25th

Anniversary

We invite you to share

a special moment in our lives

as we celebrate our

25th Wedding Anniversary

Join us for an Open House

from one to four o’clock in the afternoon

on Saturday the 20th of September

Two thousand fourteen

Eagles Club

107 11th St NE

Austin MN

Marvin & Rhonda Eckert

811 12th St NE

Austin MN   55912

Please pass this information on to all of your family so they can share the day with us also.

“Experience is a hard teacher.  She gives the test first, the lesson afterward.”

“It’s easy to make a buck.  It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.”

Tom Brokaw

“Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who’ll never find it out.”

Frank A Clark

” Ask the experienced rather than the learned.”

Arabic Proverb

“Have a heart that never burdens, a temper that never tires, a touch that never hurts.”

Charles Dickens

“Dance as if no one’s watching, sing as if no one’s listening, and live every day as if it were your last.”

Irish Proverb

“Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else’s life forever”

Margaret Cho

“The potential for greatness lives in each one of us.”

Wilma Rudolph

“To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power.”

Maya Angelou

“An unshared happiness is not happiness.”

Boris Pasternak

“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”

Margaret Mead

“You make a living by what you get, you make a life by what you give.”

Winston Churchill

“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.”

Voltaire

“Never let yesterday use too much of today.”

Will Rogers

“Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.  As you think, so shall yo be.”

William James

“A good heart is better than all the heads in the world.”

Edward Bulwer-Lytton

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

Theodore Roosevelt

“If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love.”

Maya Angelou

“The highest forms of understanding we can achieve are laughter and human compassion.”

Richard Feynman

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TURKEY TIME

The pro football team had just finished their daily practice session when a large turkey cam strutting onto the field.  While the players gazed in amazement, the turkey walked up to the head coach and demanded a tryout.

Everyone stared in silence as the turkey caught pass after pass and ran right through the defensive line.  When the turkey returned to the sidelines, the coach shouted, “You’re terrific!!!  Sign up for the season, and I’ll see to it that you get a huge bonus.”

“Forget the bonus,” the turkey said, “All I want to know is, does the season go past Thanksgiving Day?”

Asked to write a composition entitled, “What I’m thankful for on Thanksgiving,” little Jonnie wrote, ” I am thankful that I’m not a turkey.”

Q:  Why do turkeys always go, “gobble, gobble”?

A:  Because they never learned good table manners!

Q:  What sound does a space turkey make?

A:  Hubble, Hubble, Hubble.

Q:  Who is not hungry at Thanksgiving?

A:  The turkey because he’s already stuffed!

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Jesus, You mean the world to me. You
are my life and my all. I’m thankful for
the strength that You give from day to day.
I know that without You I am nothing.

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The secret of peace is to give every anxious care to God.

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“This  is beautiful! “

She  jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come  out of the operating room.  She said: “How is my  little boy? Is he going to be all right?   When can I see him?”  The  surgeon said, “I’m sorry. We did all we could,  but your boy didn’t make  it.”

Sally  said, “Why do little children get cancer?   Doesn’t God care any more?  Where were you, God,  when my son needed you? ”  The  surgeon asked, “Would you like some time alone  with your son? One of the nurses will be out in  a few minutes, before he’s transported to the  university.”

Sally  asked the nurse to stay with her while she said  good bye to her son.  She ran her fingers  lovingly through his thick red curly hair…  “Would you like a lock of his hair?”  the nurse  asked.  Sally nodded yes.  The nurse cut a lock of  the boy’s hair, put it in a plastic bag and  handed it to Sally.

The  mother said, “It was Jimmy’s idea to donate his  body to the University for Study.  He said it  might help somebody else.  “I said no at first”,  but Jimmy said, “Mom, I won’t be using it after  I die.  Maybe it will help some other little boy  spend one more day with his Mom.”  She went on,  “My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always thinking  of someone else. Always wanting to help others  if he could..”

Sally walked  out of Children’s Mercy Hospital for the last  time, after spending most of the last six months  there.  She put the bag with Jimmy’s belongings  on the seat beside her in the  car.

The  drive home was difficult.  It was even harder to  enter the empty house.  She carried Jimmy’s  belongings , and the plastic bag with the lock  of his hair to her son’s room.

She  started placing the model cars and other  personal things back in his room exactly where  he had always kept them.  She lays down across  his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself  to sleep.

It  was around midnight when Sally awoke. Lying  beside her on the bed was a folded letter. The  letter said:

‘Dear  Mom,

I  know you’re going to miss me; but don’t think  that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you,  just ’cause I’m not around to say ‘I Love  You’.  I will always love you, Mom,  even more with each day.. Someday we will see  each other again. Until then, if you want to  adopt a little boy so you won’t be so lonely,  that’s okay with me. He can have my room and old  stuff to play with. But, if you decide to get a  girl instead, she probably wouldn’t like the  same things us boys do. You’ll have to buy her  dolls and stuff girls like, you know.

