Friday, September 28, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Legend of the Cherokee Indian
Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of passage?
His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone.
He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shines through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.
He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.
The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!
Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.
We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, our Heavenly Father is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.
If you liked this story, pass it on.
His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone.
He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shines through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.
He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.
The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!
Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.
We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, our Heavenly Father is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.
If you liked this story, pass it on.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Bible Stories by Children
Bible Stories
STORY OF ELIJAH
The Sunday school teacher in a little country church was carefully explaining the story of Elijah the Prophet and the false prophets of Baal. She explained how Elijah built the altar, put wood upon it, cut the steer in pieces, and laid it upon the altar. And then, Elijah commanded the people of God to fill four barrels of water and pour it over the altar. He had them do this four times "Now, said the teacher, "can anyone in the class tell me why the Lord would have Elijah pour water over the steer on the altar?"
A little girl in the back of the room started waving her hand, "I know! I know!" she said, "To make the gravy!"
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____________________________________
LOT'S WIFE
The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted, "My Mummy looked back once, while she was driving," he announced triumphantly, "and she turned into a telephone pole!"
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GOOD SAMARITAN
A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan, in which a man was beaten, robbed and left for dead. She described the situation in vivid detail so her students would catch the drama. Then, she asked the class, "If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?" A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, "I think I'd throw up." ____________________________________
DID NOAH FISH?
A Sunday school teacher asked, "Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark ?"
"No," replied David. "How could he, with just two worms?"
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HIGHER POWER
A Sunday school teacher said to her children, " We have been learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times. But, there is a higher power. Can anybody tell me what it is?" One child blurted out, "Aces!"
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MOSES &THE RED SEA
Nine-year-old Joey, was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday school. "Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt . When he got to the Red Sea , he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then, he radioed headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved." "Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?" his mother asked. "Well, no, Mom. But, if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!" ____________________________________
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible; Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the verse. Little Rick was excited about the task -- but, he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was so nervous.
When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know." ____________________________________
Church Smiles
There was a very gracious lady who was mailing an old family Bible to her brother in another part of the country. "Is there anything breakable in here?" asked the postal clerk. "Only the Ten Commandments," answered the lady.
____________________________________
While driving in Pennsylvania , a family caught up to an Amish carriage. The owner of the carriage obviously had a sense of humor, because attached to the back of the carriage was a hand printed sign... "Energy efficient vehicle: Runs on oats and grass. Caution: Do not step in exhaust.''
____________________________________
Sunday after church, a Mom asked her very young daughter what the lesson was about. The daughter answered, "Don't be scared, you'll get your quilt." Needless to say, the Mom was perplexed. Later in the day, the pastor stopped by for tea and the Mom asked him what that morning's Sunday school lesson was about. He said "Be not afraid, thy comforter is coming."
____________________________________
Give me a sense of humor, Lord,
Give me the grace to see a joke,
To get some humor out of life,
And pass it on to other folk!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Angel Tomato
This was at the stand of Brenneman's Produce, Vicky Brenneman had sliced open a Tomato and this is what she found. She put it on display for all to see. I thought this was awesome, to see something simply to uplift our lives and make us smile . Photo by Dennis Ober
Wilma's Bag
I got this in an email the other day and just had to share it. What a great story! Enjoy!
<><><><>
Wilma's Bag
By Pamela Perry Blaine
It was a cold winter's day when I first met her. She came into the waiting area of the automotive department at the mall where I was waiting for them to put new tires on our van. I watched her as she put down a large plastic bag that didn't seem to have very much in it. She took off her coat, hat, and gloves and immediately went to work. She was a woman with a purpose and knew exactly what she was doing as she poured the water for a fresh pot of coffee. Next, she began cleaning the counter, scrubbing it with a wet cloth and straightening up the room.
I commented on how nice she made the room look and she asked me if I would like a cup of coffee. "Sure," I said, "the coffee smells wonderful." Then I asked her how long she had worked there. "Oh honey," "I don't work here," she said. "I've gotten to know the folks here and I like to help them out." She explained, "It's just something I can do to make people smile and you never know, it just might make a difference."
"My name is Wilma," she said, "I've been retired for years." I also introduced myself to Wilma and she continued to tell me all about herself. It seems Wilma had lived several blocks from the mall in a trailer court since her husband died. She told me that she took the bus to the mall everyday and brought her plastic bag full of goodies. "Did you see Bill over at that desk?", she asked. "He just loves pretzels so I always put some of them in my bag for him. Now, Margie, over there at the drug store," she continued, "she's always so tired, she works two jobs, you know, and I just like to see her eyes light up when I bring her a Dr. Pepper." As Wilma talked on I discovered that she made the rounds everyday to many places in and around the mall where she brought cookies, candy, or whatever she had to the people that had become her friends.
