QUOTE: I see my body as an instrument rather than an ornament. Alanis Morissette

WHY BIRDS FLY IN A "V" FORMATION Why do Cowboys wear High Heels? Jeff Rovin

They don’t do it to keep from losing members or to present a daunting figure to potential predators. The reasons are purely aerodynamic. The "V" formation helps them to stay aloft.

The flapping of the lead bird generates an updraft that helps the 2^nd row of birds, and so on down the line. The lead bird changes position regularly, giving each bird a chance to "coast," and allowing them to increase their effective range by 60 to 70 percent.

The technique works with airplanes as well, which is one reason long-range bombers often flew in this formation during WWII.

THE HANDS OF CHRIST by Alan Smith
During World War II, a church building in Strasbourg was destroyed. After the bombing, the members surveyed the area to see what damage was done. They were pleased that a statue of Christ with outstretched hands was still standing. It had been sculpted centuries before by a great artist.
Taking a closer look, the people discovered both hands of Christ had been sheared off by a falling beam. Later, a sculptor in the town offered to replace the broken hands as a gift to
the church. The church leaders met to consider the offer and decided not to accept it. They felt the statue without hands would be a great illustration that God's work is done through his people.

Joe DiMaggio was an incredible baseball player for the New York Yankees who played this game long after others had retired. And not only did he play, he always seemed to give every game an extra measure of effort even into his later years. One reporter, noting this commitment to the game asked DiMaggio one day why he still hustled so much. DiMaggio replied: Every day when I walk through the tunnel and look up into Yankee Stadium, I imagine that there is a young man who has come to see me play for the 1^st time and I want him to see me at my best."

Likewise, in our daily work, we should endeavor to work so that God and others around us will always see us at our best, so that God might receive the glory for our labors.

An old lady had always wanted to travel abroad. Now that she was getting on in years, she thought she would really like to do so before she died.
But until now, she'd never even been out of the country. So she began by going in person to the Passport Office and asking how long it would take to have one issued.
"You must take the loyalty oath first," responded the passport clerk. "Raise your right hand, please."
The old gal raised her right hand.
"Do you swear to defend the Constitution of the United States against all its enemies, domestic or foreign?" was the first question.
The little old lady's face paled and her voice trembled as she asked in a small voice, "Uhhh... all by myself?"

Cut and planed lumber was hard to come by in the New World, and since the Pilgrims didn't intend to go back to Europe, they dismantled the Mayflower and used it's lumber to build a barn.

MY DAD BUILDS AIRPLANES Ruell Howe The Creative Years

Two boys, both from a community in which was located a large airplane factory, were interviewed for attendance at a summer camp. One boy was asked by the counselor, "What does your father do"

"Oh, he’s just a riveter," he replied.

The other boy, when asked the same question about his father, who was also a riveter, replied "He builds airplanes."

QUOTE: Duty is doing things well, but love is doing them beautifully.

Poem: LIFTING AND LEANING PEOPLE Ella Wheeler Wilcox

There are two kinds of people on earth today,

Just two kinds of people, no more, I say.

Not the good and the bad, for ‘tis well understood

The good are half bad and the bad are half good.

Not the happy and sad, for the swiftly flying years

Bring each man his laughter and each man his tears.

Not the rich and the poor, for to count a man’s wealth

You must first know the state of his conscience and health.

Not the humble and proud, for in life’s busy span

Who puts on vain airs is not counted a man.

No! the two kinds of people on earth I mean

Are the people who lift and the people who lean.

Wherever you go you will find the world’s masses

Are ever divided in just these two classes.

And, strangely enough, you will find, too, I ween,

There is only one lifter to twenty who lean.

In which class are you? Are you easing the load

Of overtaxed lifters who toil down the road?

Or are you a leaner who lets others bear

Your portion of worry and labor and care?

Sitting still and wishing

Made no person ever great

The good Lord sends the fishing

But you must dig the bait

Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother took the small boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE."
When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that her son was missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit ... keep playing!!" Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child, and he added a running obligatio. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was mesmerized.

QUOTE: Lives based on having are less free than lives based either on doing or on being. William James

Three violin manufactures have all done business for years on the same block in the small town of Cremona, Italy. After years of a peaceful co-existence, the Amati shop decided to put a sign in the window saying: "We make the best violins in Italy."
The Guarneri shop soon followed suit, and put a sign in their window proclaiming: "We make the best violins in the world."
Finally, the Stradivarius family put a sign out at their shop saying: "We make the best violins on the block."

LIGHT THE CANDLE

A young man who had heard the Gospel accepted Christ. A little while after this, a Christian teacher asked him: "What have you done for Christ since you believed?"
He replied: "Oh, I'm a learner."
"Well," said the questioner, "when you light a candle do you light it to make the candle more comfortable, or to have it give light?"
He replied, "To give light."
"Do you expect it to give light after it is half burned, or when you first light it?"
He replied, "As soon as I light it."
"Very well," was the reply, "go thou and do likewise; begin at once."

An out-of-towner drove his car into a ditch in a desolate area. Luckily, a local farmer came to help with his horse named Buddy. He hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, "Pull, Nellie, pull!"
Buddy didn't move. Once more the farmer hollered, "Pull, Nellie, pull!" Buddy didn't respond.
The farmer repeated this action again, with the same results.

Then the farmer nonchalantly said, "Pull, Buddy, pull!" And the horse finally dragged the car out of the ditch.
The motorist was most appreciative and very curious. He asked the farmer why he called his horse by the wrong name three times.
The farmer said, "Oh, Buddy is blind and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn't even try."

HE GOES NUTS

From a passenger ship, everyone can see a bearded man on a small island, shouting and desperately waving his hands.
"Who is it?" a passenger asks the captain.
"I've no idea. Every year when we pass, he goes nuts."

QUOTE: No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he had only had good intentions. – Margaret Thatcher

WINNING - Clifford and Jerie Furness, A 4th Course of Chicken Soup for the Soul.

His mother told us the story the day after. Kenneth was in junior high school and was excited and eager about participating in a day of Special Olympics events. While his parents watched expectantly from the stands, he ran and won the first race. He was proud of his ribbon and the cheers from the crowd.

He ran in the second race. Just at the finish line, when he again would have won, he stopped, then stepped off the track. His parents gently questioned him. "Why did you do that, Kenneth? If you had continued running, you would have won another race." Kenneth innocently replied, "But, Mom, I already have a ribbon. Billy didn't have a ribbon yet."

GOD GLORIFIED IN WEAKNESS – THE BLIND BOY Bits and Pieces, 6,90

It was 1818 in France, and Louis, a boy of 9, was sitting in his father's workshop. The father was a harness-maker and the boy loved to watch his father work the leather. "Someday Father," said Louis, "I want to be a harness-maker, just like you." "Why not start now?" said the father. He took a piece of leather and drew a design on it. "Now, my son," he said, "take the hole-puncher and a hammer and follow this design, but be careful that you don't hit your hand." Excited, the boy began to work, but when he hit the hole-puncher, it flew out of his hand and pierced his eye! He lost the sight of that eye immediately. Later, sight in the other eye failed. Louis was now totally blind. A few years later, Louis was sitting in the family garden when a friend handed him a pine cone. As he ran his sensitive fingers over the cone, an idea came to him. He became enthusiastic and began to create an alphabet of raised dots on paper so that the blind could feel and interpret what was written. Thus, Louis Braille opened up a whole new world for the blind--all because of an accident!

SERVING OTHERS

A Sunday School teacher was teaching her children the benefits of unselfishness. She concluded by saying' "The reason you are in this world, children, is to help others."

After a moment's silence, a little girl piped up' "Well, then, what are the OTHERS here for?"

