Facing the Truth

A father passing by his son's bedroom was astonished to see that his bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then he saw an envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow that was addressed to 'Dad.'

With the worst premonition he opened the envelope with trembling hands and read the letter.

Dear Dad:

It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you. I have been finding real passion with Stacy and she is so nice. But I knew you would not approve of her because of all her piercing, tattoos, tight motorcycle clothes and the fact that she is much older than I am. But it's not only the passion...Dad she's pregnant. Stacy said that we will be very happy. She owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. We share a dream of having many more children.  Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone.  We'll be growing it for ourselves and trading it with the other people that live nearby for cocaine and ecstasy.  In the meantime we will pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Stacy can get better. She deserves it. Don't worry Dad. I'm 15 and I know how to take care of myself.  Someday I'm sure that we will be back to visit so that you can get to know your grandchildren.

Love,

Your Son John

P.S. Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at Tommy's house.  I Just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than a Report card that's in my center desk drawer. I love you. Call me when it's safe to come home.

Received by e-mail.  Original source unknown.

How About A Cup Of Coffee

As I tried to catch a few more minutes of sleep, my husband leaned over and whispered that he was going to the pool. We were on a Florida vacation so going to the pool would be a normal activity for many people, just not my husband. He is not someone who "goes to the pool." Ever. The beach, maybe, but usually only when I go with him for a walk. 

So, when he kissed me and headed out the hotel door alone I was curious, although not curious enough to miss a little more shut eye! As I rolled over thirty minutes later, I realized he hadn't come back yet, so I did a little snooping.

I went onto our balcony to see if I could get a glimpse of him, wondering what he might be doing. As I scanned the pool area, I caught sight of a homeless man sitting on the side of the road leading to the public beach entrance. I remembered passing him the day before as he was sleeping in the grass. Today, however, he was sitting with his legs crossed, coffee in hand, talking to someone. I leaned a little further over the edge of the balcony and my heart skipped as I realized it was my husband. The two of them were sitting on rocks, drinking cups of coffee, engaged in conversation.

I watched them from a distance for about twenty minutes until they parted ways.  My husband looked so comfortable talking to this man. They were laughing, smiling and having a nice time. I learned he offered to do the guy's laundry, and then sent him on his way with a little cash. 

I had to pause a moment and ask myself if I would have been gutsy enough to do the same.  Would I approach a complete stranger just to sit and talk? Would I offer someone hungry a coffee and a breakfast bar as my husband did? 

As I pondered their encounter I thought about the kind of man my husband is. You see, he's not the type to get up early and read his Bible every single day, and he's not on any committees at church. What you will see him do though, is talk to homeless men, give money to needy strangers, and be kind to people. You know, "be Jesus" to others.

I believe God asks each one of us to step out and "be Jesus." Sometimes, though, we get so consumed with everyday life we just don't do it, or we say we'll do it later because we don't have time now. 

I also believe that God doesn't ask us to do anything that He hasn't already prepared us for. You see, my husband was homeless as a teenager. He was forced to live on his own from the time he was 15 years old. He learned to find shelter in snowdrifts, basements, and abandoned cars.  He has a heart for the unlovely, the runaways, and those whose clothes aren't so clean.  

We each have gifts, talents and past experiences that allow us to reach out and touch others in ways that will be meaningful to them. It often doesn't cost us more than a cup of coffee to do so. What experiences or passions do you have that would make you a perfect candidate to reach out to someone today?

 

Received by e-mail.  Original source unknown.

3D Wall Art

These are just really cool images.  They could be used to demonstrate how someone could give expression to their gifts.

3D Sidewalk Art

 

Art is by Julian Beever.

Brown Bears

Ingredients

Can biscuits

Cinnamon sugar

Butter

Long stick to hold over the fire

 

Directions

• Take 1 biscuit and wrap around fire stick.
• Cook in fire until biscuit is done. Rotate so not to burn.
• Once done. Remove from stick and roll in melted butter then in cinnamon sugar mixture.