"My son lives in Florida," Wilma explained, "he tells me that I shouldn't spend my money like this, but it's something I can do to make people smile and maybe it will make a difference," she said once again. "I went down there to Florida to visit my son," she smiled, "he wants me to stay there but he doesn't want me to go out alone and I'm just bored to death, but then I wouldn't want him to know that," Wilma laughed. "I have my friends here." "Why, just this morning, I stopped at the grocery store and I pushed all those carts inside for George." "He works there, you know, and he isn't getting any younger...must be at least 80 and he has to push all those carts inside by himself, so I helped him." (I had to smile to myself as I knew that Wilma couldn't be far from 80 herself)
"Do you ever enter contests?" Wilma asked. Before I could answer, she went on, "I always enter all the contests in the stores and sometimes I win," she said with excitement. "You know those life-sized cardboard figures you see in the stores?" Wilma asked, "Well, I won Patrick Swayze," she laughed, "and now I got him right in my living room!"
"Well," I winked at her, "just as long as you don't keep him in your bedroom." She threw up her hands at that and laughed harder than ever and then went on to tell me about some of the things she had won and shared with her friends. I told her what a nice thing that she was doing and again she said, "Oh, it's just something I can do to make people smile and you never know, it just might make a difference."
It was time for Wilma to catch her bus and my van was ready to go. Wilma's bag was about empty except for some M&Ms for her next door neighbor. I told Wilma I hoped we would meet again sometime.
As I left, I thought about Wilma's bag and all the good that she was doing for others. It might seem to some as insignificant, but it's often the little things that count and make life easier. I thought you should know about Wilma because, "It's just something I can do to make people smile and you never know, it just might make a difference."
"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40)
© 2000, Pamela Perry Blaine
pamyblaine@blaines.us
Send Pam an e-mail and let her know what you thought of her story!
Pam lives in Missouri with her husband, Michael. She enjoys composing music and writing stories. She writes "Pam's Corner" for her local newspaper, The Edina Sentinel. Pam and her husband are active in their church where she plays piano and he is music leader. They have a CD available called, "I'll Walk You Home". The title song is about her lifelong friend who died of cancer. You can hear this song on her website: http://blaines.us/PamyPlace.htm
<><><><>
Wilma's Bag
By Pamela Perry Blaine
It was a cold winter's day when I first met her. She came into the waiting area of the automotive department at the mall where I was waiting for them to put new tires on our van. I watched her as she put down a large plastic bag that didn't seem to have very much in it. She took off her coat, hat, and gloves and immediately went to work. She was a woman with a purpose and knew exactly what she was doing as she poured the water for a fresh pot of coffee. Next, she began cleaning the counter, scrubbing it with a wet cloth and straightening up the room.
I commented on how nice she made the room look and she asked me if I would like a cup of coffee. "Sure," I said, "the coffee smells wonderful." Then I asked her how long she had worked there. "Oh honey," "I don't work here," she said. "I've gotten to know the folks here and I like to help them out." She explained, "It's just something I can do to make people smile and you never know, it just might make a difference."
"My name is Wilma," she said, "I've been retired for years." I also introduced myself to Wilma and she continued to tell me all about herself. It seems Wilma had lived several blocks from the mall in a trailer court since her husband died. She told me that she took the bus to the mall everyday and brought her plastic bag full of goodies. "Did you see Bill over at that desk?", she asked. "He just loves pretzels so I always put some of them in my bag for him. Now, Margie, over there at the drug store," she continued, "she's always so tired, she works two jobs, you know, and I just like to see her eyes light up when I bring her a Dr. Pepper." As Wilma talked on I discovered that she made the rounds everyday to many places in and around the mall where she brought cookies, candy, or whatever she had to the people that had become her friends.
"My son lives in Florida," Wilma explained, "he tells me that I shouldn't spend my money like this, but it's something I can do to make people smile and maybe it will make a difference," she said once again. "I went down there to Florida to visit my son," she smiled, "he wants me to stay there but he doesn't want me to go out alone and I'm just bored to death, but then I wouldn't want him to know that," Wilma laughed. "I have my friends here." "Why, just this morning, I stopped at the grocery store and I pushed all those carts inside for George." "He works there, you know, and he isn't getting any younger...must be at least 80 and he has to push all those carts inside by himself, so I helped him." (I had to smile to myself as I knew that Wilma couldn't be far from 80 herself)
"Do you ever enter contests?" Wilma asked. Before I could answer, she went on, "I always enter all the contests in the stores and sometimes I win," she said with excitement. "You know those life-sized cardboard figures you see in the stores?" Wilma asked, "Well, I won Patrick Swayze," she laughed, "and now I got him right in my living room!"