SERVANT LEADER God's Little Devotional Book
Reporters and city officials gathered at a Chicago railroad station one afternoon in 1953. The person they were meeting was the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner. A few minutes after the train came to a stop, a giant of a man - six feet four inches with bushy hair and a large mustache stepped from the train. Cameras flashed. City officials approached him with hands outstretched. Various people began telling him how honored they were to meet him.
The man politely thanked them and then, looking over their heads, asked if he could be excused for a moment. He quickly walked through the crowd until he reached the side of an elderly black woman who was struggling with two large suitcases. He picked up the bags and with a smile, escorted the woman to a bus. After helping her aboard, he wished her a safe journey. As he returned to the greeting party he apologized, "Sorry to have kept you waiting."
The man was Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the famous missionary doctor who had spent his life helping the poor in Africa. In response to Schweitzer's action, one member of the reception committee said with great admiration to the reporter standing next to him, "That's the first time I ever saw a sermon walking."

GREAT PEOPLE DO FOR OTHERS Phil Lineberger, "Great People Do for Others," Preaching Today, Tape 62.

In the recent NCAA basketball Final Four playoffs here at Dallas, I was interested in the statement made by one of the coaches prior to the game. He was asked, "Why has your team done so well? What is it about this team that has made it come as far as it has, because everybody wants to know about success?"

He said, "We have a motto on our team, and the motto is this' 'Good people do for themselves; great people do for others.'"

BUMPER STICKER LIVES Philip Yancy in Leadership Summer 1980

In Frederick Buechner’s words, "Inspection stickers used to have printed on the back, ‘Drive carefully – the life you save may be your own.’ That is the wisdom of men in a nutshell.

"What God says, on the other hand, is ‘The life you save is the life you lose.’ In other words, the life you clutch, hoard, guard, and play safe with is in the end a life worth little to anybody, including yourself; and only a life given away for love’s sake is a life worth living."

John Brodie, former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, was once asked why a million-dollar player like him should have to hold the ball for field goals and extra points after the touchdown. "Well," said Brodie, "if I didn't, it would fall over."

MOP & BUCKET ATTITUDE Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's Hamburgers, Well Done: A Common Guy's Guide To Everyday Success, (Harper Collins, 1994), p. 159.

Dave Thomas, founder of the Wendy’s Restaurant chain, illustrates the learning value of humility in his book WELL DONE: THE COMMON GUY’S GUIDE TO EVERYDAY SUCCESS. He writes, "I got my MBA long before my G.E.D." (Dave, of course, never graduated from high school.) He continues, "I even have a photograph of me in my MBA graduation outfit -- a snazzy knee-length work apron. I guarantee you that I'm the only founder among America's big companies whose picture in the corporate annual report shows him wielding a mop and a plastic bucket. That wasn't a gag" he continues. "It was a case of leading by example. At Wendy's, MBA does not mean Master of Business Administration. It means Mop Bucket Attitude. It's how we define satisfying the customer through cleanliness, quality food, friendly service, and atmosphere."

OBSERVATIONS ON "MAKING THE MOST OF THE TIME" Bill Gothard Minister’s Seminar 99

• A wasted life is nothing more than the accumulation of wasted time.
• Would you like to take a 2 week vacation to spend with God. Get up 15 minutes earlier each day and spend it with God in prayer (at the end of the year – that’s equivalent to 2 weeks)
• If we don’t live the life we believe… we will believe the life we live.
• Learning to wake up and get up is a matter of mind of mattress.
• Two questions I should ask of every activity before I get involved in it… 1) What will the fruit of this activity be in 5 years and 2) what will the fruit be for eternity.
• The importance of redeeming the time:
• Ps 90 = Time is a limited resource – 70 to 80 years
• Heb. 9:27 = Death is certain… there is a deadline
• James 4:14 = Time is not recoverable
• Matthew 25:14-30 = It’s our most valuable resource
• Matthew 12:36 = We will account for all our idle time
• Gal. 6:7 = Death is the beginning of eternity.

QUOTE: Use what talent you possess. The woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those who sang best. = Henry Van Dyke

QUOTE: "It’s best to ride a horse in the direction it’s going… and when it’s dead – get off." Bob Russell

QUOTE: Jesus considers us partners, and prays for our welfare. Jesus models that partners share in everything. Jesus longs and prays for us to experience the same unity among each other that He experiences with His heavenly Father. – John Maxwell

WHAT’S BEST FOR THE REST John Maxwell, The Power of Partnership in the Church

As much as any team in professional sports, the Boston Celtics of the 1960s are known for teamwork. Coach Red Auerbach was instrumental in the formation of that team and its values. He said he paid his players more for what they could do to help the team win than for their individual statistics. Auerbach once told this story about former Boston Celtic Satch Sanders.

There was a time around his 3^rd of 4^th year when Satch Sanders got to thinking that it might be nice to score a few points of his own. So without being too obvious, he began taking more shots. One night he scored 15 points. Another night he might get 18. Meanwhile, no one said a word about it. Our policy was that the ball belonged to everyone; nobody had exclusive rights to it. If you thought you had a good shot, you were not only encouraged to take it, you were expected to take it.

Then, one night he scored around 25 points, and he lost. It bothered him all the way home. He thought about it long into the night, then came to the following conclusion: "All it takes to upset the balance of this beautiful machine of ours is one man crossing over into another man’s specialty. So I decided that night that it was a much bigger claim to say that I was a member of the world championship team than it was to say I averaged 35 points a game."

Talk about a winning attitude! Satch epitomized the way we played the game in Boston.

The Celtics of that era won an incredible 11 NBA titles. They’ve been called the greatest dynasty in the history of professional sports. And the key to those ongoing victories was the power of partnership.

The best partnerships teach servanthood and selfishness.

JOSEFINA’S SECRET WEAPON John Maxwell, The Power of Partnership in the Church

The July 19, 1948 edition of Time magazine told the astounding story of Josefina Guerrero who was awarded the Medal of Freedom for her heroic partnership with the American government in the face of the harsh brutality of WWII. During the war, Joey, as she was called, spied for the Allied forces in Manila.

Joey was young, pretty and vivacious. Her husband was a wealthy medical student at Santo Tomas University. But after the Japanese invaded the Philippians, she joined her friends and together they helped internees and the U.S. prisoners of war – bring them food, clothing, and medicine. She also carried valuable information back to the U.S. military. She mapped the waterfront areas for the Allied army and prowled the restricted areas recording what she saw. From Joey’s drawings, American planes were able to pinpoint their targets. She quickly won the respect and appreciation of the U.S. officials.

For three years – until the war was over – Joey continued her cloak and dagger career – and was never caught. She was stopped several times by suspicious Japanese, but she was never captured or searched – due to her secret weapon. What was it? Leprosy!

As a leper she had been an outcast. No one wanted to have anything to do with her. After the war began, the very characteristic that had isolated her from others helped her to accomplish her mission. Her weakness became the secret of her strength.

God can do the same thing with our lives, individually and in partnership to accomplish great things in His kingdom.

WOODEN’S WINK AND SMILE John Maxwell, The Power of Partnership in the Church

Who’s the greatest basketball coach of all time? Undoubtedly it’s John Wooden. He coached the UCLA Bruins to more college basketball championships than any other NCAA coach in history. What was his secret to success? Teamwork. Not just the "Come on guys, let’s all work together like a team" kind of thing while every player really does his own thing. Wooden produced the genuine article.