Ants On A Log

Ingredients

Celery

Peanut butter

Raisins

 

Directions

• Clean and cut celery to desired size.
• Fill with peanut butter, then put raisins across top.

 

Looks like ants on a log.

Apple Butter

Here is a simple recipe for Apple Butter

 

7 c. of applesauce

3 c. of white sugar

1 tsp. of cloves

2 tbsp. of cinnamon

2 tbsp. of vinegar

Put in crock pot and mix together. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Stir occasionally.

5 Ideas To Help You Grow Your Leadership Skills

1)  Read Books- This is one of the easiest and most cost efficient ways to increase you knowledge of any subject.

2)  Go to conferences and training seminars- be careful in your selection process.  Also, think about going with others.  It can be very beneficial to talk through discussion points with others while things are still fresh in your mind.

3)  Seek out a coach or mentor in your area of expertise

4)  Take leaders to lunch- find people that are successful and ask them if you can have an hour of their time over lunch.  Remember that you are paying for lunch.  Also remember that good leaders do not like to have their time wasted.  Have several questions prepared before hand for them to answer.

5)  Pray for your leaders and look for ways to bless them.  This is something that I think many of us often overlook.  We value what our leaders can give us so we are always looking to get something from them.  An appreciated and respected leader will be more willing to give more back.

 

These were some ideas that I wrote down from a conference I was recently a part of.  The speakers name was Bill. Sorry that’s all I had in my notes.

Job Hunting

Applebee’s Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser

Here is a link for information on how  your local Applebee’s wants to get involved in helping you in your youth ministry or other non-profit event.  I have been told by some that have done the pancake breakfast that there is usually a waiting list but it is well worth it.  The local Applebee’s here donated everything and all the workers had to do was show up and serve.

Applebee’s Fundraiser

Poinsettia & White Lily Fundraisers

Many churches still decorate their sanctuary for Christmas and Easter with decorative flowers.  In particularly Poinsettias and White Lilies.  Also, many people decorate their homes with these same plants.

 

1)  Contact a local greenhouse about six months before each of these holidays and ask them if they sponsor non-profit fundraisers for these holidays.  (There are a couple in my area that do- although it requires a minimum order of 100- if you are a small church and this seems too much, try partnering with another church)

2)  If the company does not, ask them if they would consider it and talk through the options. (at the time of this post we purchase ours for $6.50 and sell for $10)

3)  If the terms are agreeable to you then you need to begin taking orders and have them returned by the deadline.  (ours must be in by the first of November)

1. If you have some folks in your congregation that are retired that could go around to local business and take orders and then deliver them that would greatly increase your sales.

4)  Be sure to have a separate order sheet made up for people to take to work, give to family members, etc…

5)  Never be the one responsible for delivering the Poinsettias.  Always have those persons that take the orders to deliver them.  This will save you your sanity.

6) Some companies will have different size flowers to sell.  We only do one size for simplicity.  You will need to make that call on your own.

Common Sense Goes A Long Way

The Man In The Arena

Quote by Teddy Roosevelt

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly…who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never known neither victory nor defeat.

Kiddo Days

Abigail and her Daddy had been in the habit of spending some Fridays together. Friday was her Father’s day off so he kept her out of preschool and they would spend the whole day together. Abigail began to call these days “Kiddo Days.” Her Dad would often say to her, “It’s just you and me Kiddo,” as they would begin each of these adventurous days. Over time “Kiddo Days” became a natural way for her to express her anticipation for these times together.

Lunch was always on the menu for Kiddo Days, and on this particular day, Abigail expressed her desire to eat at a certain restaurant. Her Dad wasn’t real crazy about going to eat there so he tried to give her a few other options to choose from with no success. It seemed that little Abigail was insistent upon eating at this particular restaurant and it didn’t take long for her to become exasperated with the conversation.

She finally stopped and said, “Daddy, if you want Kiddo Days to be any fun I have to have some input too.”

That story always hits me like a ton of bricks. It seems very easy for me to interactive with the world around me and expect everything and everyone to be on my schedule and in agreement with my preferences. Well as easy as it is for me to begin a day with those expectations, it is equally as foolish. Especially if I want others to enjoy spending time with me.

