"What others do or say is their stuff; how we react, or not, is our stuff." – Unknown

"True happiness in life isn't having what you want, but wanting what you have." – Unknown

"Love is like a rose. You have to see past the thorns to appreciate its beauty." – Unknown

"The amount you laugh in your relationships with others is the true measure of the health of your personality." – Brian Tracy

"Gentlemen, why don't you laugh? With the fearful strain that is upon me night and day, if I did not laugh, I should die." – Abraham Lincoln

"Beware what you set your heart upon. For it shall surely be yours." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything." -- Napoleon Hill

"The only real limitation on your abilities is the level of your desires. If you want it badly enough, there are no limits on what you can achieve." -- Brian Tracy

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination." -- Tommy Lasorda

Five out of every four Americans have trouble with fractions!

A Luther Moment ...
God's wonderful works which happen daily are lightly esteemed, not because they are of no import but because they happen so constantly and without interruption. Man is used to the miracle that God rules the world and upholds all creation, and because things daily run their appointed course, it seems insignificant, and no man thinks it worth his while to meditate upon it and to regard it as God's wonderful work, and yet it is a greater wonder than that Christ fed five thousand men with five loaves and made wine from water. -- Martin Luther in Day by Day We Magnify Thee

"The very first law in advertising is to avoid the concrete promise and cultivate the delightfully vague." -- Bill Cosby, US comedian, actor, author


Habits The American educator, Horace Mann, described the predicament of habits saying: “Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it every day, and at last we cannot break it.” Mr. Mann, you are only half right. Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it every day, but it can be broken? There is One who will help you break it, if you desire it. Habits are often practiced without guilt, justified through cleverly devised mental schemes. We have to be continuously converted all the days of our lives, continually to turn to God as children. Life is a continuous conversion. In every setting in which we are put we have to “put on the new person.” There are whole areas of our lives which have not yet been brought into subjection, and it can only be done by this continuous conversion.

TODAY: Mad Dash
"This is the age Of the half-read page.
And the quick hash And the mad dash.
The bright night With the nerves tight.
The plane hop With the brief stop.
The lamp tan In a short span.
The Big Shot In a good spot.
And the brain strain The heart pain.
And the cat naps Till the spring snaps --
And the fun's done!"
Sound familiar? But wait -- this poem was
actually published in The Saturday Evening Post
in 1949, under the title, "Time of the Mad Atom."
Seems that people were as rushed then as they are now!

January 10

Wash Off The Stuff of The Day
One of the most successful and personable people on television is Oprah Winfrey. Movies, book clubs, she does it all. Huge business operations. While all the other talk shows on television are tearing people apart and putting all their illnesses out for public humiliation, Oprah is helping put people and families back together again. . . In a Newsweek magazine interview the interviewer asked her, "How do you separate yourself from work?" Answer, "I take a hot bath. . . My bath is my sanctuary. (Listen to this) It's the place where I can wash off all the stuff of the day" ((Jan 8, 2001, p. 45).
Baptism is a huge symbol -- it's the water of creation. . . .we are born anew. . . . life in the Spirit . . . all the "stuff" of the day is washed off. All of that is true. But at it's basic level, baptism is the death of the old self. Before anything new can be born, the old has to pass away.

MAKE ME HAPPY, LORD, BUT...
I think that most Christians would be better pleased if the Lord did not inquire into their personal affairs too closely. They want Him to save them, to keep them happy, and to take them off to heaven at last, but not to be too inquisitive about their conduct or services.
--A. W. Tozer

GOD IS HIGHLY CONFIDENT OF HIS OWN PLANS
He'll work in ways you may not recognize or understand. And He is big enough to do the things you have labeled impossible. He has enough power. He has enough time. He is bigger than your problem. Believe in Him more than in what you may see. Trust in Him more than what you may feel. You can question. He can handle your questions. God is highly confident of His own plans. He can do everything but fail. --Kathy Troccoli

The American educator, Horace Mann, described the predicament of habits saying: "Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it every day, and at last we cannot break it." Mr. Mann, you are only half right. Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it every day, but it can be broken? There is One who will help you break it, if you desire it. Habits are often practiced without guilt, justified through cleverly devised mental schemes. We have to be continuously converted all the days of our lives, continually to turn to God as children. Life is a continuous conversion. In every setting in which we are put we have to "put on the new person." There are whole areas of our lives which have not yet been brought into subjection, and it can only be done by this continuous conversion.