Don’t  be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat  place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I  got here and showed me around some, but it will  take a long time to see everything. The angels  are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you  know what? Jesus doesn’t look like any of his  pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was  Him.  Jesus himself took me to see GOD! And  guess what, Mom? I got to sit on God’s knee and  talk to  Him, like I was somebody important. That’s when  I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter,  to tell you good bye and everything. But I  already knew that wasn’t allowed. Well, you know  what Mom? God handed me some paper and His own  personal pen to write you this letter I think  Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to  drop this letter off to you. God said for  me to give you the answer to one of the  questions you asked Him ‘where was He when I  needed him?’ ‘God said He was in the same place  with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross.  He was right there, as He always is with all His  children.

Oh,  by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I’ve  written except you. To everyone else this is  just a blank piece of paper. Isn’t that cool?  I  have to give God His pen back now,  He needs it to  write some more names in the Book of Life.  Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for  supper. I’m sure the food will be  great.

Oh,  I almost forgot to tell you.  I don’t hurt  anymore the cancer is all gone.  I’m glad because  I couldn’t stand that pain anymore and God  couldn’t stand to see me hurt so much, either.  That’s when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come  get me.  The Angel said I was a Special Delivery!  How about that?

Signed  with Love from God, Jesus &  Me.

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“When you’re down to nothing, God is  up to something.”

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Just Stay

A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.  “Your son is here,” she said to the old man.  She had to repeat the words several times before the patient’s eyes opened.

Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man’s limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.

The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man’s hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile.  He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital – the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.

Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.

Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.

Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.  “Who was that man?” he asked.  The nurse was startled, “He was your father,” she answered.  “No, he wasn’t,” the Marine replied. “I never saw him before in my life.”  “Then why didn’t you say something when I took you to him?”  “I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn’t here.  When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed.”

I came here tonight to find a Mr. William Grey.His Son was Killed in Iraq today, and I was sent to inform him. What was this Gentleman’s Name?  The Nurse with tears in her eyes,  answered,  Mr. William Grey………….

The next time someone needs you … just be there.   Stay.

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“Business Partners”

A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost.  He reduces height and spots a man down below.  He lowers the balloon further and shouts, “Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?”

The man below says: “Yes, You’re in a hot air balloon, hovering 30 feet above this field.”

“You must work in Information Technology,” says the balloonist.

“I do,” replies the man.  “How did you know?”

“Well,” says the balloonist, “Everything you have told me is technically correct, but it’s no use to anyone.”

The man below says, ” You must work in business.”

“I do,” replies the balloonist, “but how did you know?”

“Well,” says the man.  “You don’t know where you are, or where you’re going, but you expect me to be able to help.  You’re in the same position you were before we met, but now it’s my fault.”

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More Signs of Changing Times . . .

Your reason for not staying in touch with family is that they do not have Facebook.

Your resume is on a CD in your pocket.

Cleaning up the dining area means getting the fast food bags out of the back seat of your car.

You really get excited about a 1.7% pay increase.

You start tilting your head sideways to smile. 🙂

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45s and Other Oddities

A few years back, I had my old 45 RPM records out to look through and my daughter asked what they were.  I explained that back in the 1960’s before CD’s were invented, this was how we listened to music.  I further explained how all the bands and solo performers issued singles on these “45s” and the radio stations would rate the top 40 songs every week.

She was quite impressed as I continued describing how one used a phonograph to play them.  I burst out laughing when she asked in a very straight-faced manner, “Daddy, how many gigabytes does one of these hold?”

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APPLEMANIA
What reads and lives in an apple?

A bookworm

What kind of apple isn’t an apple?

A pineapple

What kind of apple has a short temper?

A crab apple

How do you make an apple turnover?

Push it down hill

What is the left side of an apple?

The part that you don’t eat

How does an apple a day keep the doctor away?

When you take careful aim

If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, what does an onion do?

Keeps everyone away.

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GUILT BY ASSOCIATION

It was the end of the day when I parked my police van in front of the station.  As I gathered my equipment, my K-9 partner, Jake, was barking.  I saw a little boy staring in at me.  “Is that a dog you got back there?” he asked.  “It sure is.” I replied.  Puzzled, the boy loked at me and then towards the back of the van.  Finally he said, “What’d he do?”

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TOO MUCH SUGAR

A fellow nurse at my hospital received a call from an anxious woman.  “I’m diabetic and I’m afraid I had too much sugar today,” she said.  “Are you light-headed?” my colleague asked.  “No,” the caller answered.  “I’m a brunette.”

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Interview Bloopers

The person applying for the job:

…wore a Walkman and said she could listen to me and the music at the same time.

…a balding candidate abruptly excused himself, and returned to the office a few minutes later wearing a hairpiece.

…asked to see the interviewer’s resume to see if the personnel executive was qualified to judge the candidate.

…announced she hadn’t had lunch and proceeded to eat a hamburger and French fries in the interviewer’s office–wiping the ketchup on her sleeve.

…stated that if he were hired, he would demonstrate his loyalty by having the corporate logo tattooed on his forearm.

