Post Office

A little boy was waiting for his mother to come out of the grocery Store.
As he waited, he was approached by a man who asked,
"Son, can You tell me where the Post Office is?"

The little boy replied, "Sure! Just go straight down this street a
Coupla blocks and turn to your right."

The man thanked the boy kindly and said, "I'm the new pastor in town.
I'd like for you to come to church on Sunday.
I'll show you how to get To Heaven."

The little boy replied with a chuckle. "Awww, come on...
You don't Even know the way to the Post Office."

Which Are You

It takes a minute to read this, but I think it is really profound.
You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how
things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make
it and wanted to give up She was tired of fighting and struggling. It
seemed as soon as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water
and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the
first she placed carrots, in
the second she placed eggs, and in the last she
placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying
a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the
carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and
placed them in a bowl.

Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She
did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter
to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed
the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee.
The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.
The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently... The carrot went
in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the
boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile.
Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after
sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The
ground coffee beans were unique, however.
After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter.
"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a
carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with
pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the
heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a
financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and
stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and
tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water,
the very circumstance that brings the pain.. When the water gets hot,
it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when
things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation
around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their
greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle
adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make
you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you
happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The
brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go
forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was
smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and
everyone around you is crying.

May we all be COFFEE .

So which one are you? That is a question I have to answer as well as each and every person on this earth. I pray the answer for me is a cup of coffee, but I have to be honest and say some days I am more like a carrot or an egg.

Old Barns

Old Barns, Old People and Old Friends!!

A stranger came by the other day with an offer that set me to thinking.
He wanted to buy the old barn that sits out by the highway..
I told him right off he was crazy.
He was a city type, you could tell by his clothes,
his car, His hands, and the way he talked.

He said he was driving by and saw that beautiful barn
sitting out in the tall grass and wanted to know if it
was for sale.
I told him he had a funny idea of beauty.

Sure, it was a handsome building in its day. But then, there's been a lot of winters pass with their snow and ice and howling wind.

The summer sun's beat down on that old barn till all the paint's gone, and the wood has turned silver gray. Now the old building leans a good deal, looking kind of tired.

Yet, that fellow called it beautiful. That set me to thinking. I walked out to the field and just stood there, gazing at that old barn.

The stranger said he planned to use the lumber to line the walls of his den in a new country home he's building down the road.
He said you couldn't get paint that beautiful.

Only years of standing in the weather, bearing the storms and scorching sun,
only that can produce beautiful barn wood.

It came to me then. We're a lot like that, you and I. Only it's on the inside that the beauty grows with us.

Sure we turn silver gray too... and lean a bit more than we did when we were young and full of sap.
But the Good Lord knows what He's doing.

And as the years pass He's busy using the hard weather of our lives, The dry spells and the stormy seasons to do a job of beautifying our souls that nothing else can produce.

And to think how often folks holler because they want life easy!

They took the old barn down today and hauled it away to beautify a rich man's house.

And I reckon someday you and I'll be hauled off to Heaven to take on whatever chores the Good Lord has for us on the Great Sky Ranch. And I suspect we'll be more beautiful then for the seasons we've been through here and just maybe even add a bit of beauty to our Father's house.

May there be peace within you today. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. And I do sincerely Thank God for my wonderful friends and
family who care about me even though I show signs of weathering

I pray you have enjoyed this. When I read this in an e-mail I knew I needed to share it. At this time of my life I feel some days like an old barn and wonder how my hubby can still look at me and smile and say I love you. Or my youndger friends want to talk to me and listen to what I have to say.

You May Live In Indiana

A little history and humor about individuals who live in Indiana. I am one of those people who live in Indiana eventhough I was raised in Illinois.

AIN"T IT THE TRUTH!!!!!!!!!

Here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about Hoosiers..

If your local Dairy Queen is closed
from September through May,
you may live in Indiana .

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you
assistance and they don ' t even work there,
you may live in Indiana .

If you ' ve worn shorts and a parka at the
same time,
you may live in Indiana .

If you ' ve had a lengthy telephone conversation
with someone who dialed a wrong number,
you may live in Indiana .

If "vacation" means going anywhere south of
Muncie for the weekend,
you may live in Indiana .

If you measure distance in hours,
you may live in Indiana .

If you know several people who have hit a deer
more than once,
you may live in Indiana .

If you have switched from ' heat ' to ' A/C ' in
the same day and back again,
you may live in Indiana .

If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow
during a raging blizzard without flinching,
you may live in Indiana .

If you install security lights on your house and garage,
but leave both doors unlocked,
you may live in Indiana .

If you carry jumpers in your car and
your wife knows how to use them,
you may live in Indiana .

If you design your kid ' s Halloween costume
to fit over a snowsuit,
you may live in Indiana .

If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -
you ' re going 80 and everybody is passing you,
you may live in Indiana .

If driving is better in the winter because
the potholes are filled with snow,
you may live in Indiana .

If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter,
winter, still winter and road construction,
you may live in Indiana .

If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car,
you may live in Indiana .

If you find 10 degrees "a little chilly",
you may live in Indiana .

I thought a good laugh was needed today and a good friend sent this to me in an e-mail. I hope this will make your day a happier one.