Coach Wooden insisted on a level of dedication and selflessness that is almost unheard of today. The team members all wore the same uniforms, the same kind of shoes – they were even instructed to put on their socks a particular way to protect their feet. And in the interest of uniformity, no player was allowed to sport facial hair. When a young recruit named Bill Walton was confronted with that rule, he said to Wooden, "Coach, I have a beard and I’m going to keep it."

Wooden simply smiled and said, "We’re going to miss you, Bill." Needless to say, Walton shaved the beard.

Individual accomplishments and records held little value to Wooden. Every year he put together the best group of players he could find. And the 5 men who best complemented each other and worked together are the ones he started. But he didn’t consider them to be any more important than the substitutes, his assistants, or even the equipment manager. His motto was, "The most important player when we win – is the rest of the team."

Wooden used to encourage his players to acknowledge the assists of their teammates. If one player received a pass that allowed him to score, Wooden wanted him to give the other man a wink or point to him as they moved down to the opposite end of the court.

"But what if the other player isn’t looking when you point him out?" a new player asked Wooden once.

Wooden just smiled, "Oh don’t worry. He’ll be looking." Coach Wooden understood people – and the power of partnership.

QUOTE: Howard Hendricks said, "I've never met a Christian who planned to have a mediocre life. But I've met plenty of mediocre Christians."

TEAMWORK/WINNING
Paul "Bear" Bryant, the legendary football coach at University of Alabama, said there are five things that winning team members need to know:
1. Tell me what you expect from me.
2. Give me an opportunity to perform.
3. Let me know how I'm getting along.
4. Give me guidance where I'm in need of it.
5. Reward me according to my contribution.

SHE SOLD THE EGGS

A young, married Bible College graduate and his bride were unpacking in their first parsonage. The young bride showed the young preacher a box and told him that he had to promise never to look in it. It was her personal box. He made the promise, but after 25 years he happened to see it on the shelf in the closet. He opened it and found 3 eggs and $1500 in cash.

That night, his curiosity got the better of him and he admitted to his wife that he had looked in the box. He asked her to explain the eggs and the money.

She replied: "Every time you preached a bad sermon, I put an egg in the box."

The preacher felt pretty good about only 3 bad sermons in 25 years. "But, what about all that cash," he asked.

She replied: "Whenever I got a dozen eggs I sold them."

THEY STOOD TOGETHER IN DENMARK John C. Maxwell, The Power of Partnership in the Church

In April of 1940, German tanks rumbled across the borders of yet another peaceful European country – Denmark. Already possessing control of Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland, the powerful Nazi invaders encountered little resistance from the small northern nation.

Soon other countries fell to the Germans as well: Norway, Holland, Belgium and France – their people bullied, bloodied and beaten down. As part of their systematic method of intimidation and oppression, the Germans announced that every Dane of Jewish descent would be required to wear a yellow Star of David. They had done the same thing in Germany. Any Jew who failed to comply would be put to death. The Star of David, a proud symbol of their Jewish faith and culture, would be used to mark them as undesirable members of society – to rob them of their possessions, their dignity, and even their lives.

The Danish government and its people were in no position to do battle against the powerful German army. But their leader, King Christian the 10^th, made a bold move to prevent the Nazis from persecuting the Jewish people among them, one that risked his own life. After the proclamation was made by the occupying army, the Danish monarch called for all of his country’s citizens to wear the Star of David, for every Danish household to stand as partners with their Jewish neighbors.

What would you have done had you lived in Denmark in 1940? Tremendous fear must have gripped the hearts of those 1^st Gentile citizens to venture from their homes the morning after the King’s announcement. Would they be the only ones who had heeded the call? Would they be singled out? Would they be scooped up along with the Jews and executed?

What they saw was nothing short of a miracle. There were Stars of David everywhere. The Jews among them wept when they saw the people’s love and support. And because the people stood together, the Nazis’ full plan of persecution against the Jews was never carried out in that country.

QUOTE: Many people would like to serve God – but only in an advisory capacity.

GRAPE FLAVORED MINISTRY John C. Maxwell, The Power of Partnership in the Church

His life’s dream was to be a missionary, and it looked as though it was finally coming true. As the nervous young man sat in the mission agency’s office, he assured the interviewer that he and his new bride were committed to working hard, managing their resources as good stewards, and seeing that Christ was shared with as many people as possible. He was confident that everything was coming together for him and his future.

But soon it looked like his dream would fall apart. During their cross-cultural preparation, he and his wife realized she could never endure the rigors of living overseas. She was far too fragile and frail. If they went to Africa as planned, she would certainly die. Confused and emotionally crushed, the young man went to work for his father – a dentist with a small side business that produced unfermented wine for church communion services.

As his father grew older, the young man took over the side business. One day, it struck him that perhaps he could still touch the world for Christ. He could still fulfill the words he had spoken to the mission representative that day. He would work hard, be a good steward of his resources, and see that Christ became known to as many people as possible – he would just do it in a different way. He would keep his promise by financially supporting other who could go overseas as missionaries.

He worked hard and eventually built the company into a huge enterprise. What was his name? Welch. Today his grape juice is sold in supermarkets everywhere. And Mr. Welch has given huge sums of money to the cause of world missions. Ironically, he has done far more for world evangelism than he could have by working the field himself. Because he adapted to his circumstances and blossomed where he was planted, he became a valuable partner in missions around the world.

HE HELPED THE MASTER John C. Maxwell, The Power of Partnership in the Church

His name is Elmer Booze. He’s a professional page turner. His job is to follow the score a concert pianist plays and turn pages at the proper times. His goal is to be as unobtrusive as possible, working quickly and quietly without obscuring the pianist’s vision. Booze does his job so well that he is called "the ghost."

Though he helps a performer be successful, a good page-turner doesn’t share the bows – nor is he listed in the program. If he has done his job right, he remains unnoticed.

Elmer Booze is content in his work because his anonymous contribution adds value to something larger than himself. Every time he steps on stage, he helps achieve a goal he could never accomplish alone.

QUOTE: Partnership means work! It means legwork. It means teamwork. It means we work. – John C. Maxwell

QUOTE: One person seeking glory doesn’t accomplish much; everything we’ve done has been the result of people working together to meet our common goals. – Red Auerbach, General Manager of the Boston Celtics in the 60’s – as much as any team in professional sports, Celtics were known for their teamwork.

"There isn’t a single person in the world who can make a pencil," stated Newsweek columnist Milton Freidman as he opened his new TV series Free to Choose. "The wood may have come from a forest in Washington, the graphite from a mine in S. America, and the eraser from a Malaysian rubber plantation. Thousands of people cooperate to make a pencil."

When the two of them met, young Helen Keller was in a cage and would only growl at her new teacher. But Anne Sullivan, nearly blind herself due to a childhood fever, worked with Helen on every aspect of her life; perception, recognition, personal habits, manners, and speech. In time, the 2 of them became inseparable partners. By the time Helen reached adulthood, she was a changed woman. She was communicating efficiently, eating by herself, and taking care of her personal needs. Anne Sullivan had brought about an absolute transformation in her protégé, helping her to become an educated, self sufficient woman.

What you may not know is that Anne Sullivan later experienced her own life crisis. When she suffered a relapse of her previous childhood condition, she became completely blind. Ironically, the "miracle worker," was in need of someone to help her. Can you guess who stepped forward to fill the role? Helen Keller! The recipient of Anne’s encouragement and instruction extended her hand to her former mentor. Helen was able to give back to the very one who had given so much to her.

QUOTE: Partnership is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishment toward organized objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results… Simply put, it is less "me" and more "we." - Anonymous

GOD SENT YOU Bits & Pieces Vol. T No. 8 p. 20

There is marvelous story of a man who once stood before God, his heart breaking from the pain and injustice in the world.