…interrupted to phone his therapist for advice on answering specific interview questions.

…when asked about his hobbies, he stood up and started tap dancing around the office.

Friendly tip for your next interview:

The interviewer gets the big chair.

Job application question:

Emergency contact number…The applicant wrote 911.

Job benefit:

We don’t block Facebook.

Reaching the end of a job interview,

the human resources person asked a young applicant fresh out of business school, “And what starting salary are you looking for?”  The applicant said, “In the neighborhood of $125,000 a year, depending on the benefits package.”

The interviewer said, “Well, what would you say to a package of five weeks’ vacation, 14 paid holidays, full medical and dental, company matching retirement fund to 50 percent of you salary, and a company car leased every two years, say, a red Corvette?”

The applicant sat up straight and said, “Wow! Are you kidding?”

And the interviewer replied, “Yeah, but you started it.”

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Brain Tease: How do you know when you run out of invisible ink?

It is okay to let your mind go blank, but please turn off the sound.

A college student was asked if he knew the difference between ignorance and apathy.  He replied:  I don’t know and I don’t care.

Do you know the definition of someone who is “well-adjusted”?  They make the same mistake over and over again without getting upset about.

I recently took an IQ test; and, unfortunately, the results were negative.

Mathematical Statistics: There are three kinds of people–those who can count and those who can’t.

I recently got lost in thought–it was unfamiliar territory.

There is nothing wrong with having nothing to say–unless you say it.

If ignorance is bliss, then why aren’t more people happy?

Have you ever considered that half the people you know are below average?  It makes a person feel positively brilliant!

Remember: You can pretend to be serious; you can’t pretend to be witty.

Have you ever wondered: If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why isn’t it #1.

A good way to determine if you are an intellectual or not is if you can listen to the William Tell Overture and NOT think of the Lone Ranger

Have you ever considered: How is it that we had the knowledge to put a man on the moon before someone realized it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

Why Go to Church?

A Church go’er wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday.  “I’ve gone for 30 years now,” he wrote, “and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons.  But for the life of me, I can’t remember a single one of them…  So, I think I’m wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all.”

This started a real controversy in the “Letters to the Editor” column, much to the delight of the editor.  It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:

“I’ve been married for 30 years now.  In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals.   But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals.  But I do know this… They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work.  If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.  Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!”  When you are DOWN to nothing…. God is UP to something!  Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible!  Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

“When Satan is knocking at your door, simply say, “Jesus, could you get that for me?”

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“Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare.

They are consumed in twelve minutes.

Half-times take twelve minutes.

This is not coincidence.”

Erma Bombeck

I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now,  a year from now.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson.

The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and
failing sight made eating difficult.
Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.

When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.

I’ve learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch — holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.

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No matter who your boss is, you are really working for God.

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For those who have helped you, take time to give them thanks.

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Someone has written these beautiful words.

1] Prayer is not a “spare wheel” that you pull out when in trouble; it is a “steering wheel” that directs us in the right path throughout life.

2] Do you know why a car’s WINDSHIELD is so large & the rear view mirror is so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, look ahead and move on.

3] Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes a few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.

4] All things in life are temporary.  If going well, enjoy it – this will not last forever. If things go wrong, don’t worry – this can’t last long either.

5] Old friends are like Gold! New friends are Diamonds! If you get a Diamond, don’t forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a base of Gold!

6] Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, “Relax,  it’s just a bend, not the end!”

7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities.  When GOD doesn’t solve your problems, He has faith in YOUR abilities.

8] A blind person once asked: “Can there be anything  worse than losing eye sight?” He replied: “Yes, losing your vision.”

9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them.  Sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrow’s TROUBLES; it takes away today’s PEACE.

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Thank God we have a message of hope! Our joy is complete as we look to the future return of our Lord and to the mansions He is preparing for us.

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May God make your life a lighted window of Christian example.

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Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.  2 Peter 3:14

Although we live in this world, we must declare our allegiance to heaven.

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From our first breath to our last, we are in God’s care.

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Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God.

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The pleasures of earth cannot be compared to the joys of heaven.

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When we put our problems in God’s hands, He puts His peace in our hearts.

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Forgiveness is the fragrance the flower leaves on the heel of the one who crushed it.

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If you can look on sin without sorrow, then you have never looked on Christ.

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Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.   Romans 12:15

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Compassion is an inner feeling resulting in outward action. It should be our daily uniform of service (Col. 3:12). By God’s grace, may we be known for it.

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True compassion is love in action.

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Reading is an immense gift, but only if the words are asimilated, taken into the soul–eaten, chewed, gnawed, recieved in unhurried delight.

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We visualize the empty tomb at Easter, but let’s not forget the empty cross.

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Talent is God-given; be humble. Fame is man-given; be grateful. Conceit is self-given; be careful.

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Do not bite at the bait of pleasure till you know there is no hook beneath it.

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As believers, we should bare the marks of the cross in how we live and in how we respond to the hurting.