Where can you make concessions today and allow others to have some input into the time you are spending with them?

Allowing them to have an equal say will increase the chance of a good experience for everyone.

Backfire

Quotes For Moving Us Into Action

I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving: To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it, but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor. —Oliver Wendell Holmes

Indecision is often worse than the wrong action. —William Danforth

 

I know that the seeds I sow I will harvest, because every action, good or bad, is always followed by an equal reaction. I will plant only good seeds this day. —Og Mandino

 

The vitality of thought is in adventure. Ideas won't keep. Something must be done about them. —Alfred North Whitehead

 

No one will improve your lot if you yourself do not. —Marcus Aurelius

 

Some people succeed because they are destined to, but most people succeed because they are determined to. —Henry Ford

Dave Ramsey On Team Building

Dave teaches that people are motivated by, starved for and long for:

• Acceptance
• Approval
• Appreciation
• Attention
• Affection

This week, make it your goal to go out of your way to affirm your team members or co-workers with a positive message. Send a thank-you note, give someone a handshake or a pat on the back, and be quick to praise a job well done!

Suicide and College Students

More than half of undergraduate college students—55%—say they've had suicidal thoughts at some point, with 18% having seriously considered suicide and 8% actually having attempted it. [usatoday.com, 8/18/08 stats]

Christmas Angels

 

In September 1960, I woke up one morning with six hungry babies and just 75 cents in my pocket.
Their father was gone.

The boys ranged from three months to seven years; their sister was two.

Their Dad had never been much more than a presence they feared.
Whenever they heard his tires crunch on the gravel driveway they would scramble to hide under their beds.

He did manage to leave $15 a week to buy groceries.

Now that he had decided to leave, there would be no more beatings, but no food either.

If there was a welfare system in effect in southern Indiana at that time, I certainly knew nothing about it.

I scrubbed the kids until they looked brand new and then put on my best homemade dress, loaded them into the rusty old 51 Chevy and drove off to find a job.
The seven of us went to every factory, store and restaurant in our small town.

No luck.
The kids stayed crammed into the car and tried to be quiet while I tried to convince who ever would listen that I was willing to learn or do anything. I had to have a job.

Still no luck. The last place we went to, just a few miles out of town, was an old Root Beer Barrel drive-in t hat had been converted to a truck stop.

It was called the Big Wheel.
An old lady named Granny owned the place and she peeked out of the window from time to time at all those kids.

She needed someone on the graveyard shift, 11 at night until seven in the morning.

She paid 65 cents an hour, and I could start that night.

I raced home and called the teenager down the street that baby-sat for people.

I bargained with her to come and sleep on my sofa for a dollar a night.

She could arrive with her pajamas on and the kids would already be asleep

This seemed like a good arrangement to her, so we made a deal.
That night when the little ones and I knelt to say our prayers, we all thanked God for finding Mommy a job. And so I started at the Big Wheel.
When I got home in the mornings I woke the baby-sitter up and sent her home with one dollar of my tip money-- fully half of what I averaged every night.

As the weeks went by, heating bills added a strain to my meager wage.
The tires on the old Chevy had the consistency of penny balloons and began to leak. I had to fill them with air on the way to work and again every morning before I could go home.

One bleak fall morning, I dragged myself to the car to go home and found four tires in the back seat. New tires!

There was no note, no nothing, just those beautiful brand new tires.

Had angels taken up residence in Indiana ? I wondered.
I made a deal with the local service station.

In exchange for his mounting the new tires, I would clean up his office.

I remember it took me a lot longer to scrub his floor than it did for him to do the tires.
I was now working six nights instead of five and it still wasn't enough.

Christmas was coming and I knew there would be no money for toys for the kids.

I found a can of red paint and started repairing and painting some old toys. Then I hid them in the basement so there would be something for Santa to deliver on Christmas morning.

