| THE CROSS A young man was at the end of his rope, seeing no way out, he dropped To his knees in prayer "Lord, I can't go on," he said. "I have too heavy a cross to bear." The Lord replied, "My son, if you can't bear its weight, just place Your cross inside this room. Then, open that other door and pick out any cross you wish." The man was filled with relief and said, "Thank you Lord," and he did As he was told. Upon entering the other room, he saw many crosses; some so large the tops were not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall. "I'd like that one, Lord," he whispered. The Lord replied, "My son, that is the cross you just brought in." When life's problems seem overwhelming, it helps to look around and See what other people are coping with. You may consider yourself far More fortunate than you imagined. YOUR CROSS Whatever your cross Whatever your pain There will always be sunshine After the rain Perhaps you may stumble Perhaps even fall But God's always there To help you through it all Funny how you can send a thousand "jokes" through e-mail and they Spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about passing it on. Funny, isn't it, when you go to forward this message, how many on Your buddy list will not receive it because you're not sure they believe in anything? Funny? No! Sad, and thought-provoking... May God give you the strength and courage to pass this along to everyone.. I JUST DID! God Bless You & All At Home Abundantly .......................................................................................................... Who's Your Daddy? A seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg, TN. One morning, they were eating breakfast at little restaurant, hoping to enjoy a quiet, family meal. While they were waiting for their food, they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to table, visiting with the guests. The professor leaned over and whispered to his wife, "I hope he doesn't come over here." But sure enough, the man did come over to their table. "Where are you folks from?" he asked in a friendly voice. "Oklahoma," they answered. "Great to have you here in Tennessee," the stranger said. "What do you do for a living?" "I teach at a seminary," he replied. "Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well, I've got a really great story for you." And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with the couple. The professor groaned and thought to himself, "Great... Just what I need... another preacher story!" The man started, "See that mountain over there? (pointing out the restaurant window). Not far from the base of that mountain, there was a boy born to an unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up, because every place he went, he was always asked the same question, 'Hey boy, Who's your daddy?' Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would ask the same question, 'Who's your daddy?' He would hide at recess and lunch time from other students. He would avoid going in to stores because that question hurt him so bad. When he was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his church. He would always go in late and slip out early to avoid hearing the question, 'Who's your daddy?' But one day, the new preacher said the benediction so fast he got caught and had to walk out with the crowd. Just about the time he got to the Back door, the new preacher, not knowing anything about him, put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, Son, who's your daddy? The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church looking at him. Now everyone would finally know the answer to the question, 'Who's your daddy.' This new preacher, though, sensed the situation around him & using discernment that only the Holy Spirit could give, said the following to that scared little boy..." Wait a minute!' he said. 'I know who you are.I see the family resemblance now. You are a child of God.' With that he patted the boy on his shoulder and said, Boy, you've got a great inheritance. Go and claim it. With that, the boy smiled for the first time in a long time and walked out the door a changed person. He was never the same again. Whenever anybody asked him, 'Who's your Daddy?' he'd just tell them, 'I'm a Child of God.'" The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said, "Isn't that a great story?" The professor responded that it really was a great story! As the man turned to leave, he said, "You know, if that new preacher hadn't told me that I was one of God's children, I probably never would have amounted to anything!" And he walked away. The seminary professor and his wife were stunned. He called the waitress over &asked her, "Do you know who that man was who just left that was sitting at our table?" The waitress grinned and said, "Of course. Everybody here knows him. That's Ben Hooper. He's the former governor of Tennessee!" Someone in your life today needs a reminder that they're one of God's children! "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of God stands forever." ~~Isaiah YOU'RE ONE OF GOD'S CHILDREN & I LOVE YOU!!! HAVE A GREAT DAY ......................................................................................................... Strange Story Isn't it amazing how God works in our lives! On a Saturday night several weeks ago, this pastor was working late, and decided to call his wife before he left for home. It was about 10:00 PM, but his wife didn't answer the phone. The pastor let the phone ring many times. He thought it was odd that she didn't answer, but decided to wrap up a few things and try again in a few minutes. When he tried again she answered right away. He asked her why she hadn't answered before, and she said that it hadn't rung at their house. They brushed it off as a fluke and went on their merry ways. The following Monday, the pastor received a call at the church office, which was the phone that he'd used that Saturday night. The man that he spoke with wanted to know why he'd called on Saturday night. The pastor couldn't figure out what the man was talking about. Then the man said, "It rang and rang, but I didn't answer." The pastor remembered the mishap and apologized for disturbing him, explaining that he'd intended to call his wife. The man said, "That's, OK. Let me tell you my story. You see, I was planning to commit suicide on Saturday night, but before I did, I prayed, 'God if you're there, and you don't want me to do this, give me a sign now.' At that point my phone started to ring. I looked at the caller ID, and it said, 'Almighty God'. I was afraid to answer!" The reason why it showed on the man's caller ID that the call came from "Almighty God" is because the church that the pastor attends is called Almighty God Tabernacle!! If you believe that God answers prayers then pass this on. God bless! READ EACH SENTENCE SLOWLY AND THINK ABOUT IT. Love starts with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a tear. Don't cry over anyone who won't cry over you. Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave, and impossible to forget. Don't let the past hold you back, you're missing the good stuff. BEST FRIENDS are the siblings God forgot to give us. When it hurts to look back, and you're scared to look ahead, you can look beside you and your BEST FRIEND will be there. Nobody is perfect until you fall in love with them. Tell them this on to everyone special in your life, even the people who really make you mad sometimes and to the people whose lives you want to be in!!! And send it back to the person who sent it to you if they mean something to you!! Remember, every minute spent angry is sixty seconds of happiness wasted. God Bless You |
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