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There are times when criticism is needed, but in most situations praising will produce far better results over time.

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In every person who comes near you look for what is good and strong; rejoice in it; and, as you can, try to imitate it.

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No greater love has ever been shown than when one Perfect Human stood to die for imperfect humanity. To drink from His living water means never to thirst again. Thank you for His gift of salvation.

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While receiving spiritual food from preachers and teachers is good, spiritual growth and survival also depend on knowing how to feed ourselves.

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Spiritual growth requires the solid food of God’s Word.

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Shut Up and Let Her Talk –

Your wife’s need to be heard is her way of letting you be the caretaker and confidant her mother and friends used to be.

I don’t think you will ever really get this. Many have been trying for well over 20 years, and still don’t have it down.

But you need to start somewhere, so here it is: You need to communicate with your wife by learning to shut up.

The things that you’ve talked about in the past will not be sufficient for your future together. The landscape has changed and new topics are coming. I want to emphasize that from now on, expect “talking” to be unfairly weighted to her subjects.

This new form of communication will be enriching to her as she gets to talk in journalistic detail about everything your new life together entails.

You will be longing to tell her about your latest fantasy football pick. She will want to speculate on the new neighbors, relate an obscure childhood story of little relevance, or plan your fiftieth anniversary.

You will be yearning to tell her about the riding mower you sat on at Home Depot last Saturday. She will need to share a brand-new fear she has that no one in the history of rational thought has ever had.

You will be dying to jump in and attempt to fix whatever issue she wants to talk through.   Simply shut up. She will be bonding while she is talking. The smart husband will—get her to talk more.

Ask essay questions. I know the news is about to start, Monday night football looms on the horizon, your boss was in rare form, and the checkbook needs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation—but start to ask questions.

Don’t try to fix anything, because it’s not broken. At worst it’s healing. You don’t fix a bruise or cut; you nurse it. Your wife’s need to be heard is her way of letting you be the caretaker and confidant her mother and friends used to be. You are the go-to guy now, the first stop on the list. She may still need to talk to her mother or friends. Just don’t force her to go to them because you didn’t give her the time she needed.

James, the Lord’s brother, has some great advice for us: “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires” (James 1:19, 20). Wise King Solomon knew something about this as well. He said, “Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish” (Proverbs 18:13, NLT).

For most of us guys, listening is not one of our strengths. We tend not to value it as much as we should. Often we are busy formulating our response to something that has just happened or been said.

I love the Bible story from Judges 13:19-23. It deals with Manoah and his wife, who were the parents of Samson, the strongman. Upon seeing an angel that had appeared to his wife to foretell the future of Samson, Manoah sacrificed a young goat and brought a grain offering. Then this happened:

As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground. When the angel of the Lord did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the Lord.

“We are doomed to die!” he said to his wife. “We have seen God!”

But his wife answered, “If the Lord has meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this.”

Manoah started off honoring God, but his faith faltered, and he needed his wife to sort out his thinking. Rather than process what had just happened, he felt compelled to verbally respond—and he missed what should have been obvious.

See what you learn when you listen?

Don’t get discouraged by thinking that active listening is an Olympic tryout. Your wife is your covenant partner, not an inconvenience. You are doing more than just talking; you’re forging your collective identity, you’re learning to communicate love, and you’re learning what it means to be in partnership. And it might really improve your character development to listen to a creature so different and yet designed to be your suitable helper.

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True wisdom begins and ends with God.

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Billy Graham was returning to Charlotte after a speaking engagement and when his plane arrived there was a limousine there to transport him to his home.  As he prepared to get into the limo, he stopped and spoke to the driver.  “You know” he said,  “I am 87 years old and I have never driven a limousine.   Would you mind if I drove it for a while?”   The driver said,  “No problem. Have at it.”  Billy gets into the driver’s seat and they head off down the highway.   A short distance away, sat a rookie State Trooper operating his first speed trap.  The long black limo went by him doing 70 mph in a 55 mph zone.  The trooper pulled out and easily caught the limo.   He got out of his patrol car to begin the procedure.  The young trooper walked up to the driver’s door, and when the glass  was rolled down,  he saw who was driving.  He immediately excused himself and went back to his car and called his supervisor.  He told the supervisor,  “I know we are supposed  to enforce the law….but I also know that  important people are  given certain courtesies.   I need to know what  I should do because  I have stopped a very important person.”  The supervisor asked, “Is it the governor?” The young trooper said, “No, he’s more important  than that.”  The supervisor said,  “Oh, so it’s the president.”   The young trooper said,  “No, he’s even more important than that.”   The supervisor finally asked, “Well then, who is it?”   The young trooper said, “I think it’s Jesus, because he’s got Billy Graham for a chauffeur!”

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DO YOU KNOW HOW THE APOSTLES DIED?

Matthew Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, killed by a sword wound.

Mark Died in Alexandria, Egypt, after being dragged by horses through the
streets until he was dead.

Luke- was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous preaching to the
lost.

John Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge basin of boiling oil
during a wave of persecution in Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered
from death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of
Patmos.   He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos.
The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of Edessa
in modern Turkey. He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully.

Peter was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross. According to church
tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die
in the same way that Jesus Christ had died.

James, Just The leader! of the church in Jerusalem, was thrown over a
hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller’s club.
* This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the
Temptation.

James the Great, son of Zebedee, was a fisherman by trade when Jesus
called him to a lifetime of ministry. As a strong leader of the church,
James was ultimately beheaded at Jerusalem. The Roman officer who guarded
James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial.
Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution.
Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt
beside James to accept
beheading as a Christian.

Bartholomew also known as Nathaniel Was a missionary to Asia. He
witnessed for our Lord in present day Turkey. Bartholomew was martyred for
his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.

Andrew was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece! . After
being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross
with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was
led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: “I have long desired
and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of
Christ hanging on it.” He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days
until he expired.

Thomas Was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary
trips to establish the church in the sub-continent.

Jude, The brother of Jesus Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny
his faith in Christ.

Matthias The apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot, was
stoned and then beheaded.

Barnabas One of the group of seventy disciples, wrote the Epistle of
Barnabas. He preached throughout Italy and Cyprus. Barnabas was stoned to
death at Salonica.

Paul Was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in
A.D. 67. Paul! endured a lengthy imprisonment which allowed him to write his
many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire.
These letters, which taught many of the foundational doctrines of
Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.
Perhaps this is a reminder to us that our sufferings here are indeed minor
compared to the intense persecution and cold cruelty faced by the apostles
disciples during their times for the sake of the Faith.
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake:

But he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Matthew 10:22.

I hope this is a reminder to us that our sufferings are minor compared to the intense persecution

and cold cruelty faced by the apostles for the sake of their faith.  But even more, if the Apostles

died such a cruel and gruesome death isn’t it possible that Christ died an even more gruesome

death for He died for our sins. Think about it! The sufferings of Christ were real. In fact much more
gruesome and cruel than we can imagine and have ever seen in the movies.

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If you think it’s possible to love your spouse too much, you probably haven’t loved enough.

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Creation is filled with signs that point to the Creator.

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Do your choices bring glory to God or draw attention to yourself?

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To be found, you must admit you are lost.

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Love is more than a feeling; it’s a commitment.

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Love is more than a feeling; it’s a commitment.

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A father was approached by his small son who told him proudly, “I know what the Bible means!”
His father smiled and replied, “What do you mean, you ‘know’ what the Bible means?  The son replied, “I do know!”  “Okay,” said his father. “What does the Bible mean?”  “That’s easy, Daddy…” the young boy replied excitedly,” It stands  for ‘Basic Information Before Leaving Earth.’

There was a very gracious lady who was mailing an old family Bible to  her brother in another part of the country.  “Is there anything breakable in here?” asked the postal clerk.  “Only the Ten Commandments.” answered the lady.

“Somebody has said there are only two kinds of people in the world.   There are those who wake up in the morning and say, “Good morning,  Lord,” and there are those who wake up in the morning and say, “Good  Lord, it’s morning.”

A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because  he was short of time and couldn’t find a space with a meter.   Then he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: “I have circled the block 10 times.   If I don’t park here, I’ll miss my appointment.   Forgive us our trespasses.”   When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with  this note “I’ve circled this block for 10 years. If I don’t give you a  ticket I’ll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation.”

There is the story of a pastor who got up one Sunday and announced to  his congregation: “I have good news and bad news. The good news is, we  have enough money to pay for our new building program. The bad news  is, it’s still out there in your pockets.”

While driving in Pennsylvania , a family caught up to an Amish carriage.   The owner of the carriage obviously had a sense of humor, because  attached to the back of the carriage was a hand printed sign…
“Energy efficient vehicle: Runs on oats and grass. Caution: Do not step in exhaust.”

A Sunday School teacher began her lesson with a question, “Boys and
> girls, what do we know about God?”   A hand shot up in the air. “He is an artist!” said the kindergarten boy.   “Really? How do you know?” the teacher asked.   “You know – Our Father, who does art in Heaven… ”

A minister waited in line to have his car filled with gas just before  a long holiday weekend. The attendant worked quickly, but there were  many cars ahead of him. Finally, the attendant motioned him toward a  vacant pump.   “Reverend,” said the young man, “I’m so sorry about the delay. It
seems as if everyone waits until the last minute to get ready for a long trip.”   The minister chuckled, “I know what you mean. It’s the same in my  business.”

People want the front of the bus, the back of the church, and the  center of attention.

Sunday after church, a Mom asked her very young daughter what the  lesson was about.   The daughter answered, “Don’t be scared, you’ll get your quilt.”   Needless to say, the Mom was perplexed. Later in the day, the pastor  stopped by for tea and the Mom asked him what that morning’s Sunday school lesson was about.   He said “Be not afraid, thy comforter is coming.”