Clothes were a worry too. I was sewing patches on top of patches on the boys pants and soon they would be too far gone to repair.
On Christmas Eve the usual customers were drinking coffee in the Big Wheel. There were the truckers, Les, Frank, and Jim, and a state trooper named Joe.

A few musicians were hanging around after a gig at the Legion and were dropping nickels in the pinball machine.

The regulars all just sat around and talked through the wee hours of the morning and then left to get home before the sun came up.
When it was time for me to go home at seven o'clock on Christmas morning, to my amazement, my old battered Chevy was filled full to the top with boxes of all shapes and sizes.

I quickly opened the driver's side door, crawled inside and kneeled in the front facing the back seat.
Reaching back, I pulled off the lid of the top box.

Inside was whole case of little blue jeans, sizes 2-10!

I looked inside another box: It was full of shirts to go with the jeans.

Then I peeked inside some of the other boxes. There was candy and nuts and bananas and bags of groceries. There was an enormous ham for baking, and canned vegetables and potatoes.
There was pudding and Jell-O and cookies, pie filling and flour. There was whole bag of laundry supplies and cleaning items.

And there were five toy trucks and one beautiful little doll.
As I drove back through empty streets as the sun slowly rose on the most amazing Christmas Day of my life, I was sobbing with gratitude.

And I will never forget the joy on the faces of my little ones that precious morning.
Yes, there were angels in Indiana that long-ago December. And they all hung out at the Big Wheel truck stop....

ATTEMPTS AT HOLIDAY CONVERSION LEAVE WOMAN WITH LITTLE JOY

The following is an excerpt from a Dear Abby column I stumbled upon a few years ago.  It is a great discussion starter.

By Abigail Van Buren | Dec 21, 2002 | 734 words

DEAR ABBY: I am a Hindu woman living in the Bible Belt. Many of my friends and acquaintances are Christian, and they are all wonderful – except for one thing. Some try in small, subtle ways to convert me to their faith. With Christmas approaching, I know what's coming -- boxes of baked goodies with little brochures and pamphlets tucked inside all about Jesus and the Christian faith. I wish you would remind people that all of us in this diverse nation should respect the faiths of others. To try to convert someone to your faith implies that you consider your religious beliefs superior, and that is just plain wrong. I know these gestures are well meant, but I wouldn't dream of sending Hindu brochures with my holiday goodies. Abby, what is a tactful, but firm, way of dealing with this? -- HAPPY HINDU IN THE BIBLE BELT

DEAR HAPPY HINDU: Much as you would like, you are not going to change people who feel it is part of their religious commitment to "save" you. Ignore the brochures and enjoy the goodies -- unless you have lost your appetite. If that's the case, donate the treats to a homeless shelter or take them to the office.

Comments to the above post:  RELIGIOUS MESSAGE IN HOLIDAY TREATS CAN BE POLITELY REFUSED

DEAR ABBY: Your advice to "Happy Hindu in the Bible Belt," whose Christian friends tuck religious pamphlets into holiday boxes of baked goodies in an effort to convert her, was off base. You advised her to ignore the brochures and enjoy the goodies -- unless she had lost her appetite -- in which case she should donate the treats to a shelter or take them to the office.

I disagree. That lovely lady should politely tell her friends that she likes her own religion and ask them to please stop with the religious literature. If they continue, she should end the friendship. If converting her is more important than her friendship, there IS no friendship. -- BEEN THERE, TOO, IN BEND, ORE.

DEAR B.T.T.: Your answer is better than mine. Interestingly, "Happy Hindu's" problem appears to be widespread. That letter brought in a bushel of mail. Read on:

DEAR ABBY: I am Jewish. A friend from college kept sending me "Jesus Loves You" Christmas cards. I told her it hurt my feelings that she didn't respect my beliefs. I made it clear that I am Jewish and will always remain Jewish, as it is my religious and cultural background.

Like "Hindu," I know that some of these gestures are well-intentioned, but I would never dream of sending my friend Hanukkah cards. I send cards that say "Season's Greetings" or "Happy Holidays." It's good to learn about other people's beliefs and be open to them -- but not when they're forced on you. -- JILL IN SACRAMENTO