APRIL ARCHIVES

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(Sunday, April 27)
"Blessed are the meek," Jesus explained.  Blessed are the available.  Blessed are the conduits, the tunnels, the tools.  Deliriously joyful are the ones who believe that if God has used sticks, rocks, and spit to do his will, then he can use us.

We would do well to learn a lesson from the rod, the rock, and the saliva.  They didn't  complain.  They didn't question God's wisdom.  They didn't suggest an alternative plan.  Perhaps the reason the Father has used so many inanimate objects for his mission is that they don't tell him how to do his job!

from The Applause of Heaven by Max Lucado

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(Saturday, April 26)

"Nice guys finish first.  If you don't know that, then you don't know where the finish line is."

--Garry Shandling...as quoted in "Guideposts"...May 2003

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(Friday, April 25)

BRAIN TEASERS

1. How can you arrange for two people to stand on the same piece of newspaper and yet be unable to touch each other without stepping off the newspaper?

2. How many 3-cent stamps are there in a dozen?

3. A rope ladder hangs over the side of a ship. The rungs are one foot apart and the ladder is 12 feet long. The tide is rising at four inches an hour.  How long will it take before the first four rungs of the ladder are underwater?

4. Which would you rather have, a trunk full of nickels or a trunk half full of dimes?

5. Steve has three piles of sand and Mike has four piles of sand. If they put them all together, how many do they have?

6. In which sport are the shoes made entirely of metal?

7. If the Vice President of the United States should die, who would be President?

8. How can you throw a golf ball with all your might and--without hitting a wall or any other obstruction--have the ball stop and come right back to you?

9. Find the English word that can be formed from all these letters:  PNLLEEEESSSSS

(click HERE for answers)

received from Mikey's Funnies

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(Thursday, April 24)
I think we need some chuckles!!!!!!
As Barbara Johnson says, "Do everything you can to cultivate a sense of humor, which involves more than just telling jokes.  A sense of humor is connected to the way you look at life, the way you can chuckle over what is absurd and ridiculous, the way you put your problems in perspective, and the way you can feel joy because you know that:
Any day above ground is a good one!"

The things that come to those who wait may be the things left by those who got there first.

I've reached the age when it's harder to think of my body as a temple.  It's more like a building project that got out of control!

The most important thing to remember about exercise is to start SLOWLY . . . and then taper off.

Some people grow up and spread cheer . . . others just grow up and spread!

Diet tip:  If you fatten up everyone else around you, you'll look thinner.

The mind is like a television:  When it goes blank, it's a good idea to turn off the sound.

I like to think of banana cream pie as a fruit.

A family reunion is the most effective form of birth control.

Overheard from a lady as she climbed on the scales to weigh herself:  GUESS WHAT I LOST THIS WEEK....my glasses.

The journey of a thousand miles. . . begins with wondering if you turned off the iron.

You know you're getting older . . . when "happy hour" is a nap!

taken from Daily Splashes of Joy by Barbara Johnson

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(Tuesday, April 22)

THREE TIMELESS TRUTHS
William Arthur Ward

    Here are three timeless truths that I share with you from my life in the hope that they will be as meaningful and helpful to you as they have been to me.  Think on these things

1.  Failure is not fatal.

Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker.  It should challenge us to new heights of accomplishment, not pull us to new depths of despair. Failure is a temporary detour, not a dead-end street.  Remember, the greatest failure is the failure to try.

2.  Delays are not deadly.

Too often we equate delay with defeat.  Frequently the best thing that can happen to us is a wise delay in our plans.  If it's worth having, it's worth waiting for...and often its value is enhanced by delay. Delays are often God's way of teaching us the virtue of patience.  And patience is more than a virtue; it is a required course in the school of life.

