Inspiration Page

Here are a few inspirational emails that have come across my desk that have really touched something in me. I hope they touch you as well.

I have to thank fireman for this page because most of what you will find here came from him. *S*

God Bless You fireman (Terry)

One day a woman named Louise fell asleep in her bed, and dreamed a very fitful dream. She dreamed that someone in Hell wrote a letter to her, and it was to be delivered to her by a messenger. The messenger passed between the lakes of burning fire and brimstone that occupies Hell, and found his way to the door that would lead him to the outside world. Louise dreamed that the messenger walked to her house, came inside, and gently but firmly woke Louise up. He gave her the message, saying only that a friend had wrote it to her from Hell. Louise, in her dream, with trembling hands took the letter and read:

My Friend,
I stand in Judgment now, and feel that you're to blame somehow. On earth, I walked with you day by day, and never did you point the way. You knew the Lord in truth and glory, but never did you tell the story. My knowledge then was very dim; you could have led me safe to Him. Though we lived together on the earth, you never told me of the second birth, and now I stand this day condemned, Because you failed to mention Him. You taught me many things, that's true, I called you "friend" and trusted you, But I learn now that it's too late, You could have kept me from this fate. We walked by day and talked by night, and yet you showed me not the Light. You let me live, and love, and die, You knew I'd never live on high. Yes, I called you a "friend" in life, and trusted you through joy and strife. And yet on coming to the end, I cannot, now, call you "My Friend."
Marsha

After reading the letter, Louise awoke. The dream was still so real in her mind and sweat dropped from her body in pools. She swore she could still smell the acrid smell of brimstone and smoke from her room. As she contemplated the meaning of her dream, she realized that as a Christian, she has failed in her duty to "go out to all the world and preach the gospel." As she thought of that, she promised herself that the next day, she would call Marsha and invite her to church with her. The next morning she called Marsha and this was the conversation:

Yes, Bill, is Marsha there?

Louise, you don't know?

No, Bill, know what?

Marsha WAS KILLED LAST NIGHT IN A CAR ACCIDENT. I thought you had known.

Fellow Christian, is this your testimony? Are you witnessing to your friends that you are with everyday? Or will there be a friend of yours in hell, asking you why you did not tell them about JESUS? How many of your friends will hold you accountable for not telling them about Jesus and His love?

-Author Unknown

Go ye therefore to every neighbor *Share my love with every man* Tell the world the message *Take it everywhere* The world will know that you are Mine *If in My name, you reach out your hand*

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born of adversity
Proverbs 17:17

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends
John 15:13

From me to you............ Peace

Do not undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others.
It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Do not set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

Do not take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Do not let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past nor for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

Do not give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

It is a fragile thread that binds us to each other.

Do not be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Do not shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give love; The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly.

Do not dismiss your dreams. To be without dreams is to be without hope; To be without hope is to be without purpose.

Do not run through life so fast that you forget not only where you have been, but also where you are going. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

A REALLY TOUCHING STORY

The man came home from work late again, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year-old son waiting for him at the door.

"Daddy, may I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, sure, what is it?" replied the man.

"Daddy, how much money do you make an hour?"

"That's none of your business! What makes you ask such a thing?" the man said angrily.

"I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?" pleaded the little boy.

"If you must know, I make $20.00 an hour."

"Oh," the little boy replied, head bowed. Looking up, he said, "Daddy, may I borrow $10.00 please?"

The father was furious. "If the only reason you wanted to know how much money I make is just so you can borrow some to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you're being so selfish. I work long, hard hours everyday and don't have time for such childish games."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even madder about the little boy's questioning. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think he may have been a little hard on his son. Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10.00, and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door. "Are you asleep son?" he asked.

"No daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy.

"I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier," said the man. "It's been a long day and I took my aggravation out on you. Here's that $10.00 you asked for."

The little boy sat straight up, beaming. "Oh, thank you, daddy!" he yelled.

Then, reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some more crumpled up bills. The man, seeing the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at the man.

"Why did you want more money if you already had some?" the father grumbled.

"Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied. "Daddy, I have $20.00 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?"

Kinda makes you think, now doesn't it? How much is your time worth to your child? What could possible be worth more or more important than the time you do spend with your child? Hmmm?

At the University of Chicago Divinity School each year they have what is called "Baptist Day".

It is a day when all the Baptists in the area are invited to the school because they want the Baptist dollars to keep coming in. On this day each one is to bring a lunch to be eaten outdoors in a grassy picnic area. Every "Baptist Day" the school would invite one of the greatest minds to lecture in the theological education center. One year they invited Dr. Paul Tillich.

