JustPlainSandi

enjoys getting stuff from friends. It makes my heart smile.

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necklaces

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Fishy Fun

The Lord's Prayer

Some Day He's Coming

Whose Father is He?

Name Above All Names

It's in the Relationship

Thy Will be Done

More Devotionals

He Keeps His Word

In His Time

Love for Eternity

All Means All

The Sound Barrier

Clean as You Go

Climbing

Follow the Manual

What Color is Your Paint?

Life is Like ...

The Virtuous Woman

A Gem Worth Finding

Simply Trusting

Love Is...

Willing Hands

Spend Wisely

Sleepyhead She Ain't

Consider This

A Real Workout

As if Unto The Lord

The Virtuous Woman - 2

Producing the Right Fruit

No Darkness

To Have and to Hold

The Helping Hand

Consider the Lilies

Build Him Up

He Weaves His Purpose

He Dresses Me

No Pretense

The Virtuous Woman - 3

The Words of My Mouth

Be Careful Little Mouth

Let's Go Fly a Kite

Who Toots Your Horn?

To the Glory of Praise

An Excellent Woman of God

Beautiful Woman of God

No Bitter Pills

Devotionals

Playing Futile Games

Standing in Peace

Peace Lies Within Me

Up, Up and Away

Single Minded

In the Beginning

Just Imagine

Amazing Grace

Free

We are Ambassadors

I Can See You!

Poems

I Sat Upon A Rock

The Piper

After a While

Two Boxes

For Your Heart

Laughter

Grab a Hanky

Things to Ponder

 
Melodie in Sprague River, OR sent this my way....

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND 

One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His
Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her. Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry.

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt It was that chill which only fear can put in you.

He said, 'I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.'

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped.
Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, 'And think of me.'

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan .


After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: 'You don't owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.'

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard...

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, 'Everything's going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.'


There is an old saying 'What goes around comes around.' Today I sent you this story and I'm asking you to pass it on. Let this light shine.


From Leora in Palm Bay

Life is too short to wake up with regrets.
Love the people who treat you right.
Forget about the ones who don't.
Believe everything happens for a reason
If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.
If it changes your life, let it.
Nobody said life would be easy.

They just promised it would be worth it.



Friends are like balloons.

Once you let them go, you can't get them back.
So I'm gonna tie you to my heart so I never lose you.

I got this from Drew in Portland

Sand and Stone

 

TWO FRIENDS WERE WALKING
THROUGH THE DESERT.
DURING SOME POINT OF THE
JOURNEY, THEY HAD AN
ARGUMENT; AND ONE FRIEND
SLAPPED THE OTHER ONE
IN THE FACE.


THE ONE WHO GOT SLAPPED
WAS HURT, BUT WITHOUT
SAYING ANYTHING,
WROTE IN THE SAND:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND
SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

THEY KEPT ON WALKING,
UNTIL THEY FOUND AN OASIS,
WHERE THEY DECIDED
TO TAKE A BATH
THE ONE WHO HAD BEEN
SLAPPED GOT STUCK IN THE
MIRE ! AND STARTED DROWNING,
BUT THE FRIEND SAVED HIM.

AFTER HE RECOVERED FROM
THE NEAR DROWNING,
HE WROTE ON A STONE:


'TODAY MY BEST FRIEND
SAVED MY LIFE '.


THE FRIEND WHO HAD SLAPPED
AND SAVED HIS BEST FRIEND
ASKED HIM, 'AFTER I HURT YOU,
YOU WROTE IN THE SAND AND NOW,
YOU WRITE ON A STONE, WHY?'

THE FRIEND REPLIED
'WHEN SOMEONE HURTS US
WE SHOULD WRITE I T DOWN
IN SAND, WHERE WINDS OF
FORGIVENESS CAN ERASE IT AWAY.
BUT, WHEN SOMEONE DOES
SOMETHING GOOD FOR US,
WE MUST ENGRAVE IT IN STONE
WHERE NO WIND
CAN EVER ERASE IT.'

LEARN TO WRITE
YOUR HURTS IN
THE SAND AND TO
CARVE YOUR
BENEFITS IN STONE.

THEY SAY IT TAKES A

MINUTE TO FIND A SPECIAL
PERSON, AN HOUR TO
APPRECIATE THEM, A DAY
TO LOVE THEM,
BUT THEN
AN ENTIRE LIFE
TO FORGET THEM.



TAKE THE TIME TO LI VE!

DO NOT VALUE THE THINGS
YOU HAVE IN YOUR LIFE, BUT VALUE

WHO YOU HAVE IN YOUR LIFE !


Good Morning Sunshine

1. There are at least two people in this world that you would die for.

2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you.

4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.

5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

6. You mean the world to someone.

7. You are special and unique.

8. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.

