Archive for April, 2006

This month’s focus is on blessings and promises. My aim is that by the end of the month you feel empowered by the blessings and promises we’ve covered. So that in those moments you feel alone, discouraged, spiritually attacked or before you go into a specific situation, you know what to pray and ask God for. Also so you know what He has already promised to do for you!

I suggest that the verses that stand out and relate to you, you memorise, it’s no good not knowing the Word of God when you are in the midst of battle!

And always remember Joshua 1 vs. 9:

The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go!

Blessings Kiera

O loving Christ, draw me, a weakling, after Yourself; for if You do not draw me, I cannot follow You. Give me a brave spirit that I may be ready and alert. If the flesh is weak, may Your grace go before me, come alongside me and follow me; for without You I cannot do anything, and especially, for Your sake, I cannot go to a cruel death. Grant me a ready spirit, a fearless heart, a right faith, a firm hope, and a perfect love, that for Your sake I may lay down my life with patience and joy.

- John Huss, as he lay in chains in prison before being burned at the stake in Bohemia (Czechoslavakia) in 1415

During World War II, Corrie Ten Boom and her sister were held in a horrible concentration camp named Ravensbruck. They saw and suffered terrible torments including starvation and nakedness in below freezing weather. Corrie’s sister Betsie actually starved to death. During their time there, however, they continually encouraged other prisoners. They kept an attitude of praise, and eventually Corrie was released from the concentration camp through a clerical error.

After her release, she traveled worldwide telling of her experiences and the faithfulness of God. Her ministry surely became more powerful and effective than it would have been without her trials and suffering. Her life and ministry have been a comfort to millions.

One evening after preaching in Germany on God’s forgiveness and how no sin is too great for God to forgive, she suddenly recognized a man coming toward her. He had been a guard at Ravensbruck, and one of the people who had tortured the prisoners. The man did not recognize Corrie, but he said he had heard her mention that she was a prisoner in Ravensbruck. He said, “I was a guard there, but have since gone on to become a Christian. I know God has forgiven me for the terrible things I did, but I am asking you for your forgiveness as well.”

Corrie said that she immediately saw her beloved sister slowly starving to death, and felt at that moment that even though she needed forgiveness every day herself, she could not forgive this man. As she stood in front of him, she knew that she must forgive him although she did not know how she could. Everything she preached to others would be worthless if she could not forgive. Corrie said she knew it would have to be an act of her will, because nothing in her emotions wanted to do it. As she stood there, she told God, “I can lift my hand, I can do that much, but You will have to do the rest. You must supply the feelings.” As she woodenly took the man’s hand, she said that the power of God came rushing through her entire being, and she was able to say wholeheartedly, “I forgive you, brother! With all my heart, I forgive you.” She said that she has never known God’s love so intensely as she did at that moment.

- Joyce Meyer, Approval Addiction, pg235–236

A storeowner was tacking a sign above his door that read ‘Puppies for Sale.’ Signs like that have a way of attracting small children, and sure enough, a little boy appeared under the storeowner’s sign. “How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked. The storeowner replied, “Anywhere from $30 to $50.” The little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. “I have $2.37, can I please look at them?” The store owner smiled and whistled and out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his store followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur. One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, “What’s wrong with that little dog?”

The storeowner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn’t have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame. The little boy became excited. “That little puppy is the one I want to buy.” The store owner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.” The little boy got quite upset. He looked strait into the store owner’s eyes, pointing his finger, and said, “I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price. In fact, I’ll give you $2.37 now, and 50c a month until I have him paid for.”

The storeowner countered, “You really don’t want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies.” To this, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the store owner and softly replied, “Well, I don’t’ run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!”

- Dan Clark, Chicken Soup for the Soul, pg65-66

Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children.
Smile at each other – it doesn’t matter who it is – and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other.

- Mother Theresa, Chicken Soup for the Soul, pg37

A friend of mine named Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. “Is this your car, Mister?” he asked.

Paul nodded. “MY brother gave it to me for Christmas.” The boy was astounded. “You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you nothing? Boy, I wish…” He hesitated.

Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels.

“I wish,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that.”

Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, “Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?”
“Oh yes, I’d love that.” After a short ride, the boy turned and, with his eyes aglow, said, “Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?”

Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked.

He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast.

He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.

“There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m gonna give you one just like it… then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I’ve been trying to tell you about.”

Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car. The shining eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride. That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when he said: ‘It is more blessed to give.’

- Dan Clark, Chicken Soup for the Soul, pg25-26

A friend of ours was walking down a deserted Mexican beach at sunset. As he walked along, he began to see another man in the distance. As he grew nearer, he noticed that the local native kept leaning down, picking something up and throwing it out into the water. Time and again he kept hurling things out into the ocean.

As our friend approached even closer, he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and, one at a time, he was throwing them back into the water.

Our friend was puzzled. He approached the man and said, “Good evening, friend. I was wondering what you are doing.”

“I’m throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it’s low tide right now and all of these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don’t throw them back into the sea, they’ll die up here from lack of oxygen.”

“I understand,” my friend replied, “but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach. You can’t possibly get to all of them. There are simply too many. And don’t you realize this is probably happening on hundreds of beaches all up and down this coast? Can’t you see that you can’t possibly make a difference?”

The local native smiled, bent down and picked up yet another starfish, and as he threw it back into the sea, he replied, “Made a difference to that one!”

- Jack Canfield and Mark V. Hansen, Chicken Soup for the Soul, pg 22-23

Moses Mendelssohn, the grandfather of the well-known German composer, was far from being handsome. Along with a rather short stature, he had a grotesque hunchback. One day he visited a merchant in Hamburg who had a lovely daughter named Frumtje. Moses fell hopelessly in love with her. But Frumtje was repulsed by his misshapen appearance.