"Dear God," he cried out, "look at all the suffering and distress in the world. Why didn’t you send someone to help?"

God responded, "I did send help. I sent you."

NOBODY CAN DO EVERYTHING, - Gil Scot Heron, American poet, author, songwriter

Nobody can do everything,

but everybody can do something,

and if everybody does something,

everything will get done.

A young boy complained to his father that most of the church hymns were boring to him - too far behind the times, boring tunes, meaningless words. His father put an end to the discussion when he said, "If you think you can write better hymns, then why don’t you?"

The boy went to his room and wrote his first hymn. This was in 1690; the teenager’s name was Isaac Watts. "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" and "Joy to the World" are among the almost 350 hymns written by him.

Group of girls was on tour of large city when they happened to see a very dirty girl playing in a vacant lot. One of the girls noted that the girl's mother apparently didn't love her very much or the child would have been cleaned up. The tour guide interrupted and observed: "The girl's mother probably loves her very much... she just doesn't happen to hate dirt. You hate dirt, but you don't love the child enough to go down there and clean her up. Until hate for dirt and love for that child are in the same person, that little girl is likely to remain just as she is."

David Stone related how he used to have a special outing for his youth. He would read about Jesus washing His disciples feet and then send them out in groups, for a period of 2 hours, with instructions to minister to the people of Louisville, KY as they think Christ would have.

One group went out and bought ice cream cones and took them to a retirement community where several of their congregation lived and delivered the dripping cones to their door.

Another group went to a self service gas station and pumped gas for the patrons.

Each group returned and then shared what they had done and there was a spirit of joy and excitement as they realized they had done something for others and for God.

One group, however, arrived about 15 minutes late. When asked what they had done, they replied that they had gone to their arch rivals, the Baptist Church (they competed heavily in church basketball and other activities). When they asked what they could do, they were asked to help sort the children's library - which took all of 45 minutes. Then they asked what else they would be allowed to do. "Well," replied the Baptist preacher, "we do have a shut-in that needs her yard raked. She's needed done for some time now, but we haven't been able to get anybody over to her home. So the youth went, raked her yard, shared in a prayer circle at her request and then she said these words: "I am so glad I belong to the Baptist Church, it's so nice to know that they care so much for me that you kids would come out and help me."

At that, Stone exclaimed: "Well, you did tell them you were from 1st Christian, didn't you."

"No," they replied, it never occurred to us. We were just so excited about serving God that we forgot all about that."

Back in 1957 the First Brethren Church of Sarasota, Florida had a groundbreaking service. Instead of the usual shovels for special people to use in digging, they brought an old one-horse plow. Recalling the words of Jesus, "Take my yoke upon you," they borrowed an old yoke and two stalwart laymen were hitched up. But the two were unable to pull the plow. Then the entire Building Committee of the congregation was put on the rope, but even then the plow did not move. Other church officers were added, and the Sunday school officers and teachers, but still the plow did not move. Finally every member of the congregation who was present each took hold of the rope. With every member pulling together, the plow moved, the ground was broken.

- If you are doing it because no one else will, it's a JOB;

If you are doing it to serve the LORD, it's a MINISTRY.

- If you are doing it just well enough to get by, it's a JOB;

If you are doing it to the best of your ability, it's a MINISTRY

- If you quit because someone criticized you, it was a JOB.

If you kept on serving, it was MINISTRY.

- If you'll do it only so long as it doesn't interfere with your other activities, it's a JOB.

If you're committed to staying with it even when it means letting go

of other things, it's a MINISTRY.

- If you quit because no one ever praised you or thanked you, it's a JOB

If you stay with it even though no one notices your effort, it's

MINISTRY.

- If you do it because someone else said it needs to be done, it's a JOB

If you do it because you think it needs done, it's MINISTRY.

- It's hard to get excited about a JOB

It's almost impossible not to get excited about a MINISTRY

- An average church is filled with people doing the JOB;

A great church if filled with people who are involved in MINISTRY

- If your concern is success - it's a JOB

If your concern is faithfulness - it's a MINISTRY.

- PEOPLE WILL SAY "Well Done" when you do your JOB

The Lord will say, "Well Done" when you complete your MINISTRY.

In WWII, an allied bombing raid had just returned to its base and told the miraculous story that they had been hit several times by German antiaircraft gunners, but that none of the shells had exploded. Specialists gingerly removed the shells from the plane and took them away to a safe place to examine them. Their surprising discovery: the shells contained no firing pins. In the place of the firing mechanism a note was found written in Czech, apparently by one of the slave workers in a German munitions factory: "this is all we can do for now, wish we could do more."

QUOTE: "A burning heart will find a flaming tongue" - Spurgeon

JACK'S QUIET HUG - Charles Swindoll "Improving Your Serve"

Not knowing how long it was going to be, or whether she was ever going to come out cured, I took the children for a hamburger and talked with them endlessly. I got them ready for bed and continued to talk. I knew that night that I was facing a crisis in my own life that would either make me or ruin me. That afternoon I had gone to a friend's house and had taken a fifth of whiskey of theirs home with me. After I put those kids to bed and prayed with them, my little Cathy saw me cry for the first time in her life. She said: "Dad, I've never seen you cry before." I think that night she learned some things about her dad. That I was a man, that I was human, that I was hurt, alone and lonely.

I bathed, put on some pajamas, and headed for the icebox to mix a drink. At that very moment I think I acknowledged I was through with God for good, through with the Christian life I'd known because I had given everything to him and had now ended up with nothing but a hurt, lonely, confused wife and nest of problems. I was really angry, knowing once again that I had hurt Carolyn deeply. As I went to the refrigerator, the doorbell rang, and an unbelievably wonderful man, Jack Johnston, was standing in the doorway.

I had already prayed earlier that night, and in the middle of my prayer I told God that I didn't understand. I had kept my end of the bargain, but he had done this dastardly thing to me. I didn't even know where he was or what he wanted from me any longer. I had given him my life blood and my family, and now he was trying to destroy me. As Jack walked into the room, he grabbed me and hugged me tight for maybe ten or fifteen minutes, I don't remember. He hugged me so tight and with such strength of caring, that my anger, bitterness, and disappointment seemed transferred from my fragile soul to his very being. He never quoted verses, he never said everything was going to be all right; he just blessed me with a short prayer and walked out the door, carrying my hostilities into the night.

I didn't understand it then, and I don't pretend to understand it now. I still don't understand what happened to Carolyn. But because of Jack, I was able to accept the situation. The love we received from Christians in the next few months was astounding, overwhelmingly beautiful. Meals were brought into our home for one solid month. People came to make up our beds, clean our house. I received money in envelopes through the mail from unknown sources to help with medical expenses that soared out of sight. . .

The thing that destroys a good many of us as Christians is our inability to relate to each other in a warm, honest, compassionate sort of way. Even with those to whom I was close, I failed in this endeavor. I was so busy being a "doing" Christian (Boy, - that certainly was me!) that I'd forgotten what God called me to be.

For so long I didn't know that a Christian was supposed to let someone love him; I thought that he was always supposed to be loving somebody else. I didn't think it was necessary to let anyone love me, including Carolyn. It seems that in the context of my Christian faith, you were adequate if you could love people; but you were considered inadequate if you let them you."

Toward the end of the fourth and the beginning of the third century BC, there was a very famous architect by the name of Sostratos. The king of Egypt used him in order to build the famous beacon light of Alexandria. The king's purpose in building this beacon light was that the ships might find their way into the safety of the port. When the building was completed, architect Sostratos chiseled his own name on a stone that was part of the building. He did not want it to be readily visible and so he covered it with mud and whitewash. On top of that he wrote with gold letters the king's name so that when the waves hit the mud it would wash it away and his own name would appear.

