Why There's So Much Pain And Suffering In The World

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed.

As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.

What Is Life About?

At one, YOU are the top priority
At ten, academic excellence is the top priority
At twenty, getting dates is the top priority
At thirty, a good career is top priority
At forty, keeping your body in shape is top priority
At fifty, beating others at mahjong is top priority
At sixty, keeping IT up is top priority
At seventy, remembering something is top priority
At eighty, moving around is top priority
At ninety, knowing directions is top priority
At 100, having your portrait on the wall is top priority!

Wishing you all happiness!
Be Good!

Contributor - Annonymous

The Old Dented Bucket

1 Samuel 16:7 (NLT)
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn't make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at a person's thoughts and intentions."

Our house was directly across the street from the clinic entrance of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. We lived downstairs and rented the upstairs rooms to out-patients at the clinic.

One summer evening as I was fixing supper, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see a truly awful looking man. "Why, he's hardly taller than my 8-year-old," I thought as I stared at the stooped, shrivelled body. But the appalling thing was his face, lopsided from swelling, red and raw.

Yet his voice was pleasant as he said, "Good evening. I've come to see if you've a room for just one night. I came for a treatment this morning from the eastern shore, and there's no bus 'til morning."

What Goes Around Comes Around - II

"Good morning" said a woman as she walked up to the man sitting on ground.

The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before.

"Leave me alone," he growled.... To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling - her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows.

What Goes Around Comes Around - I

One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so.. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry.

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you.

He said, 'I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.'

Not Working Today

Sorry, but I can't respond to any emails today.
Something has crashed on my computer

and the mouse is missing

Contributor - Anonymous
Photo by Miia Ranta

The Devil and The Duck

Hebrew 8:12 (NLT)
And I will forgive their wrongdoings,
and I will never again remember their sins.

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with, out in the woods. He practiced in the woods; but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner.

As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head and killed it. He was shocked and grieved! In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile; only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch the next day Grandma said, 'Sally, let's wash the dishes'.
But Sally said, 'Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen.'

Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?' So Johnny did the dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, 'I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper.' Sally just smiled and said, 'Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help?

She whispered again, 'Remember the duck?' So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's; he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck.

Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, 'Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.'

------------------------ o ------------------------

Thought for the day and every day thereafter:

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done... And the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.)...whatever it is...You need to know that: God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing.

He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you.

The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness; He not only forgives you, but He forgets.

It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved. When Jesus died on the cross; he was thinking of you!

Contributor - Anonymous

Carrying Your Cross

Luke 14:27 (NLT)
27 And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.

Romans 8:17 (NLT)
17 And since we are his children, we will share his treasures--for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering

Romans 5:3-4 (NLT)
3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us--they help us learn to endure. 4 And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation.

------------------- o --------------------

We complain about the cross we bear but don't realize it is preparing us for the dip in the road that God can see and we can't.
Whatever your cross, whatever your pain, there will always be sunshine, after the rain.

Perhaps you may stumble, perhaps even fall, but God is always ready, to answer your call.
He knows every heartache, sees every tear, a word from His lips, can calm every fear.

Your sorrows may linger, throughout the night, but suddenly vanish, dawn's early light.
The Savior is waiting, somewhere above, to give you His grace, and send you His love.

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage and you question God -'why me?'

Always look at the bigger picture.
A day without the Lord - Is a day wasted.
God is going to shift things around for you today and let things work in your favor.

Do not ignore Him.

Awesome!!

Contributor - Anonymous

A Picture of Hope

Proverbs 13:12 (NLT)
12Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy.

Have you ever heard of this old saying to describe hope? “There is light at the end of the tunnel.” Well, I took these photos to give you a visual of what hope looks like.

Can you imagine the view; the grass has as it grows through the “tunnel”, looking up to heaven for the sunlight it requires to survive, even as it draws from the air the carbon dioxide and soil the water and nutrients it requires. Yet, if there is no light, it still would not have survived.

That light at the end of the tunnel is its hope. I can also imagine as it journey, through the dark tunnel, it must have developed some dreams and made a list of things it would want to do or to achieve in life. It might have said something like this, “When I get to the end of the tunnel and into the light, I will grow and flourish till my leaves once again touches the ground”.

That is what hope does, what hope gives, an opportunity to tough out the tough times so that your dreams may come true and with it comes life and joy.

Yes, it is also true that while going through the hard times, you may still experience disappointments and have your hopes dashed/broken by the pains and rejections encountered. Yet there is a hope that does not disappoint and that is God’s love for you. Whatever the challenges you have today, take heart in the knowledge that God loves you.

Romans 5:1-5 (NLT)
1Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory.

3We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us--they help us learn to endure. 4And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation.

5And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

The word expectation is also synonyms to hope, anticipation, belief, prospect and probability.

Note that in verse 5, the Holy Spirit has come to reveal God’s love for us and when you believe that God loves you, you will have a positive confident expectation of good things happening to you. This is what it means to have a hope that does not disappoint.

The Bible also says that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. (Hebrews 11:1) So when we don’t see good things happening in your circumstances right now, have faith, believing that God will turn things around because He favours you as His child.