When it came time for him to leave, Moses gathered his courage and climbed the stairs to her room to take one last opportunity to speak with her. She was a vision of heavenly beauty, but caused him deep sadness by her refusal to look at him. After several attempts at conversation, Moses shyly asked, “Do you believe marriages are made in heaven?”

“Yes,” she answered, still looking at the floor. “And do you?”

“Yes I do,” he replied. “You see, in heaven at the birth of each boy, the Lord announces which girl he will marry. When I was born, my future bride was pointed out to me. Then the Lord added, “But your wife will be humpbacked.’

“Right then and there I called out, ‘Oh Lord, a humpbacked woman would be a tragedy. Please, Lord, give me the hump and let her be beautiful.’”

Then Frumtje looked up into his eyes and was stirred by some deep memory. She reached out and gave Mendelssohn her hand and later became his devoted wife.

- Barry and Joyce Vissell, Chicken Soup for the Soul, pg10-11

‘Alone in my room I got on my knees and tried to call Him “Father.” But it was a useless effort and I straightened in dismay. It was ridiculous. Wouldn’t it be sinful to try to bring the Great One down to our own level? I fell asleep that night more confused than ever. Hours later I awoke. It was after midnight, my birthday, December 12. I was 54 years old. I felt a momentary excitement, a carryover from childhood when birthdays were festivals with brass bands on the lawns, games and relatives coming to the house all day… oh, how I missed those childhood days. I thought of my parents, as I liked to remember them best… one of my cherished memories was seeing him at work in the study. Even in a society where sons were more highly regarded than daughters, Father prized his children equally. Often, as a little girl, I would have a question to ask him and I would peek at him from around the door of his office, hesitant to interrupt. Then his eye would catch mine. Putting down his pen, he would lean back in his chair and call out, “Keecha?” Slowly, I would walk into the study, my head down. He would smile and pat the chair next to his. “Come, my darling, sit here.” Then, placing his arm around me, he would draw me to him. “Now, my little Keecha,” he would ask me gently, “what can I do for you?”

It was always the same with father. He didn’t mind if I bothered him. Whenever I had a question or problem, no matter how busy he was he would put aside his work to devote his full attention just to me.

It was well past midnight as I lay in bed savoring this wonderful memory. “Oh, thank You…” I murmured to God. Was I really talking to Him?

Suddenly, a breakthrough of hope flooded me. Suppose, just suppose God were like a father. If my earthly father would put aside everything to listen to me, wouldn’t my heavenly Father…?

Shaking with excitement, I got out of bed, sank to my knees on the rug, looked up to heaven and in rich new understanding called God “my Father”.

“Father, O my Father God,” I cried, with growing confidence. My voice seemed unusually loud in the large room… but suddenly that room wasn’t empty any more. He was there! I could sense His Presence. I would feel His hand laid gently on my head. It was as if I could see His eyes, filled with love and compassion. He was so close that I found myself laying my head on His knees like a little girl sitting at her father’s feet. For a long time I knelt there, sobbing quietly, floating in His love. I found myself talking with Him, apologising for not having known Him before. And again came His loving compassion, like a warm blanket settling around me.

Now I recognized this as the same loving Presence I had met that fragrance-filled afternoon in my garden. The same Presence I had sensed often as I read the Bible.

“I am confused, Father” I said. “ I have to get one thing straight right away.” I reached over to the bedside table where I kept the Bible and the Quran side by side. I picked up both books and lifted them, one in each hand. “Which, Father?” I said. “Which one is Your book?”

Then a remarkable thing happened. Nothing like it had ever occurred in my life in quite this way. For I heard a voice inside my being, a voice that spoke to me as clearly as if I were repeating words in my inner mind. They were fresh, full of kindness, yet at the same time full of authority. In which book do you meet me as your Father? I found myself answering: “In the Bible.”

- Bilquis Sheikh with Richard Schneider, I dared to call Him Father pg46-49

“Make yourself a blessing to someone. Your kind smile or pat on the back just might pull someone back from the edge.” - Carmelia Elliott

All he wanted was some juice. As tables full of high school students sat in Cafeteria B2 on that cloudy afternoon, he was thirsty. We sat near yet away from him, fixing our hair and worrying about the test next period we hadn’t studied for. He was far away from our world, yet forced to be a part of it.

He stood at the drink machine with purpose, fumbling through his fake leather wallet for some change. He came up with a wrinkled dollar bill, and nervously glanced back at his table where other students in his special needs class were sitting. With the coordination of a six-year-old, he tried to make the machine accept his money. After a few unsuccessful attempts, the snickers and comments began. People were laughing. Some were even throwing things at him. He began to quiver, and his eyes misted with tears. I saw him turn to sit down, defeated. But for some reason, he decided against it. He wasn’t leaving until he got a drink.

With a determined expression, he continued to aimlessly thrust the dollar bill in the machine. Then something terrific happened. A popular senior rise from her seat, and with a look of genuine compassion, went over to the boy. She explained how the machine had a hard time accepting dollars, then gave him some change and showed him where to place it. The boy gave her his dollar and chose a flavour of fruit juice. Then the two walked off in different directions.

Although it was clear that they were from very different worlds, for one moment, they’d shared a real understanding. As I walked away from my lunch table that day, I looked at the boy. I remember thinking how he and the dollar were very much alike. They both weren’t accepted where the world said they were supposed to be. But just as the dollar had found a place in a caring girl’s pocket, I was sure the boy would eventually find his, too.

- Bonnie Maloney