Ole and Sven

Reverend Ole is the pastor of the local Norwegian Lutheran Church and Pastor Sven is the minister of the Swedish Covenant Church across the road. One day they were seen pounding a sign into the ground, that said:
DA END ISS NEAR!
TURN YERSELF AROUNT
NOW BAFOR IT'S TOO LATE!
As a car sped past them, the driver leaned out his window and yelled, "Leave me alone, you Skandihoovian religious nuts!"
From the curve they heard screeching tires and a big splash.
Rev. Ole turns to Pastor Sven and asks, "Do ya tink maybe da sign should yust say, Bridge Out?"

Christian One Liners

I received this from a friend in an e-mail. As I was reading it I felt others would enjoy it as I did. So have a enjoyable time reading and even laugh if you want.

Christian One Liners

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.
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Many folks want to serve God,
But only as advisers.
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It is easier to preach ten sermons
Than it is to live one.
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The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose,
But mosquitoes come close.
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When you get to your wit's end,
You'll find God lives there.
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People are funny; they want the front of the bus,
Middle of the road,
And back of the church.
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Opportunity may knock once,
But temptation bangs on the front door forever.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Quit griping about your church;
If it was perfect, you couldn't belong.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
If a church wants a better pastor,
It only needs to pray for the one it has.
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We're called to be witnesses, not lawyers or Judges.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
God Himself doesn't propose to judge a man until
he is dead. So why should you?
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Some minds are like concrete
Thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Peace starts with a smile.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
I don't know why some people change churches;
What difference does it make which one you stay home from?
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A lot of church members singing 'Standing on the Promises'
Are just sitting on the premises.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Be ye fishers of men. You catch 'em - He'll clean 'em.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Stop, Drop, and Roll won't work in Hell.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Don't put a question mark where God put a period.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.
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Forbidden fruits create many jams.
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God doesn't call the qualified,
He qualifies the called.
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God grades on the cross, not the curve.
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God loves everyone,
But probably prefers 'fruits of the spirit' over 'religious nuts!'
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+ *+*+*
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
He who angers you, controls you!
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If God is your Co-pilot, swap seats!
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Prayer:
Don't give God instructions, just report for duty!
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The task ahead of us is never as
great as the Power behind us.
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The Will of God never takes you to where the
Grace of God will not protect you.
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We don't change the message,
The message changes us.
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You can tell how big a person is
By what it takes to discourage him.
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The best mathematical equation I have ever seen:
1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given.
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If this blessed you in a profound way today,

Share it with a few friends to bless them!
I bet someone else will LOVE it too.
******************************************************************
There is no greater treasure than a good friend!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

Jesus Loves Me

This song will be sung when I die. My most favorite song.


92 Year Old Preacher

While watching a little TV on Sunday instead of going to church, I watched a church in Atlanta honoring one of its senior pastors who had been retired many years. He was 92 at that time and I wondered why the church even bothered to ask the old gentleman to preach at that age.

After a warm welcome, introduction of this speaker, and as the applause quieted down, he rose from his high back chair and walked slowly, with great effort and a sliding gait to the podium. Without a note or written paper of any kind he placed both hands on the pulpit to steady himself and then quietly and slowly he began to speak....

"When I was asked to come here today and talk to you, your pastor asked me to tell you what was the greatest lesson ever learned in my 50-odd years of preaching. I thought about it for a few days and boiled it down to just one thing that made the most difference in my life and sustained me through all my trials. The one thing that I could always rely on when tears and heartbreak and pain and fear and sorrow paralyzed me... the only thing that would comfort was this verse........ ....

"Jesus loves me this I know.
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong,
we are weak but He is strong.....
Yes, Jesus loves me....
The Bible tells me so."

When he finished, the church was quiet. You actually could hear his foot steps as he shuffled back to his chair. I don't believe I will ever forget it.

A pastor once stated, "I always noticed that it was the adults who chose the children's hymn 'Jesus Loves Me' (for the children of course) during a hymn sing, and it was the adults who sang the loudest because I could see they knew it the best."

"Senior version of Jesus Loves Me"

Here is a new version just for us who have white hair or no hair at all. For us over middle age (or even those almost there) and all you others, check out this newest version of Jesus Loves Me.

JESUS LOVES ME

Jesus loves me, this I know,
Though my hair is white as snow
Though my sight is growing dim,
Still He bids me trust in Him.
(CHORUS)
YES, JESUS LOVES ME.. YES, JESUS LOVES ME..
YES, JESUS LOVES ME, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO.

Though my steps are oh, so slow,
With my hand in His I'll go
On through life, let come what may,
He'll be there to lead the way.
(CHORUS)

When the nights are dark and long,
In my heart He puts a song..
Telling me in words so clear,
"Have no fear, for I am near."
(CHORUS)

When my work on earth is done,
And life's victories have been won.
He will take me home above,
Then I'll understand His love.
(CHORUS)

I love Jesus, does He know?
Have I ever told Him so?
Jesus loves to hear me say,
That I love Him every day.
(CHORUS)

If you think this is neat, please pass it on to your friends. If you do not pass it on, nothing bad will happen, but you will have missed an opportunity to "reach out and touch" a friend or a loved one.

God Bless Us All!!!