The following are some additional scriptural verses that inspire hope:

Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)
What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.

Colossians 1:27 (NIV)
To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

John 10:10 (NIV)
10… I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

2 Corinthians 4:8–9 (NLT)
8We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit. 9We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.

Romans 8:31 (NIV)
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

John 8:12 (NLT)
Jesus said to the people, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."

Seasons of Life

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, He called them together to describe what they had seen

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent and twisted.

The second son said no, it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfilment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen, but only one season in the tree’s life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree or a person by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfilment of your fall. Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don’t judge life by one difficult season.

Persevere thrrough the difficult patches and better times are sure to come sometime.

Contributor - Anonymous

The following are a series of writings/posting by Mark Connor, the Senior Minister of CityLife Church, Melbourne, on the "Seasons of Life" that we all go through.

Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life - Part 1
Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life - Part 2
Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life - Part 3
Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life - Part 4
Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life - Part 5
Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life - Part 6
Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life - Part 7
Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life - Part 8
Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life - Part 9

The Resume of Jesus Christ

Address: Ephesians 1:20
Phone : Romans 10:13
Website: The Bible. Keywords: Christ, Lord, Savior and Jesus

Hello. My name is Jesus -The Christ. Many call me Lord!
I've sent you my resume because I'm seeking the top management position in your heart.
Please consider my accomplishments as set forth in my resume.

Qualifications
I founded the earth and established the heavens, (See Proverbs 3:19)
I formed man from the dust of the ground, (See Genesis 2:7)
I breathed into man the breath of life, (See Genesis 2:7)
I redeemed man from the curse of the law, (See Galatians 3:13)
The blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant comes upon your life through me,(See Galatians 3:14)

Occupational Background
I've only had one employer, (See Luke 2:49).
I've never been tardy, absent, disobedient, slothful or disrespectful.
My employer has nothing but rave reviews for me, (See Matthew 3:15-17)

Skills Work Experiences
Some of my skills and work experiences include: empowering the poor to be poor no more, healing the brokenhearted, setting the captives free,healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind and setting at liberty them that are bruised, (See Luke 4:18).
I am a Wonderful Counselor, (See Isaiah 9:6).
People who listen to me shall dwell safely and shall not fear evil, (See Proverbs 1:33).
Most importantly, I have the authority, ability and power to cleanse you of your sins, (See I John 1:7-9)

Educational Background
I encompass the entire breadth and length of knowledge, wisdom and understanding, (See Proverbs 2:6).
In me are hid all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, (See Colossians 2:3).
My Word is so powerful; it has been described as being a lamp unto your feet and a lamp unto your path, (See Psalms 119:105).
I can even tell you all of the secrets of your heart, (See Psalms 44:21).

Major Accomplishments
I was an active participant in the greatest Summit Meeting of all times, (See Genesis 1:26).
I laid down my life so that you may live, (See II Corinthians 5:15).
I defeated the arch enemy of God and mankind and made a show of them openly, (See Colossians 2:15).
I've miraculously fed the poor, healed the sick and raised the dead!
There are many more major accomplishments, too many to mention here.You can read them on my website,which is located at:  www dot - the BIBLE.
You don't need an Internet connection or computer to access my website.

References
Believers and followers worldwide will testify to my salvation, deliverance, restoration and guidance

In Summation
Now that you've read my resume, I'm confident that I'm the only candidate uniquely qualified to fill this vital position in your heart. In summation, I will properly direct your paths, (See Proverbs 3:5-6), and lead you into everlasting life, (See John 6:47).

When can I start? Time is of the essence, (See Hebrews 3:15).

Send this resume to everyone you know, you never know who may have an opening! Thanks for your help and may God bless you!

Contributor - Anonymous

Are you Jesus?

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner.

In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples at the airport. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding. ALL BUT ONE!!! He paused, took a deep breath, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor. He was glad he did.

The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket. When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl,....

'Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?'
She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, 'I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly.'

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, 'Mister....' He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, 'Are you Jesus?'

He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: 'Are you Jesus?'

Do people mistake you for Jesus? That's our Destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace.

If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would.

Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day.

You are the apple of His eye even though we, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked you and me up on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.

NOWADAYS, TOO MANY CHRISTIANS ARE NO LONGER FISHERS OF MEN AND WOMEN BUT KEEPERS OF THE AQUARIUM.

Something to ponder about.

Contributor - Anonymous

The Stranger

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Texas town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry, the stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind..

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... Not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked.... And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name?.... .. .

We just call him 'TV.'
He has a wife now. We call her 'Computer.'

Contributor - Anonymous

If your life was perfect .....

If you never felt pain,
How would you know that I am a Healer?
If you never had to pray,
How would know that I am a Deliverer?
If you never had a trial,
How could you call yourself an overcomer?
If you never felt sadness,
How would you know that I am a Comforter?
If you never made a mistake,
How would you know that I am a forgiver?

If you knew all,
How would you know that I will answer your question?
If you never were in trouble,
How would you know that I will come to your rescue?
If you never were broken,
How would you know that I can make you whole?
If you never had a problem,
How would you know that I can solve them?
If you never had any suffering,
How would you know what I went through?