10. When you think the world has turned its back on you take another look.

11. Always remember the compliments you received.  Forget about the rude remarks.

 
Mike in Vero Beach, FL sent me this....(actually, this one has gone around the internet since 1995....seen it a lot....but I saved his.  LOL)

A Woman and a Fork

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness
and had been given three months to live.  Therefore, as she was getting her things "in order," she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

"There's one more thing," she said excitedly. " What's that?" the Pastor's reply.

"This is very important," the young woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand." The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.  "That surprises you, doesn't it?" the young woman asked.

"Well, to be honest, I am puzzled by the request," said the Pastor.

The young woman explained. "My grandmother once told me this story, and
from that time on I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming ... like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!

So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder, "What's with the fork?'  Then I want you to tell them:    'Keep your fork, the best is yet to come.'

The Pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of Heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what Heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge.

She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket, they saw the cloak she was wearing, and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the Pastor heard the question, "What's with the fork?" And over and over, he smiled.

During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. He told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either. He was right.

So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.

Ibn and me. It was coooold that day. I'm wearing two pairs of pants and about 6 shirts. Ibn's a love. I started learning to work with horses with him. He's 5 and unbroke but, he'll follow me around without a halter and is very easy to handle.
Luis in Vero Beach, FL sent this one to me....it's a good one to pass on.

PEOPLE COME INTO YOUR LIFE FOR A REASON  

Pay attention to what you read.  After you have finished reading it, you will know the reason it was sent to you. Here goes:  
  
People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.  

When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to  meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through  a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be.  Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.  

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done.  They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it  is real. But only for a season!    
  
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.  
  
Thank you for being a part of my life, whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

  This is from Luis too.....

There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real! 

When the door of happiness closes, another opens; but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one, which has been opened for us. 
 
Don't go for looks; they can deceive. Don't go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile, because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile. 

Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do. 
 
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy. 
 
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. 
 
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. 
 
When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was s miling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying. 

 
Melodie in Sprague River, Oregon sent this to me...

Natural Highs

Think about them one at a time before going on to the next one.

1. Falling in love
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts
3. A hot shower
4. No lines at the supermarket
5. A special glance
6. Getting mail
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside  (I love this one!)
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer, or sheets off the clothesline.
11. Chocolate milkshake
12. A bubble bath
13. Giggling
14. A good conversation
15. The beach
16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter
17. Laughing at yourself
18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they love you
19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours
20. Running through sprinklers (even at my age!)
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all
22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful
23. Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS
24. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you
25. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep
26. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner)
27. Making new friends or spending time with old ones
28. Playing with a new puppy or enjoying time with your old dog
29. Having someone play with your hair (Oh, I love this one!)
30. Sweet dreams
31. Hot chocolate
32. Road trips with friends
33. Swinging on swings
34. Making eye contact with a cute stranger (it's even better when he smiles!)
35. Making chocolate chip cookies...or eating them
36. Having your friends send you homemade cookies
37. Holding hands with someone you care about
38. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change
39. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you
40. Watching the sunrise
41. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day
42. Knowing that somebody misses you
43. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply
44. Riding a horse
45. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think

I saw this on www.keirsey.com and really liked it.....

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.
—Henry David Thoreau

I got this from Caroline in Palm Bay, Florida (it's one of my favorite illustrations)....

*DON'T LEAVE IT ON THE DESK*!

There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the western United States.  Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution.  Every student was required to take this course his or her freshman year, regardless of his or her major.  Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing
but required drudgery.  Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.

This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve.  Steve was only a freshman but was studying with the intent of going into the seminary for the ministry.  Steve was popular, he was well-liked and he was an imposing physical specimen.  He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the Professor's class.  One day, Dr.  Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him.  "How many push-ups can you do?" Steve said, "I do about 200 every night." "200?  That's pretty good Steve," Dr. Christianson said, "Do you think you could do 300?" Steve replied, "I don't know.  I've never done 300 at a time." "Do you think you could?" again asked Dr. Christianson.  "Well, I
can try," said Steve. 

"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of 10 for this to work.  Can you do it?  I need you to tell me you can do it!" said the Professor.  Steve said, "Well, I think I can.  Yeah, I
can do it." Dr. Christianson said, "Good!  I need you to do this on Friday.  Let me explain what I have in mind."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room.  When class started, the Professor pulled out a big box of doughnuts.  No, these weren't the normal kinds of doughnuts; they were the extra fancy BIG kind with cream centers and frosting swirls.  Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson's class. 

Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want to have one of these doughnuts?" Cynthia said, "Yes." Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a doughnut." "Sure," and Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten.  Then Steve again sat in the desk.  Dr. Christianson then put a doughnut on Cynthia's desk.

Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe, do you want a doughnut?" Joe said, "Yes." Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a doughnut." Steve did ten push-ups; Joe got a doughnut.  And so it went, down the first aisle.  Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their doughnut. 

Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott.  Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve.  He was very popular and never lacked for female companionship.  When the Professor asked, "Scott, do you
want a doughnut?" Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own push-ups?"  Dr. Christianson said, "No.  Steve has to do them" Then Scott replied, "No, I don't want one then." Dr.  Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a doughnut he doesn't want." With perfect obedience, Steve started to do ten
push-ups.

Scott said, "Hey!  I said I didn't want one!" Dr. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desk and these are my doughnuts.  Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a doughnut on Scott's desk.  Now, by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little.  He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down.  You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow.  Dr.  Christianson started down the third row. 

Now, the students were beginning to get a little angry.

Dr.  Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a doughnut?"  Sternly, Jenny said, "NO!" Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve would you do ten more push-ups so that Jenny can have a doughnut she doesn't want."  Steve did ten; Jenny got the doughnut.  By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room.  The students were beginning to say "No" and there
were all these uneaten doughnuts on the desks.  Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these push-ups done for each doughnut.  There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push-up to make sure he did the full ten push-ups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all those uneaten doughnuts.  He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely.  Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. 

During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators
that ran down the sides of the room.  When the Professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room.

He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.  Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next.  Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time.  He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.  Steve asked Dr. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?" Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well,
they're your push-ups.  You're in charge now.  You can do them any way you want." And Dr. Christianson went on.  A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student,came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, "NO!  Don't come in!  Stay out!" Jason didn't know what was going on.  Steve picked up his head and said, "No.  Let
him come in." Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in, you will have to do ten push-ups for him." Steve said, "Yes, let him come in.  Give him a doughnut." Dr.  Christianson said, "Okay Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now.  Jason, do you want a doughnut?"

Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on.  "Yes," he said, "Give me a doughnut." "Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a doughnut?" Steve did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort.  Jason, bewildered, was handed a doughnut and sat down.

Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters.  Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity.  By this time, sweat was profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room.  The very last two
students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular.  Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last,and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?" Linda said,very sadly, "No, thank you." Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Linda can have a doughnut that she doesn't want." Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow push-ups for Linda. 

Then, Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan.  "Susan, do you want a doughnut?" Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry.  "Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him?" Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to
do it alone.  I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a doughnut whether they want it or not.  When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book.  Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade.  Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work.  Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups.  I told Steve that none of you could come to my party
unless he paid the price by doing your push-ups.  He and I made a deal for your sakes."

"Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a doughnut." As Steve very slowly finished his last push-up, with the
understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 push-ups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said, "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, 'into Thy hands I commend my spirit.' with the understanding that he had done everything that was required of Him, He yielded up his life.  And, like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk uneaten." Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile.

"Well done, good and faithful servant," said the Professor, adding, "Not all sermons are preached in words." Turning to his class, the Professor said, "My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He spared not only his Begotten Son, but
gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever.  Whether or not we choose to accept his gift to us, the price has been paid." "Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?"

Got this from Mike in Florida.....

This Bible college student frequents a restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner any time of the day. One afternoon, while catching up on some reading and having a ham and cheese omelet, he looked up to see what he thought to be the ugliest couple he had ever seen in his life. I mean these two looked like they had just left Dr. Frankenstein's lab. They looked around the establishment for a seat and ended up sitting right next to this young college student. He tried not to look at them, but he was filled with disgust at their outward appearance.

Not long after they sat down, a young woman and her daughter came in. Now this little girl was beautiful with blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail. The old lady next to the student perked up and said, "What a beautiful little girl!" And she smiled a big smile. "Come over here and give me a kiss," she continued.

The student was horrified! 'How could you expect a beautiful child like that just run up and give a kiss to to that?' he thought. The little girl turned to her mommy and smiled. Her mommy smiled back and nodded. Then the little girl skipped over to the old lady, put her hands on the old lady's growth-ridden face, gave her a kiss and said, "Jesus loves you."

Then the student remembered a poster that his old roommate had on their wall. It was a picture of an old drunk lying in a street gutter. his flask, empty of its contents as it dangles from his hand threatening to fall to the ground.  The caption under the picture said, "You only love Jesus as much as the least of your enemies."

Its easy to love the pretty people, the popular people, let's love without a safety net.  Find someone who needs God's love and share it with them.

I painted these two faces at the Central Florida Fair. CEF has a booth every year and volunteers tell children the story of the "Wordless Book" as they paint the colors on the kids' faces. These two sisters received the Word gladly. The blue crowns on their chins tell me that they prayed with me to ask Jesus to be their Savior.
THE BRICK


A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down
 
when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown The angry driver
 
then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against
 
a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?" The young boy was apologetic. "Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do," He pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop...." With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. "It's my brother, "he said "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."< /SPAN>
Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."


Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. "Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy! push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.


It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: "Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!" God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.

Thought for the Day:
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.


He sends you a sunrise every morning Face it, friend - He is crazy about you!


Send this to every "beautiful person" you wish to bless.
 
God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow,sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.
 
Read this line very slowly and let it sink in....



If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.