The minister was preoccupied with thoughts of how he was going to ask  the congregation to come up with more money than they were expecting  for repairs to the church building. Therefore, he was annoyed to find  that the regular organist was sick and a substitute had been brought  in at the last minute. The substitute wanted to know what to play.   “Here’s a copy of the service,” he said impatiently. “But, you’ll have  to think of something to play after I make the announcement about the  finances.”   During the service, the minister paused and said, “Brothers and  Sisters, we are in great difficulty; the roof repairs cost twice as  much as we expected and we need $4,000 more. Any of you who can pledge  $100 or more, please stand up.”   At that moment, the substitute organist played “The Star Spangled Banner.”   And that is how the substitute became the regular organist!

When you carry the Bible, Satan gets a headache….. When you open it,  he collapses….. When he sees you reading it, he faints….. When he  sees that you are living what you read, he flees…..

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THE OLD DENTED BUCKET

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, shriveled 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.”
He told me he’d been hunting for a room since noon but with no success, no one seemed to have a room. “I guess it’s my face …. I know it looks terrible, but my doctor says with a few more treatments ..”
For a moment I hesitated, but his next words convinced me: “I could sleep in this rocking chair on the porch. My bus leaves early in the morning.”
I told him we would find him a bed, but to rest on the porch.. I went inside and finished getting supper. When we were ready, I asked the old man if he would join us. “No, thank you. I have plenty.”
And he held up a brown paper bag.
When I had finished the dishes, I went out on the porch to talk with him a few minutes. It didn’t take a long time to see that this old man had an oversized heart crowded into that tiny body. He told me he fished for a living to support his daughter, her 5 children, and her husband, who was hopelessly crippled from a back injury.
He didn’t tell it by way of complaint; in fact, every other sentence was preface with a thanks to God for a blessing. He was grateful that no pain accompanied his disease, which was apparently a form of skin cancer. He thanked God for giving him the strength to keep going…
At bedtime, we put a camp cot in the children’s room for him.
When I got up in the morning, the bed linens were neatly folded and the little man was out on the porch.
He refused breakfast, but just before he left for his bus, haltingly, as if asking a great favor, he said, “Could I please come back and stay the next time I have a treatment? I won’t put you out a bit. I can sleep fine in a chair.” He paused a moment and then added, “Your children made me feel at home. Grownups are bothered by my face, but children don’t seem to mind.”
I told him he was welcome to come again.
And, on his next trip, he arrived a little after 7 in the morning. As a gift, he brought a big fish and a quart of the largest oysters I had ever seen! He said he had shucked them that morning before he left so that they’d be nice and fresh. I knew his bus left at 4:00 a.m. And I wondered what time he had to get up in order to do this for us.
In the years he came to stay overnight with us, there was never a time that he did not bring us fish or oysters or vegetables from his garden.
Other times we received packages in the mail, always by special delivery; fish and oysters packed in a box of fresh young spinach or kale, every leaf carefully washed. Knowing that he must walk 3 miles to mail these, and knowing how little money he had made the gifts doubly precious.
When I received these little remembrances, I often thought of a comment our next-door neighbor made after he left that first morning.
“Did you keep that awful looking man last night? I turned him away! You can lose roomers by putting up such people!”
Maybe we did lose roomers once or twice. But, oh!, if only they could have known him, perhaps their illnesses would have been easier to bear.
I know our family always will be grateful to have known him; from him we learned what it was to accept the bad without complaint and the good with gratitude to God.
Recently I was visiting a friend, who has a greenhouse, as she showed me her flowers, we came to the most beautiful one of all, a golden chrysanthemum, bursting with blooms. But to my great surprise, it was growing in an old dented, rusty bucket. I thought to myself, “If this were my plant, I’d put it in the loveliest container I had!”
My friend changed my mind. “I ran short of pots,” she explained, “and knowing how beautiful this one would be, I thought it wouldn’t mind starting out in this old pail. It’s just for a little while, till I can put it out in the garden.”
She must have wondered why I laughed so delightedly, but I was imagining just such a scene in heaven.
“Here’s an especially beautiful one,” God might have said when he came to the soul of the sweet old fisherman. “He won’t mind starting in this small body.”
All this happened long ago – and now, in God’s garden, how tall this lovely soul must stand.
The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel
16:7b)

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“Friendship isn’t about who you have known the longest, It’s about those who came and never left your side …..”

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Life is hard, but God is good—all the time.

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A Sunday School teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her 5 and 6 year olds.  After explaining the commandment “Honor thy father and thy mother,”  the teacher asked, “Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?”  Without missing a beat, little Johnny replied, “Thou shalt not kill.”

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To keep your marriage brimming, with love in the loving cup, whenever you’re wrong, admit it, whenever you’re right, shut up!

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I finally figured out why I am so full-figured!  As I was conditioning my hair in the shower this morning, I took time to read my shampoo bottle.  I am in shock!  The shampoo I use in the shower that runs down my entire body says “for extra volume and body”!  Seriously, why have I not noticed this before?  Tomorrow I am going to start using “Dawn” dish soap! It says right on the bottle, “dissolves fat that is otherwise difficult to remove”.   It pays to read the warning labels my friends!