3.  Pressures are not permanent.

Some of the most comforting words in the Bible are these "And it came to pass." Problems and pressures do not come to stay...they come to pass. They are temporary, transitory, and, like many of the irritations and vexations which we all have experienced, will evaporate when we realize that our internal resources are much stronger than the external pressures. Truly, greater is the power within you than any other power on earth.   

submitted to Inspiration List by Mary Veal <Mary.Veal@wcom.com>

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(Monday, April 21)

Each of us has a hidden place
Somewhere deep within ourselves;
A place
where we go to get away,
To think things through,
To be alone, to be
ourselves.

This unique place, where we confront our deepest feelings,
Becomes a
storehouse of all our hopes,
All our needs, all our dreams,
And even our
unspoken fears.
It encompasses the essence of who we are and what we want
to be.

But now and then, whether by chance or design,
Someone discovers a way
into that place we thought was ours alone.
And we allow that person to
see, to feel and to share
All the reason, all the uncertainty
And all the
emotion we've stored up there.

That person adds new perspective to our hidden realm,
Then quietly settles
down in his own corner of our special place,
Where a bit of himself will
stay forever.

And we call that person a friend.

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(Sunday, April 20)

HAPPY EASTER

**********

from Fresh Elastic for Stretched Out Moms by Barbara Johnson

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(Saturday, April 19)

VOICE OF GRACE

Tell me, what has [the thief on the cross] done to warrant help?  He has wasted his life.  Who is he to beg for forgiveness?  He publicly scoffed at Jesus.  What right does he have to pray. . . , "Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom"?

Do you really want to know?  The same right you have to pray. . . .

You see, that is you and me on the cross.  Naked, desolate, hopeless, and estranged.  That is us.  That is us asking. . . .

We don't boast.  We don't produce our list.  Any sacrifice appears silly when placed before God on a cross. . . .

We, like the thief, have one more prayer.  And we, like the thief, pray.

And we, like the thief, hear the voice of grace.

from He Still Moves Stones by Max Lucado

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(Friday, April 18)

TIPPED SCALES

It wasn't right that spikes pierced the hands that formed the earth.  And it wasn't right that the Son of God was forced to hear the silence of God.

It wasn't right, but it happened.

For while Jesus was on the cross, God sat on his hands.  He turned his back.  He ignored the screams of the innocent.

He sat in silence while the sins of the world were placed upon his Son. And he did nothing while a cry a million times bloodier than John's echoed in the black sky:  "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Was it right?  No.

Was it fair?  No.

Was it love?  Yes!

from The Applause of Heaven by Max Lucado

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ONE INCREDIBLE PLAN

When human hands fastened the divine hands to a cross with spikes, it wasn't the soldiers who held the hands of Jesus steady.  It was God who held them steady.  Those same hands that formed the oceans and built the mountains.  Those same hands that designed the dawn and crafted each cloud.  Those same hands that blueprinted one incredible plan for you and me.

Take a stroll out to the hill.  Out to Calvary.  Out to the cross where, with holy blood, the hand that placed you on the planet wrote the promise, "God would give up his only Son before he'd give up on you."

from Six Hours One Friday by Max Lucado

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(Thursday, April 17)

YOU WERE IN HIS PRAYERS

The final prayer of Jesus was about you.  His final pain was for you.  His final passion was for you.  Before he went to the cross, Jesus went to the garden.  And when he spoke with his Father, you were in his prayers. . . .

And God couldn't turn his back on you.  He couldn't because he saw you, and one look at you was all it took to convince him.  Right there in the middle of a world which isn't fair.  He saw you cast into a river of life you didn't request.  He saw you betrayed by those you love.  He saw you with a body which gets sick and a heart which grows weak. . . .

On the eve of the cross, Jesus made his decision.  He would rather go to hell for you than go to heaven without you.

from And the Angels Were Silent by Max Lucado

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(Wednesday, April 16)

The story of Easter is the story of an empty tomb.  It is a story of betrayal, suffering, and death, followed by resurrection, rejoicing, and eternal life.  The story of Easter is God's message to the world that through Him we can--indeed we must--have hope.  The story of Easter is the story of God's love, God's miracles, and God's offer of salvation.