Dr. Tillich spoke for two and one-half hours proving that the resurrection of Jesus was false.

He quoted scholar after scholar and book after book. He concluded that since there was no such thing as the historical resurrection, the religious tradition of the church was groundless, emotional mumbo-jumbo, because it was based on a relationship with a risen Jesus, who, in fact, never rose from the dead in any literal sense. He then asked if there were any questions.

After about 30 seconds, an old, dark skinned preacher with a head of "short-cropped, woolly white hair stood up in the back of the auditorium.

"Docta Tillich, I got one question", he said as all eyes turned toward him.

He reached into his sack lunch and pulled out an apple and began eating it.

"Docta Tillich" ... crunch, munch, "My question is a simple question", ..crunch, munch...

"Now, I ain't never read them books you read" ....crunch, munch... "and I can't recite the Scriptures in the original Greek" ..crunch, munch..."I don't know nothin' about Niebuhr and Heidegger" ...crunch, munch...

He finished the apple.

"All I wanna know is: This apple I just ate-was it bitter or sweet?"

Dr. Tillich paused for a moment and answered in exemplary scholarly fashion: "I cannot possibly answer that question, for I haven't tasted your apple".

The white-haired preacher dropped the core of his apple into his crumpled paper bag, looked up at Dr. Tillich and said calmly, "Neither have you tasted my Jesus."

The 1,000 plus in attendance could not contain themselves. The auditorium erupted with applause and cheers. Dr. Tillich thanked his audience and promptly left the platform. Have you tasted Jesus?

Jesus has risen... and He's coming back one day!

"O taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him."
Psalm 34:8

If you have, rejoice in the hope of the resurrection that your faith in Him brings!

My Day In Court

After living a "decent" life my time on earth came to an end. The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of what I thought to be a courthouse. The doors opened and I was instructed to come in and have a seat by the defense table.

As I looked around I saw the "prosecutor," he was a villainous looking gent who snarled as he stared at me, he definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen. I sat down and looked to my left and there sat my lawyer, a kind and gentle looking man whose appearance seemed very familiar to me.

The corner door flew open and there appeared the Judge in full flowing robes. He commanded an awesome presence as He moved across the room and I couldn't take my eyes off of Him. As He took His seat behind the bench, He said, "Let us begin."

The prosecutor rose and said "My name is Satan and I am here to show you why this man belongs in hell." He proceeded to tell of lies that I told, things that I stole and in the past when I cheated others. Satan told of other horrible perversions that were once in my life and the more he spoke the further down in my seat I sank. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't look at anyone, not even my own lawyer, as the Devil told of sins that even I had completely forgotten about. As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at my representative who sat there silently not offering any form of defense at all. I know I had been guilty of those things, but I had done some good in my life, couldn't that at least equal out part of the harm I've done? Satan finished with a fury and said, "This man belongs in hell, he is guilty of all that I have charged and there is not a person who can prove otherwise. Justice will finally be served this day."

When it was His turn, my Lawyer first asked if He might approach the bench. The Judge allowed this over the strong objection of Satan, and beckoned Him to come forward. As He got up and started walking I was able to see Him now in His full splendor and majesty.

Now I realized why he seemed so familiar. This was Jesus representing me, my Lord and my Savior. He stopped at the bench and softly said to the Judge "Hi Dad, " and then He turned to address the court. "Satan was correct in saying that this man had sinned, I won't deny any of these allegations. And yes the wages of sin is death and this man deserves to be punished."

Jesus took a deep breath and turned to His Father with out-stretched arms and proclaimed, "However, I died on the cross so that this person might have eternal life and he has accepted Me as his Savior, so he is mine."

My Lord continued with, "His name is written in the Book of Life and no one can snatch Him from me. Satan still does not understand yet, this man is not to be given justice but rather mercy."

As Jesus sat down, He quietly paused, looked at His Father and replied "There is nothing else that needs to be done, I've done it all."

The Judge lifted His mighty hand and slammed the gavel down and the following words bellowed from His lips "This man is free-the penalty for him has already been paid in full, case dismissed."

As my Lord led me away I could hear Satan ranting and raving "I won't give up, I'll win the next one."

I asked Jesus as He gave me my instructions where to go next, "Have You ever lost a case?"

Christ lovingly smiled and said, "Everyone that has come to Me and asked Me to represent them has received the same verdict as you, Paid in Full.