A young preacher had announced to his congregation that he would be leaving the church for another call. As he was standing at the door greeting people one of the elderly saints approached him, her eyes were filled with tears. She sobbed, "Oh pastor, I'm so sorry you've decided to leave. Things will never be the same again." The young man was flattered, but was equal to the situation and took her hands in his and most benevolently replied, "Bless you, dear lady, but I am sure that God will send you a new pastor even better than I." She choked back a sob and was heard to say, "That's what they all say, but they keep getting worse and worse."

The basic goal-reaching principle is to under-stand that you go as far as you can see, and when you get there you will always be able to see farther. Zig Ziglar

Even Americans who are lucky enough to have work in this economy are becoming more unhappy with their jobs, according to a new survey that found only 45 percent of Americans are satisfied with their work.
That was the lowest level ever recorded by the Conference Board research group in more than 22 years of studying the issue. In 2008, 49 percent of those surveyed reported satisfaction with their jobs.
The drop in workers' happiness can be partly blamed on the worst recession since the 1930s, which made it difficult for some people to find challenging and suitable jobs. But worker dissatisfaction has been on the rise for more than two decades.
"It says something troubling about work in America. It is not about the business cycle or one grumpy generation," says Linda Barrington, managing director of human capital at the Conference Board, who helped write the report, which was released Tuesday.
Workers have grown steadily more unhappy for a variety of reasons:
- Fewer workers consider their jobs to be interesting.
- Incomes have not kept up with inflation.
- The soaring cost of health insurance has eaten into workers' take-home pay.

• Six in Ten Adults Are Sure There Is a God
A new Harris Poll® that was released last month shows that only 59 percent of Americans are "absolutely certain that there is a God." Another 15 percent said they were "somewhat certain that there is a God." The research, which was based on 2,303 adults surveyed online between November 2 and 11, 2009, also revealed that 13 percent of Americans are either certain or somewhat certain that there is no God, and 13 percent were not sure whether or not God exists.

• Americans Looking Forward to Next Decade
Half of adults responding to a survey conducted last month by The Pew Research Center® said they had a generally negative opinion about the decade ending December 31, 2009. Only 27 percent had a generally positive opinion about the last 10 years. In contrast, 57 percent felt positive about the 1990s, and 59 percent feel positive about the coming decade. The research also revealed that a large majority of Americans see technological advances, such as cell phones, e-mail and the Internet, as positive. But the increase in Internet blogs, and reality TV shows were seen as negative changes in the past decade.


Choosing a Life that Matters
Some day the things we have collected, our wealth, our fame, our power
Will not matter.
Some day what we owe or what we are owed
Will not matter.
Some day our wins, our losses, and our to-do lists
Will not matter.
Our grudges and our resentments our frustrations and our jealousies
Will not matter.
Whether we are beautiful or brilliant, our gender and our skin color
Will not matter.
So what will matter?
What will matter
Is not what we have, but what we gave.
What will matter
Is not what we bought, but what we built.
What will matter
Is not what we learned, but what we taught.
What will matter
is not our competence, but our character.
What will matter
iIs not our success, but the success of those we helped.
What will matter
Is our integrity and our compassion, that encouraged and enabled others
To have integrity and to be compassionate.
Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance.
It's a matter of choice.
May we choose - each day - to live a Life that Matters

"If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country and the people do not become religious, I do not know what is to become of us as a nation. And the thought is one to cause solemn reflection on the part of every patriot and Christian. If truth be not diffused, error will be; if God and his word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy; if the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will; if the power of the gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of the land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness, will reign without mitigation or end." ...Daniel Webster

GRACE
Grace: a gift that costs everything for the giver and nothing for the recipient. --Philip Yancey

Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.

The King of Hearts is the only king WITHOUT A MOUSTACHE

American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one (1) olive from each salad served in first-class.

Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise. (Since Venus is normally associated with women, what does this tell you!)