Our world is full of such architects. On the surface they appear as if they are interested in others. They write our names with golden letters but on white washed sand in the hope that any wave would wash it away and their own name would appear in permanent form.

Once upon a time there was a church staff looking for teachers for their young people, and preschoolers for the new Sunday School year.

And some adults said, "I don't want to leave the sweet fellowship and study in my adult class" but the drug pusher on the street said, "Not even the threat of jail will keep me from working with your children".

And some adults said, "We have to be out of town too often on the weekend" but the porno book dealer said, "We're willing to stay in town weekends, too, to accommodate your children".

And some adults said, "I'm unsuited, I unable to work with children or preschoolers" but the movie producers said, "We'll study, survey, spend millions to produce whatever turns kids on".

And some adults said, "I could never give the time required to plan and go to teachers meetings" but the pusher, the porno book dealer, and the movie producer said, "We'll stay open whatever the hours are necessary every day to win the minds of the kids".

So . . . the adults stayed in their classes and enjoyed the sweet fellowship and absorbed the good Bible study, and could go out of town often on weekends, and were available to do whatever was good to do in place of teachers meetings. And when Sunday came, the children came to their classes and no one was there except the church staff going from one room to another trying to assure them that someone would surely come to teach them. But no one ever came, and the young children and preschoolers soon quit coming because they had gone to listen to others who did care about the things they did and what went into their minds.

Albert Schweitzer, upon reporters at a train station observing him helping an older woman with her luggage explained, "At the station at Tarascon we had to wait for the arrival of our train in a distant goods-shed. My wife and I, heavily laden with baggage, could hardly get along. . . between the lines. Thereupon a poor cripple whom I had treated in the camp came forward to help us. He had no baggage because he possessed nothing, and I was much moved by his offer, which I accepted. While we walked along side by side in the scorching sun, I vowed to myself that in memory of him I would in the future always keep a lookout at stations for heavily laden people, and help them. And this vow I have kept. On one occasion. however, my offer made me suspected of thievish intentions!

In Edwin Markham's lovely poem, "The Shoes of Happiness, " Conrad, the old cobbler, dreamed one night that the Master would sometime come to be his guest. When the dawn was yet young he arose and decorated his little shop with bright and gay flowers in anticipation of the great event " When the Master comes" he said to himself, "I will wash His feet where the spikes have been and I will kiss the hands that have been punctured by the nails."

But the Master bid not come. A beggar came, and Conrad gave him a pair of shoes. An old woman came bent with the weight of a heavy burden. He lifted the load from her back and gave her food. Finally just before the day was about to fade away into darkness, a little child came - her eyes wet with tears. In pity, Conrad led her back to her mother.

But the divine Guest never came.

Then soft in the silence a voice he heard:

Lift up your heart for I kept my word.

Three times I came to your friendly door

Three times my shadow was on your floor

I was the beggar with the bruised feet

I was the woman you gave to eat,

I was the child in the homeless street"

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me" ( Matthew 25 :40).

THE SERMON IN THE PEW W/HIPPY A. Campolo "Who Switched The Price Tags?

A few years ago I was asked to be a speaker at a very affluent and very formal Presbyterian church located just outside Washington, D.C. The worship service that Sunday proceeded with all the dignity that expresses Presbyterianism at its best. The magnificent sanctuary, the stately music, and the properly attired congregation blended together to give the impression that all things were being done "decently and in order."

Quite unexpectedly, the decorum of the church was disrupted by a barefooted young man who was spaced-out on drug and dressed in rags. This disreputable-looking creature stumbled down the main aisle of the church all the way to the front of the sanctuary. The entire congregation was taken aback by the intruder. I watched with much anxiety as he stood and stared at the preacher. Then, suddenly, he squatted on the floor just to the right of the pulpit.

The pastor tried to ignore him and did his best to keep the service moving along, but he was obviously upset. Then a tall, elderly gentleman, dressed in establishment attire, got up from his pew and walked deliberately down the aisle toward the strange visitor. The old man carried a brass-capped cane, and some feared that he was going to use it to drive the hippie intruder out of the sanctuary. But instead, something remarkable happened. The old man paused beside that dirty and ragged young man, sat down, and put his arm around his shoulder. Those unlikely partners sat arm in arm for the rest of the service. They provided the congregation of that church with the real sermon of the morning.

When the noted English architect, Sir Christopher Wren, was directing the building of a famous cathedral, some of the workers were interviewed by a passing journalist. He asked three workers the same question, "What are you doing?"

The first said, "I'm cutting stone for ten shillings a day."

The second replied, "I'm putting in ten hours of my life every day on this job."

The third answered, "I'm personally helping Sir Christopher Wren to construct one of London's greatest cathedrals."

A young woman, a great lover of flowers, I had set out a rare vine at the base of a stone wall. It grew vigorously, but it did not seem to bloom. Day after day she cultivated it and tried every possible way to coax it to bloom. One morning, as she examined the vine disappointedly, her invalid neighbor called to her and said, "You can't imagine how much I have been enjoying the blooms of that vine you planted." The owner followed her neighbor's gaze and on the other side of the wall was a mass of blooms. The vine had crept through the crevices and produced flowers on the other side.

HENRY AARON MEANT TO HIT NOT READ R.Digest 4/74 p. 184

Purists claim that Henry attacks the ball all wrong--hitching his swing, sometimes connecting with one foot in mid-air, but the results are manifestly right. During a World Series game in 1957, Yankee catcher Yogi Berra warned Aaron that he was holding his bat with its printed label down instead of up. "I'm here to hit," answered Henry, "not to read." So saying, he smote one of three home runs that he contributed to the Braves' first Series victory in 43 years.

TELL THE ARMY WE HAVE PLANS R.Digest 9/95 p. 51

Though I had been in the Air Force for 16 years when I got married, my wife, Rebecca, had no idea how the military operated. Soon after the wedding, we made plans to spend the weekend with her parents. On Friday, my squadron called and told me that, as flight engineer on a C-141B transport, I was to leave the next afternoon for an eight-day mission. Rebecca was disappointed.

"Don't you get weekends of like normal people?" she asked.

I pointed out that I was on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

"But, honey," she replied, "couldn't you just explain to them that we had plans?"

DOING IT WELL Lynn Newsletter 3/6/95 by Paul Nichols

According to a research firm in Southern California, 99.44% is acceptable only to the surety of a certain brand of bar soaps. To make a point, a company executive explained what life would be like if everything and everyone performed correctly only 99% of the time:

- drinking water would be unsafe one hour each month.

- two planes would crash land each day at Chicago's O'Hare airport.

- five hundred surgeries per week would be bungled.

- twenty-thousand prescriptions per year would be improperly filled.

Several other examples were given, but the above is enough to get the point -- Any job worth doing is worth doing well.

Certainly our Lord practiced this in His earthly ministry. Mark records for us (Mark 7:37) the response of the people to the marvelous works of Jesus--"He has done all things well."

Brethren and friend, Jesus Christ has done "all things." "In Christ" we are 100% forgiven!! "In Christ" we are given the privilege and opportunity to worship and serve Him well.

UNSEEN CRAFTSMANSHIP - Angola C of Christ Newsletter, J.D. Saunders

Oscar Hammerstein had seen a picture, a photograph of the Statue of Liberty from a helicopter. And he said: "This picture reveals the intricate detail that has been sculpted on Lady Liberty's head, her hair and her crown and all of those things at that angle which no one could ever see," and he said, "I got to thinking that sculptor must have realized that never will anyone see the top of the Statue of Liberty's head, since there were no airplanes or helicopters when the statue was set in place. But he spent the same kind of detail and care and painstaking craftsmanship on the top of Lady Liberty's head as he did down at the feet and everywhere else that would be seen by everyone." Little did he know that someone could see it from above.