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Back in the 50’s there was a well known radio
host/comedian/song writer in  Hollywood named
Stuart Hamblen who was noted for his drinking,
womanizing, partying, etc.

One of his bigger hits at the time was
“I won’t go hunting with you Jake,
but I’ll go chasing women.”

One day, along came a young preacher holding
a tent revival.  Hamblen had him on his radio show
presumably to poke fun at him.

In order to gather more material for his show,
Hamblen showed up at one of the revival meetings.

Early in the service the preacher announced,
“There is one man in this audience who is a big fake.”
There were probably others who thought the same thing,
but Hamblen was convinced that he was the one the preacher
was talking about (some would call that conviction)
but he was having none of that.

Still the words continued to haunt him until a couple
of nights later he showed up drunk at the preacher’s
hotel door around 2AM demanding that the preacher
pray for him!

But the preacher refused, saying, “This is between you and God
and I’m not going to get in the middle of it.”

But he did invite Stuart in and they talked until
about 5 AM at which point Stuart dropped to his
knees and with tears, cried out to God.

But that is not the end of the story.
Stuart quit drinking, quit chasing women,
quit everything that was ‘fun.’ Soon he began
to lose favour with the  Hollywood crowd.

He was ultimately fired by the radio station when
he refused to accept a beer company as a sponsor.

Hard times were upon him.  He tried writing a couple
of “Christian” songs but the only one that had
much success was “This Old House”,
written for his friend Rosemary Clooney.

As he continued to struggle, a long time friend
named John took him aside and told him,
“All your troubles started when you ‘got religion,’
was it worth it all?”
Stuart answered simply, “Yes.”

Then his friend asked, “You liked your booze so much,
don’t you ever miss it?” And his answer was,
“No.” John then said, “I don’t understand how
you could give it up so easily.”

And Stuart’s response was, “It’s no big secret.
All things are possible with God.”
To this John said, “That’s a catchy phrase.
You should write a song about it.”

And as they say, “The rest is history.”

The song Carl Stuart Hamblen wrote was “It Is No Secret.”

“It is no secret what God can do.
What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you.

With arms wide open, He’ll welcome you.
It is no secret, what God can do….”

By the way… the friend was John Wayne.
And the young preacher who refused to pray for
Stuart Hamblen?
…That was Billy Graham.

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I don’t think you will read a better Christmas story,  that is except for  the one recorded in LUKE chapter 2!!!
The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. He hadn’t been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away. It was just another day to him. He didn’t hate Christmas, just couldn’t find a reason to celebrate. He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the last hour and wondering what it was all about when the door opened and a homeless man stepped through. Instead of throwing the man out, Old George as he was known by his customers, told the man to come and sit by the heater and warm up. “Thank you, but I don’t mean to intrude,”said the stranger.  “I see you’re busy, I’ll just go.” “Not without something hot in your belly.” George said.
He turned and opened a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger. “It ain’t much, but it’s hot and tasty. Stew … Made it myself. When you’re done, there’s coffee and it’s fresh.”

Just at that moment he heard the “ding” of the driveway bell. “Excuse me, be right back,” George said. There in the driveway was an old ’53 Chevy. Steam was rolling out of the front. The driver was panicked. “Mister can you help me!” said the driver, with a deep Spanish accent. “My wife is with child and my car is broken.” George opened the hood. It was bad. The block looked cracked from the cold, the car was dead. “You ain’t going in this thing,” George said as he turned away.
“But Mister, please help …” The door of the office closed behind George as he went inside. He went to the office wall and got the keys to his old truck, and went back outside. He walked around the building, opened the garage, started the truck and drove it around to where the couple was waiting. “Here, take my truck,” he said. “She ain’t the best thing you ever looked at, but she runs real good.”  George helped put the woman in the truck and watched as it sped off into the night.

He turned and walked back inside the office. “Glad I gave ’em the truck, their tires were shot too. That ‘ol truck has brand new .” George thought he was talking to the stranger, but the man had gone. The Thermos was on the desk, empty, with a used coffee cup beside it. “Well, at least he got something in his belly.”

George went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do. Christmas Eve meant no customers. He discovered the the block hadn’t cracked, it was just the bottom hose on the radiator. “Well, shoot, I can fix this,” he said to
himself. So he put a new one on. “Those tires ain’t gonna get ’em through the winter either.” He took the snow treads off of his wife’s old Lincoln.  They were like new and he wasn’t going to drive the car anyway.

As he was working, he heard shots being fired. He ran outside and beside a police car an officer lay on the cold ground. Bleeding from the left shoulder, the officer moaned, “Please help me.” George helped the officer inside as he remembered the training he had received in the Army as a medic. He knew the wound needed attention. “Pressure to stop the bleeding,” he thought. The uniform company had been there that morning and had left clean shop towels. He used those and duct tape to bind the wound. “Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin’,” he said, trying to make the policeman feel at ease.  “Something for pain,” George thought. All he had was the pills he used for his back. “These ought to work.” He put some water in a cup and gave the policeman the pills. “You hang in there, I’m going to get you an ambulance.”