"The empire of Caesar is gone; the legions of Rome are smoldering in the dust; the avalanches that Napoleon hurled upon Europe have melted away; the prince of the Pharaohs is fallen; the pyramids they raised to be their tombs are sinking every day in the desert sands; Tyre is a rock for bleaching fisherman's nets; Sidon has scarcely left a wreck behind; but the Word of God still survives. All things that threatened to extinguish it have only aided it; and it proves every day how transient is the noblest monument that men can build, how enduring is the least word that God has spoken." - Albert Baird Cummins

WHEN GOD WANTS WORK DONE
God never goes to the lazy or the idle when He needs men for His service. When God wants a worker He calls a worker. When He has work to be done, He goes to those already at work. When God wants a good servant, He calls a busy man. Scripture and history attest this truth.
Moses was busy with his flocks at Horeb.
Gideon was busy threshing wheat by the wine press.
Saul was busy searching for his father's beasts.
Elisha was busy plowing with twelve yoke of oxen.
David was busy caring for his father's sheep.
Nehemiah was busy serving the king.
Amos was busy following the flock.
Peter and Andrew were busy casting a net into the sea.
James and John were busy mending their nets.
Matthew was busy collecting customs.
William Carey was busy mending and making shoes.
Christian-does this tell you something about thinking we are too busy to do God's work?
--Author Unknown

HOLD ON TO HIS HAND
We are only finite human beings. We can only see the present and the past. The future is a little frightening to us. So we need to hold onto God's hand and trust Him to calm our fears. And at those times when we're stubborn and resisting and He shakes us by the shoulders to get our attention, we're reminded that we don't call the shots. God has a plan for us, mysterious though it may seem, and we want to be in the center of it. All the risks notwithstanding, the center of God's will is still the safest place on earth to be. Charles Swindoll


I get my large circumference from too much pi.

There's a sign above the scale in my doctor's office that says "Pretend it's your IQ."
"I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they plan their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change." -- Jim Rohn

"Every evening, write down the six most important things that you must do the next day. Then while you sleep your subconscious will work on the best ways for you to accomplish them. Your next day will go much more smoothly." -- Tom Hopkins

"Every minute you spend in planning saves 10 minutes in execution; this gives you a 1,000 percent Return on Energy!" -- Brian Tracy

You can never really fathom the mind of another. -- Chinese Proverb

A contented mind is a continual feast. -- American Proverb

Any mother could perform the jobs of several air-traffic controllers with ease. - Lisa Alther, writer

It is better to wear out than to rust out.

Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of others, but from doing something worthwhile. Wilfred Grenfell (1865 - 1940) English medical missionary

Joy has nothing to do with material things, or with a man's outward circumstance...A man living in the lap of luxury can be wretched, and a man in the depths of poverty can overflow with joy. William Barclay (1907 - 1978) Clergyman and writer

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they are sticking to their diet.

"You don't buy a fiddle today and play in Carnegie Hall tomorrow."

In moments of despair and doubt and desolation, Martin Luther would say to himself as a reminder, "I was baptized."

January 3, 2010

One Sunday at our church, a visitor came who brought his cellular phone and sat in the midst of the congregation. In the middle of the pastor's teaching, the phone began to ring, startling everyone. Without missing a beat, the pastor said, "If that's for me, tell them I'm busy!"
If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
"If you want to be a holy man, you've got to be committed. When you make a decision you cannot waiver in any way. You'd never see Gandhi during a hunger strike sneaking into the kitchen in the middle of the night.
'Gandhi...what are you doing down there?'
'Umm, I thought I heard a prowler...and I was going to hit him over the head with this big bowl of potato salad.'" -Jim Carrey
The purpose of a great sermon is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. The latter is preferable to the former.

Erma's New Year's Resolutions - The late Erma Bombeck made these New Year's resolutions:
1. I'm going to clean this dump just as soon as the kids grow up.
2. I will go to no doctor whose office plants have died.
3. I'm going to follow my husband's suggestion to put a little excitement into my life by living within our budget.
4. I'm going to apply for a hardship scholarship to Weight Watchers.
5. I will never loan my car to anyone I have given birth to.
6. And just like last year...I am going to remember that my children need love the most when they deserve it the least.


Almost everyone is capable of being a Pharisee from time to time.

Top 10 Stories of 2009
The editors of WORLD Magazine — the nation's most widely-read Christian news magazine — and the U.S. editors and news directors of The Associated Press have released their list of the top 10 stories of 2009.
From WORLD Magazine: 1) Inauguration of President Barack Obama 2) War in Afghanistan and Pakistan 3) War in Iraq 4) Climategate 5) Healthcare debate 6) Recession 7) Nidal Hasan, Fort Hood, and the domestic terror threat 8) Honduras: Triumph of Latin American Democracy 9) Creation of ACNA — Anglican Church in North America 10) U-turn for U.S. pro-life message overseas.
From The Associated Press: 1) The economy 2) Obama inauguration 3) Health care 4) Auto industry 5) Swine flu 6) Afghanistan 7) Michael Jackson dies 8) Fort Hood rampage 9) Edward Kennedy dies 10) Miracle on Hudson.

