why God gave us friends??

WHY GOD GAVE US FRIENDS

GOD knew that everyone needs

companionship and cheer,

He knew that people need someone

whose thoughts are always near.

He knew they need someone kind

to lend a helping hand.

Someone to gladly take the time

to care and understand.

GOD knew that we all need someone

to share each happy day,

to be a source of courage

when troubles come our way.

Someone to be true to us,

whether near or far apart.

Someone whose love we'll always

hold and treasure in our hearts.

That's Why GOD Gave Us Friends

-- Author Unknown

who stared christmas??

WHO STARTED CHRISTMAS?

This morning I heard a story on the radio of a woman who was out Christmas
shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after row
of toys and everything else imaginable. And after hours of hearing both her
children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally
made it to the elevator with her two kids.

She was feeling what so many of us feel during the holiday season time of
the year. Overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every housewarming,
taste all the holiday food and treats, getting that perfect gift for every
single person on our shopping list, making sure we don't forget anyone on
our card list, and the pressure of making sure we respond to everyone who
sent us a card.

Finally the elevator doors opened and there was already a crowd in the car.
She pushed her way into the car and dragged her two kids in with her and all
the bags of stuff. When the doors closed she couldn't take it anymore and
stated, "Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung
up and shot."

From the back of the car everyone heard a quiet calm voice respond, "Don't
worry we already crucified him." For the rest of the trip down the elevator
it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

Don't forget this year to keep the One who started this whole Christmas
thing in your every thought, deed, purchase, and word. If we all did it,
just think of how different this whole world would be.

-- Author Unknown

the blessing of thorns

THE BLESSING OF THORNS

 

Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes as she pushed against a November gust and the florist shop door.

 

Her life had been easy, like a spring breeze. Then in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole that from her.

 

During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son. She grieved over her loss. As if that weren't enough, her husband's company threatened a transfer. Then her sister, whose holiday visit she coveted, called saying she could not come for the holiday.

 

Then Sandra's friend infuriated her by suggesting her grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer.  She has no idea what I'm feeling, thought Sandra with a shudder.

 

Thanksgiving? Thankful for what? She wondered. For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life but took that of her child?

 

"Good afternoon, can I help you?" The shop clerk's approach startled her.

 

"I....I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra.

 

"For Thanksgiving? Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the Thanksgiving "Special?" asked the shop clerk. "I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued. "Are you looking for something that conveys 'gratitude' this thanksgiving?"

 

"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong."

 

Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the shop clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."

 

Just then the shop door's small bell rang, and the shop clerk said, "Hi, Barbara...let me get your order." She politely excused herself and walked toward a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no flowers.

 

"Want this in a box?" asked the clerk.

 

Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed.

 

"Yes, please," Barbara, replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again," she said as she gently tapped her chest. And she left with her order.

 

"Uh," stammered Sandra, "that lady just left with, uh....she just left with no flowers!

 

"Right, said the clerk, "I cut off the flowers. That's the Special. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet."

 

"Oh, come on, you can't tell me someone is willing to pay for that!" exclaimed Sandra.

 

"Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling much like you feel today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had lost her father to cancer, the family business was failing, her son was into drugs, and she was facing major surgery."

 

"That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk, "and for the first time in my life, had just spent the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too great a debt to allow any travel."

 

"So what did you do?" asked Sandra.

 

"I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for the good things in my life and never questioned the good things that happened to me, but when bad stuff hit, did I ever ask questions! It took time for me to learn that dark times are important. I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of life, but it took thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort. You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."

 

Sandra sucked in her breath as she thought about the very thing her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."

 

Just then someone else walked in the shop. "Hey, Phil!" shouted the clerk to the balding, rotund man.

 

"My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving Special....12 thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue-wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.

 

"Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind me asking why she wants something that looks like that?"

 

"No...I'm glad you asked," Phil replied. "Four years ago my wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we slogged through problem after problem. He rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she learned from "thorny" times, and that was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks for what that problem taught us."

 

As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"

 

"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said. "It's all too...fresh."

 

"Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that thorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember, it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns."

 

Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out.

 

"I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute."

 

"Thank you. What do I owe you?"

 

"Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me." The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first."

 

It read: "My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant."

 

Praise Him for your roses; thank him for your thorns!

 

-- Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Pappy...........

PAPPY

 

Pappy was a pleasant-looking old fellow. He had the whitest hair which he kept neatly cut and combed. His eyes were blue, though faded with age, and they seemed to emit a warmth from within. His face was quite drawn, but when he smiled, even his wrinkles seemed to soften and smile with him. He had a talent for whistling and did so happily each day as he dusted and swept his pawnshop; even so, he had a secret sadness, but everyone who knew him respected and adored him.

 

Most of Pappy's customers returned for their goods, and he did not do much business, but he did not mind. To him, the shop was not a livelihood as much as a welcome pastime.