The phone was dead. “Maybe I can get one of your buddies on that there talk box out in your car.” He went out only to find that a bullet had gone into the dashboard destroying the two way radio. He went back in to find the policeman sitting up. “Thanks,” said the officer. “You could have left me there. The guy that shot me is still in the area.”

George sat down beside him, “I would never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain’t gonna leave you.” George pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding. “Looks worse than what it is. Bullet passed right through ‘ya. Good thing it missed the important stuff though. I think with time your gonna be right as rain.” George got up and poured a cup of coffee. “How do you take it?” he asked. “None for me,” said the officer. “Oh, yer gonna drink this.  Best in the city. Too bad I ain’t got no donuts.” The officer laughed and winced at the same time.

The front door of the office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun. “Give me all your cash! Do it now!” the young man yelled. His hand was shaking and George could tell that he had never done anything like this before.  “That’s the guy that shot me!” exclaimed the officer.  “Son, why are you doing this?” asked George, “You need to put the cannon away.. Somebody else might get hurt.”

The young man was confused. “Shut up old man, or I’ll shoot you, too. Now give me the cash!”  The cop was reaching for his gun. “Put that thing away,” George said to the cop, “we got one too many in here now.”  He turned his attention to the young man. “Son, it’s Christmas Eve. If you need money, well then, here. It ain’t much but it’s all I got. Now put that pea shooter away.”

George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the young man, reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young man released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry. “I’m not very good at this am I? All I wanted was to buy something for my wife and son,” he went on. “I’ve lost my job, my rent is due, my car got repossessed last week.”

George handed the gun to the cop. “Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it through the best we can.”  He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across from the cop. “Sometimes we do stupid things.” George handed the young man a cup of coffee. “Bein’ stupid is one of the things that makes us human. Comin’ in here with a gun ain’t the answer.. Now sit there and get warm and we’ll sort this thing out.”  The young man had stopped crying. He looked over to the cop. “Sorry I shot you. It just went off. I’m sorry officer.”   “Shut up and drink your coffee ” the cop said.

George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops came through the door, guns drawn. “Chuck! You ok?” one of the cops asked the wounded officer.  “Not bad for a guy who took a bullet. How did you find me?”  “GPS locator in the car. Best thing since sliced bread. Who did this?” the other cop asked as he approached the young man.  Chuck answered him, “I don’t know. The guy ran off into the dark. Just dropped his gun and ran.”

George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other.

“That guy work here?” the wounded cop continued. “Yep,”  George said, “just hired him this morning. Boy lost his job.”

The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded cop and whispered, “Why?”  Chuck just said, “Merry Christmas boy … and you too, George, and thanks for everything.”  “Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break there. That ought to solve some of your problems.”

George went into the back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a ring box. “Here you go, something for the little woman. I don’t think Martha would mind. She said it would come in handy some day.”  The young man looked inside to see the biggest diamond ring he ever saw. “I can’t take this,” said the young man. “It means something to you.”  “And now it means something to you,” replied George. “I got my memories. That’s all I need.”

George reached into the box again. An airplane, a car and a truck appeared next. They were toys that the oil company had left for him to sell. “Here’s something for that little man of yours.”  The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150 that the old man had handed him earlier.  “And what are you supposed to buy Christmas dinner with? You keep that too,” George said. “Now git home to your family.”

The young man turned with tears streaming down his face. “I’ll be here in the morning for work, if that job offer is still good.”  “Nope. I’m closed Christmas day,” George said. “See ya the day after.”

George turned around to find that the stranger had returned. “Where’d you come from? I thought you left?”  “I have been here. I have always been here,” said the stranger. “You say you don’t celebrate Christmas. Why?”  “Well, after my wife passed away, I just couldn’t see what all the bother was. Puttin’ up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine tree. Bakin’ cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn’t the same by myself and besides I was gettin’ a little chubby.”

The stranger put his hand on George’s shoulder. “But you do celebrate the holiday, George. You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry. The woman with child will bear a son and he will become a great doctor.

The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by terrorists. The young man who tried to rob you will make you a rich man and not take any for himself. “That is the spirit of the season and you keep it as good as any man.”

George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. “And how do you know all this?” asked the old man.  “Trust me, George. I have the inside track on this sort of thing. And when your days are done you will be with Martha again..”  The stranger moved toward the door. “If you will excuse me, George, I have to go now. I have to go home where there is a big celebration planned.”

George watched as the old leather jacket and the torn pants that the stranger was wearing turned into a white robe. A golden light began to fill the room.

“You see, George …. it’s My birthday. Merry Christmas.”

George fell to his knees and replied, “Happy Birthday, Lord Jesus”

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GOD BLESS

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