How Americans Identify Themselves
This Christmas season, 78 percent of Americans identify with some form of Christian religion, a proportion that has been declining in recent decades, says new Gallup® poll data. The major reason for this decline has been an increase in the percentage of Americans claiming no religious identity, now at 13 percent of all adults.
One of the most significant trends documented during a 60-year average of Gallup's religious identity data in America is the substantial increase in the percentage of American adults who don't identify with any specific religion. In 1948, only 2 percent of Americans did not identify with a religion; in 1998, 6 percent; in 2002, 10 percent and this year's average of 13 percent of Americans who claim no religious identity is the highest in Gallup records.

As most of us joyously celebrate the holidays with friends, family and loved ones, 85 percent of nursing-home residents won't receive a single guest — and not just during this season, but year round.

"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." -- Joseph Addison

"Your living is determined not so much by what life brings you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens." -- Lewis L. Dunnington

"My mother taught me very early to believe I could achieve any accomplishment I wanted to. The first was to walk without braces." -- Wilma Rudolph 1940-1994, Olympic Gold Medalist

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
A little girl was about to undergo a dangerous operation. Just before the doctor administered the anesthetic, he said, "Before we can make you well, we must put you to sleep."
The girl responded, "Oh, if you are going to put me to sleep, then I must say my prayers first." And she folded her hands, closed her eyes, and said:" Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake; I pray the Lord my soul to take. And this I ask for Jesus' sake. Amen." Later on the surgeon admitted that he prayed that prayer that night for the first time in thirty years.


NEW YEAR 2010 I look at the new calendar for the coming year. There will be Three Hundred and sixty five days. It is time to reflect back and make new decisions. Have I learned to let God guide my ways?
First, I want a closer walk with Jesus, my Lord. I plan to start and end each day in His care. I will read His Word with new expectancy. I will decide to spend more time in prayer.
Last year, I learned many new lessons. I became more dependent on Him. Those things that I had thought were important, Have now faded away or grown dim. I have more of a desire to be like Him. He is teaching me how to obey. I want less and less of what this world offers. I need to listen closer to what He will say. I need to be more conscious of those in need. I will trust Him for more smiles to give. I want to be more careful of what I say As others will watch how I live. May this New Year be a joyful one. As I allow Him to just lead me along. May I surrender any selfish desires And remember right from wrong. Evelyn D. Putnam

TV TAGLINES
- A fool and his money are the prime-time television target audience.
- An idle mind is television's playground!
- But Daddy, you watched the news on television YESTERDAY.
- Television is a medium - so called because it is neither rare nor well-done
- There's just not enough sax and violins on television!
- Were there "radio dinners" before television?
- You aren't a kid any more when you can't remember the last time you lay on the floor to watch television.
- Television has proved that people will look at anything rather than each other. -- Ann Landers

It’s amusing, isn’t it? Measly human beings puff themselves up to appear grander than they are. But God, who is the source of everything in this universe, humbled himself . . . out of love for you and me.

"May all your troubles last as long as your New Years Resolutions." Joey Adams

I am the new year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.
I am your next chance at the art of living.
I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.
All that you sought and didn’t find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination.
All the good that you tried for and didn’t achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.
All that you dreamed but didn’t dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have -- these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose.
I am your opportunity to renew you allegiance to Him who said, "Behold, I make all things new."



A Year of Time Though even thinking on the subject of time may prove discomforting, it is not a bad idea"especially at the beginning of a new year.
As we look into 2010 we look at a block of time. We see 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds. And all is a gift from God. We have done nothing to deserve it, earn it, or purchased it. Like the air we breathe, time comes to us as a part of life.
The gift of time is not ours alone. It is given equally to each person. Rich and poor,
educated and ignorant, strong and weak "every man, woman and child has the same twenty-four hours every day. Another important thing about time is that you cannot stop it. There is no way to slow it down, turn it off, or adjust it. Time marches on.
And you cannot bring back time. Once it is gone, it is gone. Yesterday is lost forever. If yesterday is lost, tomorrow is uncertain. We may look ahead at a full year block of time, but we really have no guarantee that we will experience any of it.
Obviously, time is one of our most precious possessions. We can waste it. We can worry over it. We can spend it on ourselves. Or, as good stewards, we can invest it in the kingdom of God. The new year is full of time. As the seconds tick away, will you be tossing time out the window, or will you make every minute count?
But history will judge you, and as the years pass, you will ultimately judge yourself, in the extent to which you have used your gifts and talents to lighten and enrich the lives of your fellow men. In your hands lies the future of your world and the fulfillment of the best qualities of your own spirit. Robert F. Kennedy