 

There was a room in the back of his shop where he spent time tinkering with a menagerie of his own precious items. He referred to this back room as "memory hall." In it were pocket watches, clocks, and electric trains. There were miniature steam engines and antique toys made of wood, tin, or cast iron, and there were various other obsolete trinkets as well.

 

Spending time in memory hall delighted him as he recalled many treasured moments from his past. He handled each item with care, and sometimes he would close his eyes and pause to relive a sweet, simple childhood memory.

 

One day, Pappy was working to his heart's content reassembling an old railroad lantern.  As he worked, he whistled the melody of a railroad tune and reminisced about his own past as a switchman. It was a typical day at the shop. Outside, the sun illuminated the clear sky, and a slight wind passed through the door.  Whenever the weather was this nice, Pappy kept the inner door open. He enjoyed the fresh air—almost as much as the distinctive smell of antiques and old engine oil.

 

As he was polishing his newly restored lantern, he heard the tinkling of his bell on the shop door.  The bell, which produced a uniquely charming resound, had been in Pappy's family for over a hundred years. He cherished it dearly and enjoyed sharing its song with all who came to his shop. Although the bell hung on the inside of the main door, Pappy had strung a wire to the screen door so that it would ring whether the inner door was open or not. Prompted by the bell, he left memory hall to greet his customer.

 

At first, he did not see her. Her shiny, soft curls barely topped the counter.

 

"And how can I help you, little lady?" Pappy's voice was jovial.

 

"Hello, sir." The little girl spoke almost in a whisper. She was dainty. Bashful. Innocent.  She looked at Pappy with her big brown eyes, then slowly scanned the room in search of something special.  Shyly she told him, "I'd like to buy a present, sir."

 

"Well, let's see," Pappy said, "who is this present for?"

 

"My grandpa. It's for my grandpa. But I don't know what to get."

 

Pappy began to make suggestions. "How about a pocket watch? It's in good condition. I fixed it myself," he said proudly.

 

The little girl didn't answer. She had walked to the doorway and put her small hand on the door.  She wiggled the door gently to ring the bell.  Pappy's face seemed to glow as he saw her smiling with excitement.

 

"This is just right," the little girl bubbled.  "Momma says grandpa loves music."

 

Just then, Pappy's expression changed. Fearful of breaking the little girl's heart, he told her, "I'm sorry, missy. That's not for sale. Maybe your grandpa would like this little radio."

 

The little girl looked at the radio, lowered her head, and sadly sighed, "No, I don't think so."

 

In an effort to help her understand, Pappy told her the story of how the bell had been in his family for so many years, and that was why he didn't want to sell it.

 

The little girl looked up at him, and with a giant tear in her eye, sweetly said, "I guess I understand. Thank you, anyway."

 

Suddenly, Pappy thought of how the rest of the family was all gone now, except for his estranged daughter whom he had not seen in nearly a decade.

 

Why not, he thought. Why not pass it on to someone who will share it with a loved one?  God only knows where it will end up anyway.

 

"Wait...little lady." Pappy spoke just as the little girl was going out the door--just as he was hearing his bell ring for the last time.  "I've decided to sell the bell. Here's a hanky.  Blow your nose."

 

The little girl began to clap her hands. "Oh, thank you, sir. Grandpa will be so happy."

 

"Okay, little lady. Okay." Pappy felt good about helping the child; he knew, however, he would miss the bell. "You must promise to take good care of the bell for your grandpa--and for me, too, okay?" He carefully placed the bell in a brown paper bag.

 

"Oh, I promise," said the little girl. Then, she suddenly became very still and quiet. There was something she had forgotten to ask.  She looked up at Pappy with great concern, and again almost in a whisper, asked, "How much will it cost?"

 

"Well, let's see. How much have you got to spend?" Pappy asked with a grin.

 

The child pulled a small coin purse from her pocket then reached up and emptied two dollars and forty-seven cents onto the counter.

 

After briefly questioning his own sanity, Pappy said, "Little lady, this is your lucky day. That bell costs exactly two dollars and forty-seven cents."

 

Later that evening as Pappy prepared to close up shop, he found himself thinking about his bell.  Already he had decided not to put up another one.  He thought about the child and wondered if her grandpa like his gift. Surely he would cherish anything from such a precious grandchild.

 

At that moment, just as he was going to turn off the light in memory hall, Pappy thought he heard his bell. Again, he questioned his sanity; he turned toward the door, and there stood the little girl.  She was ringing the bell and smiling sweetly.

 

Pappy was puzzled as he strolled toward the small child. "What's this, little lady? Have you changed your mind?"

 

"No," she grinned. "Momma says it's for you."

 

Before Pappy had time to say another word, the child's mother stepped into the doorway, and choking back a tear, she gently said, "Hello, Dad."

 

The little girl tugged on her grandpa's shirttail.  "Here, Grandpa. Here's your hanky. Blow your nose."

