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Should You
Should you have a bad day at work;
Think of the man who has been out of
work for the last three months.
 

Should you despair over a
relationship gone bad; Think of the person
who has never known what it’s like to
love and be loved in return.
 

Should you grieve the passing of
another weekend; Think of the woman
in dire straits, working twelve hours a
day, seven days a week, for $15.00 to
feed her family.
 

Should your car break down, leaving
you miles away from assistance; Think
of the paraplegic who would love the
opportunity to take that walk.
 
 

Should you notice a new gray hair in
the mirror; Think of the cancer
patient in chemo who wishes she had
hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss
and pondering; what is life all
about, what is my purpose? Be thankful,
there are those who didn’t liw long
enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim
of other people’s bitterness,
ignorance, smallness or insecurities;
Remember, things could be worse
You could be them!!!

Should you decide to send this to a
friend; You might brighten
someone’s day

THE 5 FINGERS OF PRAYER

1. Your thumb is nearest to you. Sobegin your prayers by praying for
those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our
loved ones is, as C.S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach,
instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They
need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep
them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders.
Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and
administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion.
They need God’s guidance.

4.   The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact
that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It
should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain.
They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5.   And lastly comes our little finger, the smallest finger of all. Which
is where we should place oursehes in relation to God and others. As the
Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie
should remind you to pray for yourself.  By the time you haw prayed for
the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective
and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.
 
 

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God’s Perfection....

Everything happens for a Reason.  In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning disabled children. Some children remain in Chush for their entire school career, while other can be mainstreamed into conventional schools.

At a Chush fund-raising dinner, the father of a Chush child delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.  After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, ‘Where is the perfection in my son, Shay? Everything God does is done with perfection. But my child cannot understand things as other children do. My child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is God’s perfection?”  The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father’s anguish and stilled by the piercing query.

“I believe,” the father answered, “that when God brings a child like this into the world, the perfection that he seeks is in the way people react to this child.”  He then told the following story about his son Shay:

One afternoon, Shay and his father 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 his son was not at all athletic and that most boys would  not want him on their team. But Shay’s father understood that if his son was chosen to play it would give him a comfortable sense of belonging. S hay’s father approached one of the boys in  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.”

Shay’s father was ecstatic as Shay smiled broadly. Shay was told to put on a glove and go out to play short center field. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay’s team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay’s team scored again and now with two outs and the basses loaded with the potential winning run on base Shay was scheduled to be up. 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 it was all but impossible because $hay didn’t even know how to hold the bat properly, let
alone hit with it. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved up a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay should at least be able to make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. One of S hay’s teammates came up to Shay and together they held the bat and faced the pitcher waiting for the next pitch.

The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay and his teammate swung at the ball and together they 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 run to first. He scampered down the baseline wide-eyed and startled. By the time he reached first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman who would tag out Shay, who was still running. But the right fielder understood what the pitchers intentions were, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman’s head.

Everyone yelled, “Run to second, run to second7 Shay ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home.

As Shay reached second base, the opposing short stop
ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base and shouted, “Run to third.” As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teems ran behind him screaming, “Shay run home.” Shay ran home, stepped on home plate and all 18 boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero, as he had just hit a “grand slam” and won the game for his team.

“That day,” said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, “those 18 boys reached their level of God’s perfection.”

LETTER FROM A YOUNG MOTHER
Dear Friends,

I have two of the cutest little boys in the world, but they are part of the saddest story in my life. See, I not only messed up my life but I've really messed up their lives as well. I'm not even sure, anymore, where everything started going wrong. I guess it started when I stopped letting God control my life. First I found out I was expecting with my first son. Then, halfway through the pregnancy, I met my second son's father. He was very sweet and kind and he seemed to sympathize with my situation so I put my trust In him. That was where the disaster started. He and I were living together and talking marriage, but I never knew till after my son was born what a monster I was Intending to marry. While I was carrying the baby, he was very loving and kind and sweet. After the baby was born, be got very cold, headless, violent and yes, even brutaL He physically attacked me, that is to say, he beat me up. I stayed with him two weeks after that hoping I could handle it, but every time he came near me, I froze. I decided then, that I couldn't live with that fear any longer. I decided to leave and I did, but It wasn't soon enough. A monthafter I left him, I found out I was ex-pecting again.