If you never went through the fire,
How would you become pure?
If I gave you all things,
How would you appreciate them?
If I never corrected you,
How would you know that I love you?
If you had all power,
How would you learn to depend on me?
If your life was perfect,
Then what would you need me for?

Love,
Jesus

Contributor - Anonymous

Psalm 23 - The Poet vs The Shepherd

In a church meeting one evening, the pastor had those who were visiting stand up and introduce themselves. The first to rise and give his name mentioned that he was an actor.

Thinking quickly, the pastor asked, “Do you know Psalm 23?”
“Why, yes,” the actor replied with a smile.
“Would you mind treating our congregation to a recitation of it?”
“I would love to!” came his enthusiastic answer.

Rising in his place the artist turned, acknowledged his audience, cleared his throat, paused, and then launched into a flawless and eloquent oration of the familiar psalm. When he finished, the people in the church burst into hearty applause. "It was perfect! And such expression!"

Before the pastor moved on to the next visitor, he thanked the actor and remarked, “It’s obvious you know Psalm 23 well!”

The next gentleman to introduce himself as a visitor was an elderly senior, bent with age, who commented that he was a retired preacher.

“Oh! Then I’m sure you know Psalm 23, too!” exclaimed the pastor. “Why don’t you share your rendition with our people.”

With great difficulty the old man of God rose from his seat, turned, and with a raspy, aged, shaking voice, began. Slowly he articulated his way through the beloved psalm. More than once he had to stop and struggle with his tears. When he finally finished and sank into his seat, there was only the sound of choked sniffles as everyone sat, too stunned to move or respond.

Dabbing his eyes and finding his voice, the pastor of the church quietly spoke, “And you, sir, it’s obvious that you know the Shepherd well.”


A Final Prayer for You

My prayer for you is that, you may not merely appreciate the poetry and the imagery and the sentiments expressed in Psalm 23, but may you believe and abundantly experience God’s rich promises to you for each and every circumstance and season of life. As this poem reminds us,

God is before me, He will be my guide;
God is behind me, no ill can betide;
God is beside me, to comfort and cheer;
God is around me, so why should I fear?

May you know full well and acknowledge with full confidence that “the Lord is my Shepherd.”


Psalm 23 NIV

1 The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, [Or through the darkest valley]
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Psalm 23 NLT

1 The LORD is my shepherd;
I have everything I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
through the dark valley of death,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You welcome me as a guest,
anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the LORD
forever.

Contributor - Anonymous

Who Says God Can't Use You?

The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember this.

Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
Peter denied Christ (3 times!)
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
Mary Magdalene was promiscuous
the Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once...
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer

AND

Lazarus was DEAD!


Now! No more excuses!
God can use you to your full potential.
Besides,
You aren't the message,
You are just the messenger.

Contributor - Anonymous

The Ant and the Contact Lens

Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens.

'Great', she thought. 'Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry.'

She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn't there.

She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying.. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens.

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the bible verse 'The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.'

She thought, 'Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me.'

Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, 'Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?'

Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!

The story doesn't end there. Brenda's father is a cartoonist.. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, 'Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You.'

I think it would do all of us some good to say, 'God, I don't know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But, if You want me to carry it, I will.'

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Yes, I do love GOD. He is my source of existence and my Savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day. Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him....I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13)

"Great acts are made up of small deeds."

Contributor - Anonymous

Works vs Grace

A man dies and goes to heaven. St. Peter meets him at the pearly gates.

St. Peter says, "Here's how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in."

"Okay" the man says, "I attended church every Sunday"
"That's good, says St. Peter, " that's worth two points"

"Two points?" he says. "Well, I gave 10% of all my earnings to the church"
"Well, let's see," answers Peter, "that's worth another 2 points. Did you do anything else?"

"Two points? Golly. How about this: I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans."
"Fantastic, that's certainly worth a point, " he says.

"hmmm...," the man says, "I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart."
"That's wonderful," says St. Peter, "that's worth three points!"

"THREE POINTS!!" the man cries, "At this rate the only way I get into heaven is by the grace of God!"

"Come on in!"

christian-jokes.net

Perspective

One day , the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"
"It was great , Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah , " said the son.
"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.
The son answered:
"I saw that we have one dog and they had four..
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.
We have servants who serve us , but they serve others.
We buy our food , but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us , they have friends to protect them."
The boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added , "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.
Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!

"Life is too short and friends are too few."

Contributor - Anonymous

God's Post-It Notes

Don't let your worries get the best of you; remember, Moses started out as a basket case.

Some people are kind, polite and sweet-spirited, until you try to sit in their pews.

Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisers.

It is easier to preach ten sermons, than it is to live one.

When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there.

Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on the front door forever.

God Himself doesn't propose to judge a man unitl he is dead, so why should you?

Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

Peace starts with a smile.

Don't put a question mark where God put a period.

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

The Will of God never takes you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.

If God is your Co-pilot, swap seats!

Prayer: Don't give God instructions, just report for duty!

The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, It's about learning to dance in the rain

You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.

Contributor - Anonymous