ENTERTAINING ANGELS AT THE WALDORF ASTORIA

"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it" (Hebrews13:1-2).

On a stormy night many years ago an elderly gentleman and his wife entered the lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia. "All the big hotels are filled up," exclaimed the man. "Could you possibly give us a room here?"

The clerk explained that there were three conventions in town, and all the hotels, large and small, were filled to capacity. "All our rooms are filled too," the clerk continued; "still, I simply can't send a nice couple like you out in the rain at One o'clock in the morning. Would you possibly be willing to sleep in my room?

At the hotel clerk's insistence, the couple consented. "Don't worry about me; I'll make out just fine," the clerk assured them. Next morning as the elderly gentleman paid his bill, he remarked to the clerk, "You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States. Who knows, someday I may build one for you."

The clerk looked a bit surprised at such an unusual suggestion; but the old gentleman's wife smiled knowingly, The three had a good laugh over the elderly man's extravagant remark. The clerk helped them with their bags to the cab.

In the two years that passed the clerk nearly forgot the incident, when he received a letter from the man. It recalled that memorable night and enclosed a round trip ticket to New York City, asking the young man to pay them a visit. In New York City, after renewing the acquaintance, the elderly gentleman led his guest to the corner of Fifth Avenue & Thirty-fourth Street and pointed to a great new building there, a palace of reddish stone, with turrets and watch towers, like a castle from fairyland thrusting into the sky.

"That" said the man of distinction, "is the hotel I have just built for you to manage."

"You must be joking," the young man said modestly, not quite knowing whether or not to believe his friend.

"I most assuredly am not," said the man of wealth, a smile playing around his mouth. "My name William Waldorf Astor and this will be the Waldorf Astoria, and it's yours to run." Thus, the young clerk who had been so this once kind doer of deeds was the first manager of the Waldorf and his name was George C. Boldt.

A little over a century ago, Leo Tolstoy tried puzzling out a plan to rid Moscow of the poor and homeless. The famed novelist and wealthy aristocrat first went to the worst hovels in town and gave money to beggars. He realized, however, that he had been "cheated by men who said they only needed money to buy a railway ticket home" when he spotted them still in town days later. Next, Tolstoy spent several months helping take the Moscow census, searching for the "truly" needy. But Tolstoy saw the homeless could not be helped merely by "feeding and clothing a thousand people as one feeds and drives under shelter a thousand sheep." At last, he sadly concluded: "Of all the people I noted down, I really helped none... I did not find any unfortunates who could be made fortunate by a mere gift of money."

Jesus is truly the answer. As we meet the physical needs of the homeless, let's give them the bread and water of life which will truly set them free.

I was hungry and you formed a humanities club and discussed my hunger.

I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your chapel and prayed for my release.

I was naked and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.

I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health.

I was homeless and you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God.

I was lonely and you left me alone to pray for me.

You seem so close to God; but I am still very hungry, and lonely, and cold.

I read about a woman who telephoned a friend and asked how she was feeling, "Terrible," came the reply over the wire, "my head's splitting and my back and legs are killing me. The house is a mess, and the kids are simply driving me crazy." Very sympathetically the caller said, "Listen, go and lie down, I'll come over right away and cook lunch for you, clean up the house, and take care of the children while you get some rest. By the way, how is Sam?"

"Sam?" the complaining housewife grasped. "My husband's not Sam."

"My heavens," exclaimed the first woman, "I must have dialed the wrong number."

There was a long pause. "Does that mean you're not coming over?"

I like the story told about Sam Rayburn who was Speaker for the House of Representatives longer than any other man (1989 info). One of his friends lost a teenage daughter and early the next morning Rayburn knocked on his door.

"I just came by to see what I could do to help." The father replied that there was nothing to do. "Well," Rayburn said, "have you had your coffee this morning?" The man replied that they had not taken time for breakfast. While Rayburn was working in the kitchen, the man came in, and said, "Mr. Speaker, I thought you were supposed to be having breakfast at the White House this morning."

"Well, I was, but I called the President and told him I had a friend who was in trouble and I couldn't come."

ROTATING LEADERSHIP Milton Butler, New Lisbon Christian Church, August 1989

A flock of large birds were taking off, beginning their flight for the day. There were nine of them in formation. This reminded me of an account of sandhill cranes written by Bruce Larson in his book entitled, "Wind and Fire."

"These large birds, who fly great distances across continents, have remarkable qualities. 1st, they rotate leadership. No one bird stays out in front all the time. 2nd, they chose leaders who can handle turbulence. And then, all during the time one bird is leading, the rest are honking their affirmation."

Have you ever wandered why some churches are vibrant and growing while others seem to be struggling and discouraged? Bruce Larson suggest it may be a difference in attitude. If the people of God are building up and encouraging one another the atmosphere is optimistic. But, if there is a critical, negative spirit it breeds discouragement and failure.

"That's not a bad lesson for the church," says Larson. "Certainly, we need leaders who can handle turbulence and who are aware that leadership ought to be shared. But most of all, we need a church where we are all honking encouragements."

A sea captain and his chief engineer were at odds about whose job was the most vital on their ship. They decided that the best way to settle the question would be to exchange positions. The captain went below deck to run the engine room, and the chief engineer climbed to the bridge and grabbed the wheel.

Several hours later the captain appeared on deck, his clothes covered with oil and grease. "Chief," he yelled up to the bridge as he swung a wrench in hand, "come down here. I can't make 'er go!"

"I know," yelled the chagrined engineer, "I've run 'er aground!"

THE MEANING OF LIFE "It was on fire when I lay down on it." Robert Fulghum

Near the village of Kolympari on the island of Crete is an institute dedicated to human understanding and peace, and especially to reconciliation between Germans and Cretans. The Orthodox Academy of Crete site overlooks a small airstrip where Nazi paratroopers were attacked by peasants wielding kitchen knives and hay scythes. The German retribution was terrible. The populations of whole villages were shot. Hatred was the only weapon the Cretans had at the end, and many vowed never to give it up.

How has a foundation devoted to healing the wounds of war come to be here? The answer is Alexandros Papaderos. A theologian, educator and son of this soil, Papaderos came to believe that if the Germans and Cretans could forgive one another, then any people could. By the time I came to the institute he helped create, Papaderos had become a living legend.

I asked: "Dr. Papaderos, what is the meaning of life?"

Papaderos looked at me for a long time, asking with his eyes if I was serious and seeing that I was.

"I will answer your question."

Taking his wallet from hip pocket, he fished out a small round mirror, the size of a quarter. Then he said, "I was a small child during the war. One day, on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. I kept the largest piece. This one. I began to play with it and became fascinated that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine - deep holes, crevices, dark closets.

I kept the little mirror, and as I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child's game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life - that I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design I do not know. With what I have, I can reflect light - truth, understanding, knowledge - into the black places in the hearts of men and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I do."

REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE Reader's Digest Feb 1990 p. 199

Pop Star Cliff Richard visited a Bahari refugee camp in Bangladesh:

That first morning I must have washed my hands a dozen times. I didn't want to touch anything, least of all the people. Everyone in those camps was covered with sores and scabs.

I was bending down to one little might, mainly for the photographer's benefit, and trying hard not to have too close a contact. Just then someone accidentally stood on the child's fingers. He screamed and, as a reflex, I grabbed him, forgetting his dirt and his sores. I remember that warm little body clinging to me and the crying instantly stopping. In that moment I knew I had much to learn about practical Christian loving, but that at least I'd started.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE R.Digest 9/84 p.29

As the old man walked the beach at dawn, he noticed a young man ahead of him picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea. Finally catching up with the youth, he asked him why he was doing this. The answer was that the stranded starfish would die if left until the morning sun.