Christ died so that we might have spiritual abundance, earthly peace, and eternal life.  As we consider the empty tomb and all that it signifies, let us praise the Father and the Son for gifts that are too numerous to count, too profound to understand, and too costly to ever take for granted.

from The Crown, the Cross, and the Nails
compiled by Dr. Criswell Freeman

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(Tuesday, April 15)

ON MY CROSS
(sung by FFH)

How wide is Your love
That You would stretch Your arms and go around the world
And why...for me...a Savior's cry be heard
I don't know why You went where I was meant to go
I don't know why You loved me so

Those were my nails
That was my crown
That pierced Your hands and Your brow
Those were my thorns
Those were my scorns
Those were my tears that fell down
And just as You said it would be
You did it all for me
And after You counted the cost
You took my shame, my blame
On my cross

How deep is Your grace
That You could see my need and choose to take my place
And there for me these words I'd hear You say,
"Father no...forgive them...for they know not what they do
I will go because I love them so."

Those were my nails
That was my crown
That pierced Your hands and Your brow
Those were my thorns
Those were my scorns
Those were my tears that fell down
And just as You said it would be
You did it all for me
And after You counted the cost
You took my shame, my blame
On my cross

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(Monday, April 14)

LOVE HUNG ON A CROSS

He looked around the hill and foresaw a scene.  Three figures hung on three crosses.  Arms spread.  Heads fallen forward.  They moaned with the wind.

Men clad in soldier's garb sat on the ground near the trio. . . .

Women clad in sorrow huddled at the foot of the hill, . . .faces tear-streaked.

All heaven stood to fight.  All nature rose to rescue.  All eternity poised to protect.  But the Creator gave no command.

"It must be done . . ." he said, and withdrew.

The angel spoke again.  "It would be less painful . . ."

The Creator interrupted softly.  "But it wouldn't be love."

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(Sunday, April 6)

When God doesn't do what we want, it's not easy.  Never has been.  Never will be.  But faith is the conviction that God knows more than we do about this life and He will get us through it.

Remember, disappointment is caused by unmet expectations.  Disappointment is cured by revamped expectations.

Next time you're disappointed, don't panic.  Don't give up.  Just be patient and let God remind you He's still in control.  It ain't over till it's over.

from He Still Moves Stones by Max Lucado

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(Friday, April 4)

To My Friend

My Friend...

I am a different person,
a better person,
since we first became friends.

Your honesty helps me
to see my weaknesses,
and your support helps me
to turn them into strengths.

Thank you
for not saying the things
you think I want to hear,
but for saying the things
I need to know.

You're one of the few people
I trust when you tell me
that I've done well,
because you are one of the few
who will tell me
when I could do better.

You challenge me
to be the best I can be...
by accepting and appreciating me,
you've helped me
learn to accept
and appreciate myself.

Thank you for being my friend!

found online at Quick Inspirations

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(Wednesday, April 2)
(not just older...but smarter...YOU TELL 'EM, LADY!)

Last year, I replaced several windows in my house. They were the expensive double-insulated energy efficient windows. This week I got a call from the contractor complaining that the work has been done for a year, and I had failed to pay for them.

Boy, oh boy, did we go round and round. I told him no one pulls a fast one on this old lady.

  Even though I am a senior citizen and used to be a blonde doesn't mean that I am automatically stupid! I proceeded to tell him just what his salesman told me last year, "In one year, they will pay for themselves!"

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(Tuesday, April 1)
I have something against the lying voices that noise our world.  You've heard them.  They tell you to swap your integrity for a new sale.  To barter your convictions for an easy deal.  To exchange your devotion for a quick thrill.

They whisper.  They woo.  They taunt.  They tantalize.  They flirt.  They flatter.  "Go ahead, it's OK."  "Don't worry, no one will know."

The world rams at your door; Jesus taps at your door.  The voices scream for your allegiance; Jesus softly and tenderly requests it.  The world promises flashy pleasure; Jesus promises a quiet dinner . . . with God.

Which voice do you hear?

from In the Eye of the Storm by Max Lucado

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