Regaining our moral compass

When Pastor Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual politically correct generalities. But on this day what they heard instead was a stirring prayer, passionately calling our country to repentance and righteousness.

The response was immediate -- with a number of legislators walking out during the prayer.

In six short weeks Central Christian Church logged more than 5,000 phone calls, with only 47 of those calls responding negatively.

Commentator Paul Harvey aired Pastor Joe Wright's prayer on the radio and received a larger response to this program than any other program Paul Harvey has ever aired.

In addition, Central Christian Church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa, and Korea. The prayer is reprinted below as an encouragement and challenge for each of us to stand for the truth of the Gospel wherever the Lord gives us opportunity.

Some of you may wish to pass this prayer on to others with the prayer that some may receive it who have a positions of sufficient worldly power to have the prayer read on the floor of both state houses in every state in our country, the House of Representatives, the Senate, the Supreme Court of these Unites States of America, and someday in the Oval Office of our President. God make it so.

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and seek your direction and guidance.

We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that's exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.

We confess that: We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism;

We have worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism;

We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle;

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery;

We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation; We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare;

We have killed our unborn and called it choice;

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable;

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem;

We have abused power and called it political savvy;

We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition;

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression;

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, O. God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.

Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state.

Grant them Your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your will.

I ask it in the name of Your Son, the Living Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Reprinted by permission of Senior Pastor Joe Wright of Central Christian Church, Wichita, Kansas.

Our Place

One-day a man went to visit a church. He arrived early, parked his car, and got out.
Another car pulled up near him and the driver told him, "I always park there. You took my place!"

The visitor went inside for Sunday school, found an empty seat, and sat down.
A young lady from the church approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my place!" The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing.

After Sunday school, the visitor went into the church sanctuary and sat down.
Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit. You took my place!"
The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still said nothing.

Later, as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood and his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?"

"The visitor replied, "I took your place."
-Author Unknown

An Everyday Survival Kit:

Toothpick
Band aid
Pencil
Eraser
Chewing gum
Mint
Candy Kiss
Tea Bag

Here's why:
Toothpick - to remind you to pick out the good qualities in others . . . Matt 7:1

Rubber band - to remind you to be flexible, things might not always go the way you want, but it will work out . . . . Romans 8:28

Band Aid - to remind you to heal hurt feelings, yours or someone else's ... Col. 3:12-14

Pencil - To remind you to list your blessings everyday . . . . Eph1:3

Eraser - to remind you that everyone makes mistakes, and it's okay . . . Gen. 50:15-21

Chewing gum - to remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything .. . . Phil 4:13

Mint - to remind you that you are worth a mint to your heavenly father . . . John 3:16-17

Candy Kiss - to remind you that everyone needs a kiss or a hug everyday . . 1 John 4:7

Tea Bag - to remind you to relax daily and go over that list of God's blessings . . . 1 Thess 5:18

This is my gift to you. May God richly bless you. To the world, you may just be somebody...but to somebody, you may be the world.

God grant us the sense of a mule. . . .
A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into an abandoned well. The farmer heard the mule braying and came over to have a look. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened ...and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back ... a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back ... HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP!

This he did, blow after blow. "Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" No matter how painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!

It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

THAT'S LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity...THE ADVERSITIES THAT COME ALONG TO BURY US USUALLY HAVE WITHIN THEM THE POTENTIAL TO BENEFIT AND BLESS US!

Remember that FORGIVENESS, FAITH, PRAYER, PRAISE and HOPE...all are excellent ways to "SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP" out of the wells in which we find ourselves!

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his day would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks passed. One morning,the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

Epilogue...There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all of the things you have that money can't buy.

Whatever our hands touch...
We leave fingerprints.
On walls, on furniture, On door knobs, dishes and books.
Smudges, showing we were there!

Oh Lord, please, Wherever I go today...
Help me leave Heartprints...
Heartprints of compassion,
Understanding and love.
Heartprints of kindness
And genuine concern.
I shall go out today...
To leave Heartprints...
And if some one should say...
"I felt your touch!"
May that one feeling be...
Your loving touch, Lord, Through me!
May my heart touch my lonely neighbor, with a smile, a worried mother, with peace, a runaway child, with safety, a homeless person, with warmth, and my dear friends, with love.

Traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.

When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied...

Things aren't always what they seem.

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field. The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen!

The first man had everything, yet you helped him. The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let their cow die.

Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied.

When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer's bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I told him to take the cow instead.

Things aren't always what they seem. Sometimes this is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way we think they should. If you have faith in God, just trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You might not realize it until much later.
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