"But the beach goes on for miles, and there are millions of starfish," countered the old man, "how can your effort make a difference?"

The younger man looked at the starfish in his hand and then threw it into the safety of the waves. "It makes a difference to this one," he said.

WEAVING ACCORDING TO MASTER'S PLAN ("from Spirituality of Gentleness" by Judith Lechman from "Today's Christian Woman" March/April 1988)

During the Renaissance, great hand-woven pictorial tapestries came to be valued as works of art. Yet surprisingly, the weaver never created the composition; in fact, it was illegal for any member of the weaver's guild to do so. Instead, a master artist chose the design and drew it to precise specifications, taking into account everything from shape to fabric color.

Then, a member of the medieval weaver's guild developed a tapestry by inserting pliant, colored wool threads called wefts into taut, stationary horizontal cotton warps. Each weft consisted of not one, but several strands of wool wound together to give it both strength and flexibility. The weaver alone decided how thick or thin each weft needed to be, how many strands were to be intertwined to make a single thread, and how tightly those strands would be joined. Yet in winding the thread, the craftsman understood that he had to remain true to the pattern being created.

HAVE YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE? R.Digest 5/83 p.240

Is anybody happier because you passed his way?

Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?

Can you say tonight, in parting with the day that's slipping fast,

That you helped a single brother of the many that you passed?

Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said?

Does the man whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead?

Did you leave a trail of kindness, or a scar of discontent?

As you close your eyes in slumber, do you think that God will say,

"You have earned one more tomorrow by the work you did today?"

THE BEST REACH OUT - R.Digest 9/85 p.187

In a world where bad deeds are celebrated

and good deeds relegated

to page 49 of the paper,

Where first place goes to push and shove

and the cost of things is put above

the cost of time together.

From time to time, The best of us

Reach out and touch the rest of us.

REWARD FOR GOOD DEEDS - R.Digest 12/82 p. 71

I was driving to a job interview and running 15 minutes late when I saw a middle-aged woman stranded with a flat tire. My conscience made me stop. I changed her tire and headed to the interview, thinking I could just forget about getting the job now.

But I filled out the job application nevertheless, and went to the personnel director's office. Did I get the job? Sure thing. The personnel director hired me on the spot. She was the woman whose tire I had just changed.

NO CALL FOR THE LAZY - Pulpit Helps Aug.1985

Recently I approached a member of our church for help in one of our programs. Her reply was: "I do not have the time to give."

I thought of the following lines I had read somewhere:

"God never goes to the lazy or to the idle when He needs men for His service. When He has work to be done, He goes to those who are already at work. When God wants a great servant, He calls a busy man.

* Moses was busy with his flock at Horeb.

* Gideon was busy threshing wheat by the winepress

* Saul was busy searching for his father's lost sheep

* David was busy caring for his father's sheep.

* Elisha was busy plowing with twelve yoke of oxen

* Nehemiah was busy bearing the King's wine cup

* Amos was busy following the flock

* James and John were busy mending their nets

* Matthew was collecting customs

I DIDN'T SPEAK UP - Martin Niemoeller

When they came for the Communists, I didn't speak up because I wasn't a communist. When they came for the Social Democrats, I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Social Democrat. When they came for the Jews, I didn't speak up because I was already in the concentration camp. By then nobody was left who could or wanted to protest.

THE SHIP DOESN'T SINK - Ralph W. Sockman from "The Treasure Chest"

There are parts of a ship which, taken by themselves would sink. The engine would sink. The propeller would sink. But when the parts of a ship are built together they float.

"I AM A PENCIL IN GOD'S HAND," said Mother Teresa. "He does the writing. The pencil has nothing to do with it."

MINISTRY & FRUSTRATION - Richard E. Heckert from speech at Howard University.

"Many of you learned quite a while ago, and at a very young age, that it's not work that makes you tired. It's frustration that comes from lack of work or lack of accomplishment. Real frustration comes when you cannot find useful work to do."

HARMONICA PLAYING by Dale Rabinaeu 1/9/91

I got a harmonica for Christmas. I suppose that doesn't sound like much, but that's what I wanted more than anything else. I thought I'd take lessons, but I can't find a teacher, so I guess I'll have to teach myself, and I'm not sure how that will work out. I'm hoping that I'll soon have developed my ability to the point that I can use it productively - sacred concerts, accompanying the DeKalb County Chorale, the national anthem at Tiger stadium, and the other usual stuff.

Insightful Discovery #1: MY HARP PLAYS ONLY IN THE KEY OF C. (For you laymen, we harmonica players refer to our instruments as "harps" - I think it's so we can get it through the Pearly Gates).

I can learn to play songs on it just fine. In fact, I can probably progress quite well on it if I put in the practice time. However, if I wait to accompany Handel's "Messiah" I'm going to have problems. You see, Mr. Handel didn't write it in the key of C. He wrote it in H flat or some other high-brow key that could only be played by guys in powdered wigs and tights. I could learn to play the tunes perfectly, but if I'm not playing in the same key as the orchestra, it'll sound like Presbyterian church bells everytime - ugly as a toad.

God's purpose in sending Jesus was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), and the church (God's people) is to continue that ministry. If you life-style, priorities, goals, desires, etc. are not consistent with that purpose, you are playing in a different key. The tune may be a familiar one to you, but if it is discordant with what the orchestra (church) is playing, the Maestro may not have a place for you. "if anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself... and follow me." (Mt. 16:24).

PURPOSE & HAPPINESS By Leo Rosten "Passions & Prejudices" (McGraw/Hill)

I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be "happy." I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all, to matter: to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.

A man was visiting a home for the retarded. For an hour he talked with a young woman named Mary, a girl whose body was covered with tumors). He put his arm around her and said "you really are a beautiful person." "Thank you," she replied. "No one has ever gotten close enough to notice."

In 1784, Ben Franklin wrote the following letter to a man named Benjamin Webb: "Dear sir: Your situation grieves me and I send you herewith a banknote for 10 louis d'or. I do not pretend to give such a sum; I only lend it to you. When you shall return to your country, you cannot fail of getting into some business that will in time enable you to pay all your debts.

In that case, when you meet with another honest man in similar distress, you must pay me by lending the sum to him, enjoining him to discharge the debt by a like operation when he shall be able and shall meet with such another opportunity.

I hope it may go through many hands before it meets with a knave that will stop its progress. This is a trick of mine for doing a deal of good with a little money. I am not rich enough to afford much in good works, and so am obliged to be cunning and make the most of a little.

With best wishes for your future prosperity, I am, dear sir, your most obedient servant. B. Franklin.

NO REGRET FOR KINDNESS - The Newsletter Newsletter 7/93

I have wept in the night for the shortness in sight

That to somebody's need made me blind

But I never have yet felt a tinge of regret

For being a little too kind.

SHOULD MISSIONARIES IMPOSE ON NATIVES? Don Richardson in "Peace Child"

Many people have asked me: Did you have a right to go among these people? Shouldn't the Sawi have been left undisturbed to live their lives as they please? I believe that if I had not been there that day... someone else would have ... later, possibly with different motives and results. Those who advocate that the world's remaining tribal groups should be left to themselves do not realize that the world just isn't big enough any more for anyone to be left alone. If missionaries do not go in to give; lumbermen, crocodile hunters, prospectors, and farmers will still go in to take. The issue is not, then, should anyone go in; but rather, will the most sympathetic person get there first?