 

-- Author Unknown

the GuidingLight

Guiding Light

While out on the SEA OF LIFE, One very dark and stormy day, I started drifting far from shore, I had lost my way. I heard voices calling out to me, Because they knew that I was lost, But I wanted to go on my own way, Not taking time to count the cost.
I heard one voice say, "Here, catch this lifeline and I'll pull you in." But I thought I knew what was best, So I continued in my sin.
The farther I drifted, The lonelier and colder I became, It was then I asked, The LORD, "Do you know where I am ?" "Can you hear me calling out your name?"
I said "LORD", I'm so scared and lonely, I can't stay out here alone, Please send to me your Guiding Light, So I can find my way back home."
~~~by Brenda Mathews~~~

Jesus in the house.....

JESUS IN THE HOUSE

 

One day he decided to invite the Lord to come home and stay with him. When the Lord arrived, this young man offered him the very best room in the house.  The room was upstairs and at the end of the hall.  "This room is yours, Jesus! Stay as long as you like and you can do whatever you want to in this room, remember Jesus, its all yours."

 

That evening after he had retired for the night there came a loud knocking at the front door. The young man pulled on his robe and made his way downstairs. When he opened the door he found that the devil had sent three of his demons to attack the man. He quickly tried to close the door but one of the demons kept sticking his foot in.

 

Sometime later, after a great struggle, he managed to slam the door shut and returned to his room totally exhausted.

 

Can you believe that," the man thought. Jesus is upstairs in my very best room sleeping while I am down here battling demons. Oh, well, maybe he just didn't hear. He slept fitfully that night. The next day thing went along as normal and, being tired as he was, the young man retired early that evening. Along about midnight, there came such a terrible ruckus at the front door that the young man was sure that whatever it was would tear the door down. He stumbled down the stairs once again and opened the door to find that were dozens of demons now trying to get into his beautiful home.

 

For more than three hours he fought and struggled against the demons from hell, and finally overtook them enough to shut the door against their attack.  All energy seemed to fail him. He really didn't understand this at all.  Why won't the Lord come to my rescue? Why does he allow me to fight all by myself? I feel so alone. Troubled, he found his way to the sofa and fell into a restless sleep.

 

The next morning he decided to inquire of the Lord about the happenings of the last two evenings.  Quietly he made his way to the elegant bedroom where he had left Jesus.  "Jesus," he called as he tapped at the door. "Lord, I don't understand what is happening. For the last two nights I have had to fight the demons away from my door while you laid up here sleeping.  Don't you care about me?  Did I not give you the very best room in the house?"

 

He could see the tears building in Jesus' eyes but continued on, "I just don't understand, I really thought that once I invited you in to live with me that you would take care of me and I gave you the best room in my house and everything. What more can I do?"

 

"My precious child," Jesus spoke so softly. "I do love and care for you.  I protect all that you have released into my care. But, when you invited me to come here and stay, you brought me to this lovely room and you shut the door to the rest of your house. I am Lord of this room but I am not Master of this house.

 

I have protected this room and no demon may enter here."

 

"Oh, Lord, please forgive me. Take all of my house -- it is yours. I am so sorry that I never offered you all to begin with. I want you to have control of everything."  With this he flung open the bedroom door and knelt at Jesus' feet. "Please forgive me Lord for being so selfish."

 

Jesus smiled and told him that He had already forgiven him and that He would take care of things from now on. That night as the young man prepared for bed he thought, I wonder if those demons will return, I am so tired of fighting them each and every night. But, he knew that Jesus said that he would take care of things from now on.

 

Along about midnight the banging on the door was frightening. The young man slipped out of his room in time to see Jesus going down the stairs.  He watched in awe as Jesus swung open the door, no need to be afraid.

 

Satan stood at the door, this time demanding to be let in. "What do you want, satan?" the Lord asked. The devil bowed low in the presence of the Lord, "So sorry, I seem to have gotten the wrong address." And with that, he and the demons all ran away.

 

There is a moral to this tale. Jesus wants all of you, not just a part. He will take all that you give Him, but nothing more. How much of your heart have you given to the Lord? Are you keeping a portion of it away from Him?

 

Perhaps the attacks are coming more and more each day. Why not let the Lord fight the battles for you? He is always victorious. I have found that God made man simple, all of man's complexities are of his own devising.

 

-- Author Unknown

God's Cake............

Now we all, from time to time, have problems or troubles
in our life. After all life is not a piece of cake, or is it? So
the next time you feel troubled why not have a piece of.....

God's Cake

Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this", or
"Why did God have to do this to me". Here is a wonderful
explanation!

A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going
wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her
and her best friend is moving away.

Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her
daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says,
"Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."

"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers.

"Yuck" says her daughter.

"How about a couple raw eggs?"

"Gross, Mom!"

"Would you like some flour then?

Or maybe baking soda?"

"Mom, those are all yucky!"

To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad
all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right
way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!

God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He
would let us go through such bad and difficult times. For God
knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they
always work for good! We just have to trust Him and,
eventually, they will all make something wonderful!

Always remember, God is crazy about you.
He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in
the universe, and He chose your heart.

Now I hope your day is a "piece of cake!" After all, Life may
not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might
as well dance.
---Author
Unknown---