"There are three kinds of givers -- the flint, the sponge and the honeycomb. To get anything out of a flint you must hammer it. And then you get only chips and sparks. To get water out of a sponge you must squeeze it, and the more you use pressure, the more you will get. But the honeycomb just overflows with its own sweetness. Which kind of giver are you?" - Unknown

December 27

Seasonal thought. “The coming of Christ by way of a Bethlehem manger seems strange and stunning. But when we take Him out of the manger and invite Him into our hearts, then the meaning unfolds and the strangeness vanishes.” (C Neil Strait)

Christmas. Have you prepared a wish list or a give list? Christmas is giving not wishing.

Different ages see the same thing in different ways. To a child Christmas is wondrous because it is new; to his grandfather Christmas is wondrous because it is old. Zig Ziglar

Today’s churches are in the business of manufacturing a gospel that is acceptable to the world. The Gospel does not need to be manufactured, tweaked, altered, tinkered with, or revamped, it has been in God’s heart from before the foundations of the world. Quit impeaching it and start preaching it.

A pessimist is one who feels bad when he feels good for fear he'll feel worse when he feels better.

Some people believe in miracles but do not expect to see them happen today.

He who mistrusts most should be trusted least.

Some people pray for a bushel, then carry a pint cup.

I worry, I putter, I push and shove, hunting little molehills to make mountains of.

2010 Contract
After serious and cautious consideration, your contract of friendship has been renewed for the New Year 2010! It was a very hard decision to make. So try not to mess it up!!!
My Wish for You in 2010
May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts. May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet of $100 bills.
May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips!
May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.
May the problems you had forget your home address!
In simple words ....May 2010 be the best year of your life!!!


See if you recognize the songs:
"Oh, what fun it is to ride with one horse, soap and hay. . ."
"He's making a list, chicken and rice . . ."
"On the first day of Christmas, my tulip gave to me . . ."
"In the meadow we can build a snowman, and pretend that he is sparse and brown .
"Noel, Noel, Barney's the king of Israel . . ."

Did you hear about the family who owned an English pointer and an Irish setter? The dogs get together at Christmas time and have pointsetters.

At age 83, Granddad was admitted to the hospital for the first time. "What is this?" he asked as he held up the bell cord they had fastened to his pillow.
"That's the bell, Granddad," I replied.
He pulled it several times, then remarked, "I don't hear it ringing."
"Oh, it doesn't ring," I explained. "It turns on a light in the hall for the nurse."
"Well!" he replied indignantly, "if the nurse wants a light on in the hall, she can turn it on herself."

Jesus' earthly life is framed by two impossibilities apart from God: A virgin's womb and an empty tomb.

This is an ancient art fallen into disuse. A really good, honest compliment shows that you appreciate the person you admire. There is no shortage of critics. But there is a dearth of people who say nice things when they genuinely feel them.

Some of us make resolutions like one man, named George, I heard about recently. He said to a friend: "There's nothing like getting up at six in the morning, going for a run around the park, and taking a brisk shower before breakfast."
His friend Bob asked, "How long have you been doing this?"
George said: "I start tomorrow."


BEWARE! IT’S TIME FOR SAD (SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER)
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects about 5% of us severely and perhaps 25% of us more mildly. Women and young adults are more likely to suffer from it. It’s a form of depression that, according to the National Mental Health Association (NMHA), is a real illness with sometimes severe symptoms. It’s worse in January and February, though starts as early as September. SAD is believed to be caused by melatonin, a sleep-related hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain. Melatonin production increases in the dark, so in the winter, when the days are shorter and darker, production increases, causing symptoms of depression. SAD is extremely rare for people living within 30 degrees of the Equator, where daylight hours are long and extremely bright.
The Symptoms? Sleep problems, lethargy, overeating, depression, social problems, anxiety, loss of libido, mood changes, and a weakened immune system. For complete description, go here: http://www.sada.org.uk/symptoms.htm.
The Cure? Light suppresses the secretion of melatonin, so for lighter cases, get outside more, exercise outside, and arrange for more light at work and at home. Phototherapy has been helpful in more severe cases. A light box can be used that emits very bright light through a filter. Please check with your personal physician if you think you have SAD. About the Author : Susan Dunn, MA Clinical Psychology, cEQc, The EQ CoachTM, can be reached online at http://www.susandunn.cc.

- Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.
- If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?
- I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, Where's the self-help section? She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
- Could it be that all those trick-or-treaters wearing sheets aren't going as ghosts but as mattresses?
- Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?
- Why do they put Braille on the drive-through bank machines?
- How do they get the deer to cross at that yellow road sign?

Without the Way, there is no going; without the Truth, there is no knowing; without the Life, there is no living. — Thomas á Kempis.

The bus driver stopped to pick up the child for preschool. The driver noticed the child hugging an older woman as he left the house. The driver asked, "Is that your grandmother?"
"Yes," the little boy answered, "she's visiting us for Christmas."
"How nice! Where does she live?"
"She lives at the airport. Whenever we want her, we just go out there and get her."



It’s likely that if Jesus were still living among us today, He would be considered a criminal. Everyone would be mad at him ...

• The FDA for turning water into wine without a license;

• The EPA for killing fig trees;

• The American Medical Association for practicing medicine without a license;

• The Department of Health for asking people to open graves, for raising the dead and for feeding 5,000 people in un-sanitary conditions;

• The NEA for teaching without a certificate;

• OSHA for walking on water without a life jacket and other unsafe boating practices;

• SPCA for driving hogs into the sea;

• The National Board of Psychiatrists for giving advice on how to live a guilt-free life;

• The NOW for not choosing a female apostle;

• The Interfaith Movement for condemning all other religions.

“Mary's Dream . . ." (By Lloyd D. Lance)
"I had a dream Joseph. I do not understand it, not really, but I think it was about a birthday celebration for our Son. I think that was what it was all about.
"The people had been preparing for it for about six weeks. They had decorated the house and bought new gifts.
"It was peculiar, though, because the presents weren't for our Son. They wrapped them in beautiful paper and tied them with lovely bows and stacked them under a tree.
"Yes, a tree, Joseph, right in their house! They decorated the tree, also. The branches were full of glowing balls and sparkling ornaments. There was a figure on the top of the tree. It looked like an angel might look. Oh, it was beautiful.
"Everyone was laughing and happy. They were all excited about the gifts.
"They gave the gifts to each other, Joseph, not to our Son. I don't think they even knew Him. They never mentioned His name.
"Doesn't it seem odd for people to go to all that trouble to celebrate someone's birthday if they don't know Him?
"I had the strangest feeling that if our Son had gone to this celebration, He would have been intruding.
"Everything was so beautiful, Joseph, and everyone so full of cheer, but it made me want to cry.
"How sad for Jesus . . . not to be wanted at His own birthday celebration.
"I'm glad it was only a dream.
"How terrible, Joseph, if it had been real."


There was once a family that celebrated Christmas every year with a birthday party for Jesus. An extra chair of honor at the table became the family's reminder of Jesus' presence. A cake with candles, along with the singing of "Happy Birthday" expressed the family's joy in Jesus presence.
One year a Christmas afternoon visitor asked five-year-old Ruth, "Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?" After a moment's hesitation, she answered, "No, but then it's not my birthday!"

A couple were going out for the evening. They'd gotten ready, all dolled up, cat put out, etc. The taxi arrives, and as the couple got out, the cat shoots back in. They don't want the cat shut in the house, so the wife goes out to the taxi while the husband goes upstairs to chase the cat out.
The wife, not wanting it known that the house will be empty explains to the taxi driver "He's just going upstairs to say goodbye to my mother."
A few minutes later, the husband gets into the cab - "Sorry I took so long," he says, "The stupid old thing was hiding under the bed and I had to poke her with a coat hanger to get her to come out!"

How much television will the average American watch next year? According to the just-released Statistical Abstract of the United States, the answer is 1,555 hours (678 hours of broadcast TV and 877 hours of cable and satellite offerings). That works out to 4.3 hours daily. When other media are added in (radio, Internet, newspapers, magazines, books and video games), the daily media consumption figure rises to a whopping 9.65 hours. Only one activity topped media use: breathing.