"Well," I winked at her, "just as long as you don't keep him in your bedroom." She threw up her hands at that and laughed harder than ever and then went on to tell me about some of the things she had won and shared with her friends. I told her what a nice thing that she was doing and again she said, "Oh, it's just something I can do to make people smile and you never know, it just might make a difference."
It was time for Wilma to catch her bus and my van was ready to go. Wilma's bag was about empty except for some M&Ms for her next door neighbor. I told Wilma I hoped we would meet again sometime.
As I left, I thought about Wilma's bag and all the good that she was doing for others. It might seem to some as insignificant, but it's often the little things that count and make life easier. I thought you should know about Wilma because, "It's just something I can do to make people smile and you never know, it just might make a difference."
"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40)
© 2000, Pamela Perry Blaine
pamyblaine@blaines.us
Send Pam an e-mail and let her know what you thought of her story!
Pam lives in Missouri with her husband, Michael. She enjoys composing music and writing stories. She writes "Pam's Corner" for her local newspaper, The Edina Sentinel. Pam and her husband are active in their church where she plays piano and he is music leader. They have a CD available called, "I'll Walk You Home". The title song is about her lifelong friend who died of cancer. You can hear this song on her website: http://blaines.us/PamyPlace.htm
Monday, September 3, 2007
Hymns
Dentist's Hymn..............................Crown Him with Many Crowns
Weatherman's Hymn....................There Shall Be Showers of Blessings
Contractor's Hymn........................The Church's One Foundation
The Tailor's Hymn..........................Holy, Holy, Holy
The Golfer's Hymn.........................There's a Green Hill Far Away
The Politician's Hymn....................Standing on the Promises
Optometrist's Hymn.......................Open My Eyes That I May See
The IRS Agent's Hymn...................I Surrender All
The Gossip's Hymn........................Pass It On
The Electrician's Hymn..................Send The Ligh t
The Shopper's Hymn......................Sweet Bye and Bye
The Realtor's Hymn.........................I've Got a Mansion, Just Over the Hilltop
The Massage Therapist's Hymn......He Touched Me
The Doctor's Hymn.........................The Great Physician
AND for those who speed on the highway - a few hymns:
45mph....................God Will Take Care of You
65mph....................Nearer My God To Thee
85mph....................This World Is Not My Home
95mph....................Lord, I'm Coming Home
100mph..................Precious Memories
Give me a sense of humor, Lord,
Give me the grace to see a joke,
To get some humor out of life,
And pass it on to other folk.
The Tailor's Hymn..........................Holy, Holy, Holy
The Golfer's Hymn.........................There's a Green Hill Far Away
The Politician's Hymn....................Standing on the Promises
Optometrist's Hymn.......................Open My Eyes That I May See
The IRS Agent's Hymn...................I Surrender All
The Gossip's Hymn........................Pass It On
The Electrician's Hymn..................Send The Ligh t
The Shopper's Hymn......................Sweet Bye and Bye
The Realtor's Hymn.........................I've Got a Mansion, Just Over the Hilltop
The Massage Therapist's Hymn......He Touched Me
The Doctor's Hymn.........................The Great Physician
AND for those who speed on the highway - a few hymns:
45mph....................God Will Take Care of You
65mph....................Nearer My God To Thee
85mph....................This World Is Not My Home
95mph....................Lord, I'm Coming Home
100mph..................Precious Memories
Give me a sense of humor, Lord,
Give me the grace to see a joke,
To get some humor out of life,
And pass it on to other folk.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Why go to church?
A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday."I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."
This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:
"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this... they all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.
Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!" When you are DOWN to nothing... God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!"
All right, now that you're done reading, send it on! I think everyone should read this! "When Satan is knocking at your door, simply say "Jesus, could you get that for me?"
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Band Night at the Fair!
We had the annual Band Night at the Indiana County Fair on Tuesday night. Twelve bands from around the county participated and performed their half time routine. They did a fabulous job! Of course, I think our Bobcat Marching Band sounded fantastic :)
The highlight for me that evening was when they combined all the bands to do two numbers together. Their first song was an arrangement of Amazing Grace that gave me goosebumps! It was beautiful! So powerful and beautiful! They audience gave a standing ovation when it was over!!!!
Praise God!
The highlight for me that evening was when they combined all the bands to do two numbers together. Their first song was an arrangement of Amazing Grace that gave me goosebumps! It was beautiful! So powerful and beautiful! They audience gave a standing ovation when it was over!!!!
Praise God!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
What are your kids reading?