“Evil Companionships Corrupt Good Morals” (ASV)I Cor. 15:33-34

“Be not deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals. Awake to soberness righteously, and sin not; for some have no knowledge of God: I speak this to move you to shame” (1 Cor. 15:33-34, AS!’). The congregation at Corinth had been influenced by some who denied the resurrection from the dead (cf. I Cor. 15:12). Such had caused some to falter in their faith. The Corinthian congregation was filled with members who were spiritually immature (cf 1 Cor. 3:14) and spiritually unhealthy (cf. 1 Cor. 11:30). There were some, such as the household of Chloe (cf 1 Cor. 1:1 1), who knew the dangers that faced them. Paul sought to correct many of the problems that had risen within that congregation through the First Corinthian letter. Paul knew all too well that false teachers could follow behind him and corrupt the good morals of the early church. There are three attitudes that are noted in the above verses that will help any congregation withstand the corrupting influences of false teaching.
1. Awake. There are two exhortations given that call a person to give attention to himself They are “be not deceived” (1 Cor. 15:33) and “awake to soberness righteously (1 Cor 15:34, ASV). The phrase “be not deceived” and like phrases are found in many places in the scriptures (cf Luke 21:8; 1 Cor. 6:9; Gal. 6:7; 1 John 1:8). The word translated “deceive” (1 Cor. 15:33) comes from a word that means “to cause to stray, to lead astray, lead aside from the right way” (Thayer, p. 514). It is easy to wander off when one is sleepy. Paul described some of the Corinthians as being spiritually asleep (cf. I Cor. 11:30). Therefore, accompanied with the exhortation against deception is the word “awake” (1 Cor. 15:34). The original word translated “awake” in this passage means “a. prop. to return to one’s self from drunkenness, become sober, (Gen. 9:24; [1 Sam. 25:37]; Joel 1:5; b. means. to return to soberness of mind” (Thayer, p. 198). Paul also wrote to the Corinthians, “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ” (2 Cor. 2:17). The Galatian brethren had been so "soon  removed from him that called you into the grace of God unto another gospel” (GaL 1:6) in that they had been “bewitched” (GaL 3:1). Peter warned of the devil, ‘Be sober be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (1 Peter 5:8). One must be keen of mind when it comes to matters of the soul. The spirit may well be willing, but the flesh is weak (Malt. 26:4 1). Good character can be corrupted where one is not on his/her guard.
2. Affirm. The clause “Evil companionships corrupt good morals (1 Cor 15:33, AS!’) declares a principle that will always be true. Paul also affirmed another truth; namely, “some have no knowledge of God (1 Cor. 15:34, AS!). It is difficult sometimes for people to accept the fact that a close companion or friend may be their worst spiritual enemy. Amnon had a friend, Jonadab, who gave him advice that led to his moral defilement and mortal death (2 Sam. 13). There is nothing wrong with having companions as long as they are not evil companions. So many innocent people have been swept away in sin by associating with the wrong crowd. it is hard to get some to see that just because a person or any group of people may be religious does not mean that such is pleasing to God and beneficial to the spiritual well-being of all (cf Malt. 7:15, 21-23)- One must be willing to stand and affirm what God says to be true regardless of what others may think or say. One must also be willing to stand and oppose what God rebukes through His word regardless of what others think or say. Genuine love “rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;” a Cor. 13:6).
3. Ashamed. Some of the Corinthians had fallen and needed to repent. Paul closed this section in the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians with the statement “I speak this to move you to shame” a Cor. 15:34, AS!). The word translated “shame” comes from the word whose root meaning is “to turn one upon himself, i.e. to shame one” (Thayer, p. 219). Some of the Corinthians needed to come to themselves (cf. Luke 15:17). He appeals to their knowledge of God through divine revelation and their consciences. Such shame should cause them to have godly sorrow and thus repent and turn back to God. Paul had not given up on them and they acted accordingly (cf. 2 Cor. 7:4-16). The Corinthian congregation was not perfect, but it shows the power of God’s word to change lives.
 
 

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I  REMEMBER

There are lessons to be learned in trying times.
  Life is not always about what is fair.
Good guys don’t always finish first
  But I am confident you will win your share.

When times are hard, remember the good times.
  There are many things you have achieved,
And overcame some overwhelming odds
  Simply because you could believe.

I remember countless times you’ve made us proud,
  But too many times I’ve failed to let you know,
And dwelt more on a mistake you’d made
  Instead of letting the good feelings show.

I remember that farm league all-star game,
  The very first time you’d ever pitched.
At the end of your two innings,
  No hits, no runs, you’d struck out six.

I remember a moon lit Friday night
  When across the field came an Ardmore fan.
He said “Let me see number seventy-seven
  I just want to shake his hand”

I remember my favorite holiday
  July the 4th, 1994,
The night you gave your life to Christ,
  Didn’t want to live for the devil no more.

I remember myself when I was your age.
  You are many things I wished I’d been.
Talented in sports and born to lead,
  A boy whom many are proud to call friend.

I don’t want to rush the future.
  But I’m anxious to see the man you’ll be.
And I hope I’ve lived in such a way
  That you you’ll pattern a few things after me.

Keep your shoulders back and head held high
  Keep on wearing that award winning smile.
Most things will take care of themselves
  Or prove too small to be worth while.
 

Dad
4/18/2000
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