QUOTE: Benjamin Franklin said: "Serving God is doing good to man. But praying is thought an easier service and is therefore more generally chosen."

PAINTING OVER A NAME - R.Digest 11/78 p.251

An old frame church in New England stood in desperate need of exterior paint, so the minister recruited a half dozen volunteers from his congregation. But he couldn't get them to show up for the job - until he had a devilish inspiration. He divided the building into 6 segments, then, in bold letters 3 feet high, painted a volunteer's name on each segment. Shortly thereafter, each recruit dutifully arrived to paint his segment, fulfill his pledge - and avoid all that public notoriety.

Korczak Ziolkowsi was born in Boston in 1908. Orphaned at age one, he grew up in foster homes. He was completely self taught, and never took one lesson in art, sculpture, architecture or engineering. Yet, in 1947 he arrived in the Black Hills to begin transforming a mountain into a statue of Crazy Horse. In his biography he states "Sure it will me a long time to finish it. There are 2000 miles of surface on that mountain carving... What happens after I'm gone? I'm like a jackhammer. When a jackhammer wears out, you throw it away and get another one. I am only the means. This project is much bigger than I am. You know, in ancient times it was nothing for generation after generation to work on one statue or building.

I SHALL PASS THIS WAY ONCE - Etienne de Grellet:

I shall pass through this life but once,

Any good, therefore, that I can do

Or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature

Let me do it now.

Let me not defer or neglect it,

For I shall not pass this way again.

VALOR BY CIVILIANS AT D DAY R.Digest 6/74 p. 78

Scores of men remember one particular sight. At the height of the battle on Omaha Beach, a middle aged French civilian appeared with his son. "They had enough courage for 50 of us," recalls Maj. Elmore Swenson. "As we lay pinned down, we saw them, surrounded by small arms fire, calmly rowing a boat back and forth picking up the dead, dying and wounded from the water. Who they were and where they came from we never found out."

THE HOLE'S NOT IN MY END r.digest February 1975

People who refuse to get involved in the problems of their community are like the two shipwrecked men in a lifeboat. From their end of the boat, the pair watched as the other end bailed frantically to keep the boat afloat. One said to another, "Thank heaven the hole it not in our end of the boat."

PLAYING ORGAN "TOGETHER The T.P.A. Travelers Magazine April 94

An old fashioned story with a timely point comes to us from the days when organs were supplied the needed oxygen through the bellows by the pumping of a bellows boy.

A great artist was playing the organ most skillfully, and when the intermission came, he was roundly applauded. As he left the stage, the little bellows boy met him. "Say mister, we certainly went over all right didn't we?"

The organist replied rather stiffly, "What do you mean, we? I'm doing the playing."

After the intermission, the organist came forward to play again. But to his amazement, and disgust, no sound was forthcoming from the organ. Exasperated, he whispered to the boy: "what's the matter back there? Why don't I get any sound?" Not a word in reply. The organist started fingering the keys again. Still there was no music. "Come on, boy, lets get going," he whispered hoarsely, while beads of perspiration broke out on his brow. Then can the shrill voice from behind the organ, "Say we mister, and she'll play."

MASON/DIXON LINE UNCLE JOHN'S 4th BATHROOM READER
Charles Mason/Jeremiah Dixon. English surveyors. In the 1760's, they were called in to settle a boundary dispute between two prominent Colonial families - the Penns of Pennsylvania and the Calverts of Maryland. A hundred years later, the line they laid out became the North/South border.

ROCHESTER NY = FRIENDLIEST CITY? R.Digest 6/94

Rochester NY (in 1994) was chosen from amongst 36 cities in America for the second time (the first study was in 1940 choosing from among 43 cities) to be known as the "friendliest city in the United States." The researcher was amazed to find that a city in New York State would be singled out for such an honor in a nation wide survey and so he determined to find out why.

What he found was an event at in 1829 that shook the boisterous "gateway to the west city, known for its taverns and transients, to its foundations and converted its members to a tradition of reaching out to others. It seems, at that time, there was a daredevil named Sam Patch who earned his living by attempting great feats of daring. He arrived in Rochester and announced that he would be diving from the heights of their local falls into the foaming waters beneath. The great day arrived and thousands of the local citizenry assembled to watch this man defy death. He dove from the cliffs, as advertised, but apparently lost his balance - arms twirling madly he struck the churning waters below with a great splash. Minutes passed, but he didn't resurface & the audience waited in silence as they watched for him to come out on the shores below. They waited in vain. In time the crowd began to break up as the people went in shock to their homes. The man's body was discovered in the ice the following spring.

Two days after Patch's fatal jump (a Sunday), a prominent businessman of the community, Josiah Bissell, arose in the 3rd Presbyterian Church and declared that all "who by their presence encouraged that soul to leap into eternity will be held accountable on the Judgment Day." Grief enveloped the church as people wept openly. Bissell then determined to send for Charles G. Finney, a prominent evangelist of that day, and paid his expenses for six months. During that time, Finney met with or confronted various groups within the community convicting them of their need for Jesus and His forgiveness and the importance of reaching out to others for the sake of God's love for them. The result was an entirely convicted community and a city wide determination to dedicate themselves to good deeds and charity that still influences their children and grandchildren to this day (as evidenced by their winning the award). Amongst the outcomes: a church building boom, establishment of a University, public school system, charities, reformation of the prison system and a dedication to fight slavery (Rochester was a station on the Underground Railroad).

SPECIAL OLYMPICS WINNERS - The Newsletter Newsletter, October 94

A few years ago at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100 yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win.

All, that is, except one boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times and began to cry. The others slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back. Everyone of them. One girl with Down's syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, "This will make it better." Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line.

Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story.

John A. Huffman, Jr., tells the story of Florence Nightingale who, one night during the Crimean War, was passing down a hospital ward. She paused to bend over the bed of a wounded soldier. As she looked down on him with eyes of compassion, the young man looked up and said, "You're Christ come to me."

The term posthaste goes back to the time of Henry VIII. Postmasters were given relays of horses to carry messages for the king to important cities in England. Because some couriers were irresponsible and wasted time in taverns and inns on the way, a drastic law was put into effect demanding that every dispatch carrier should "ride for his life." The king's edict meant that anyone caught delaying his messages would be publicly hanged. Often there was drawn upon important letters the figure of a man suspended from a gallows.

Beneath was this ominous warning: "Haste, post, haste! Haste for thy life!" A number of men did suffer death because of their inefficiency, but in the 19th century the practice was discontinued. However, the old expression still remains as a reminder that the utmost speed and urgency is required when the king's business is involved!

WHERE WOULD YOU LIVE? Words in the office of General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army:

Some wish to live within the sound

Of church or chapel bell;

I want to run a rescue shop

Within a yard of hell.

CHURCH MOURNS DEATH OF PROMINENT MEMBER The Sword & The Staff

The church was saddened to learn of the death this past week of one of its most prominent members, "Someone Else."

"Someone's" passing creates a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. "Else" has been with us for so many years. "Someone" did far more than a normal person's share of the work. Whenever there was a job to do, a class to teach, or a meeting to attend, one name was on everyone's list. Let "someone else" do it.

It was common knowledge that "Someone Else" was among the most generous givers in the church. Whenever there was a financial need, everyone just assumed that "Someone Else" would make up the difference. "Someone Else" was a wonderful person - sometimes appearing to be superhuman, but a person can only do so much. Were the truth known, everyone expected too much of "Someone Else."

Now "Someone Else" is gone. We wonder what we are going to do. "Someone Else" left a wonderful example to follow, but who is going to do the things "Someone Else" did? When you are asked to help, remember that we can no longer depend on "Someone Else."