Right now, Jillian, our 13 year old, is reading Dragonspell. She has already read the whole series once and is reading it for the second time. I think she's on the third book right now.Here's a description of this book:
After 14 years as a slave girl in the village of River Away, Kale is free, because of a dragon's egg. Since she found it, the village elders have decided that she must present herself and the egg to the great wizards of the walled city of Vendela, where she expects to become a servant of Paladin, the earthly representative of Wulder, supreme being of Amara. Her journey is interrupted first by attacking ogres, then by a detour into a cave that hides seven more dragon eggs, and finally by a daring escape aided by dragon-riding rescuers who become Kale's guides, tutors, and closest cohorts on her travels. Two of her precious eggs hatch on the way and become her constant companions–first green Gymn, who heals, and then purple Metta, who sings. To them, Kale is much more than just a slave girl–she is the last of the great Allerion dragon-keepers. This is classic quest fantasy with echoes of J. R. R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy (Houghton) and of Christopher Paolini's Eragon (Knopf, 2003). As in C. S. Lewis's "Narnia" books (HarperCollins), Christian allegories and messages are clearly presented and easily found, but it is equally possible to read this as Kale's story as it happened in Amara, a world completely separate from our own. It would be a shame to limit readership by relegating this clever and inventive story to the genre of Christian fiction. There is plenty of room for sequels, and readers will want to know much more about Kale and the remainder of her quest.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
County Ordered to Accommodate Church-Going Park Ranger
How many of us have to work a job on a Sunday? I'm one of the lucky ones where I basically work 8-4, Monday - Friday. I do occasionally get called in to do something quick on the weekend, but it's very, very rare, and I don't mind that. But I would not want to work a full day on a Sunday and miss church. That is "my" day to attend church and to spend it however I want... I have several family members who do have jobs that require them to work on Sundays. I know that my sister quit one job because she asked to be off Sunday mornings for church and they continually would put her on the schedule to work Sunday mornings. It didn't matter that other workers were sitting at home, not attending church, for some reason, they constantly scheduled her for those Sunday mornings.
Well here's the story of one man who won his battle of working on Sundays. *applause!!!*
By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Senior Editor
August 14, 2007
(CNSNews.com) - A former park ranger in Palm Beach County, Fla., will get his old job back, if he wants it, and he won't have to work on Sundays.
Under an agreement with the U.S. Justice Department, Palm Beach County has resolved allegations that it engaged in employment discrimination based on religion.
Specifically, the county was accused of violating Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by refusing to reasonably accommodate a park ranger's request for a work schedule that would allow him to attend church and refrain from work on Sundays.
The park ranger, who resigned when the county refused his Sundays-off request, also will get back pay and retroactive pension contributions, the Justice Department announced.
In addition, the county has agreed to enforce its existing religious accommodation policy and train supervisors to ensure that they properly handle future requests for religious accommodations.
"Public employees should not have to choose between their religious practices and their livelihood," said Wan J. Kim, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division.
"While public employers have the authority to set reasonable standards for work schedules, they cannot reflexively refuse to consider a request for a religious accommodation, particularly where the employer has a policy that has granted other employees similar religious accommodations."
A federal judge must now approve the consent decree.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel quoted Palm Beach County Administrator Bob Weisman as saying that the county is not admitting any wrongdoing. He said the park ranger was asked to work on weekends and he objected: "We're a seven-day-a-week operation," Weisman was quoted as saying.
County officials reportedly agreed to the deal to avoid prolonged litigation.
Well here's the story of one man who won his battle of working on Sundays. *applause!!!*
By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Senior Editor
August 14, 2007
(CNSNews.com) - A former park ranger in Palm Beach County, Fla., will get his old job back, if he wants it, and he won't have to work on Sundays.
Under an agreement with the U.S. Justice Department, Palm Beach County has resolved allegations that it engaged in employment discrimination based on religion.
Specifically, the county was accused of violating Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by refusing to reasonably accommodate a park ranger's request for a work schedule that would allow him to attend church and refrain from work on Sundays.
The park ranger, who resigned when the county refused his Sundays-off request, also will get back pay and retroactive pension contributions, the Justice Department announced.
In addition, the county has agreed to enforce its existing religious accommodation policy and train supervisors to ensure that they properly handle future requests for religious accommodations.
"Public employees should not have to choose between their religious practices and their livelihood," said Wan J. Kim, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division.
"While public employers have the authority to set reasonable standards for work schedules, they cannot reflexively refuse to consider a request for a religious accommodation, particularly where the employer has a policy that has granted other employees similar religious accommodations."
A federal judge must now approve the consent decree.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel quoted Palm Beach County Administrator Bob Weisman as saying that the county is not admitting any wrongdoing. He said the park ranger was asked to work on weekends and he objected: "We're a seven-day-a-week operation," Weisman was quoted as saying.
County officials reportedly agreed to the deal to avoid prolonged litigation.
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