Keep Driving

A lady was driving along with her father.
They came upon a storm, and the young lady asked her father, What should I do?"

He said "keep driving"..  Cars began to pull over to the side, the storm was getting worse. 

"What should I do." The young lady asked?

"Keep driving," her father replied.

On up a few feet, she noticed that eighteen wheelers were also pulling over.  She told her dad, "I must pull over, I can barely see ahead.  It is terrible, and everyone is pulling over!"

Her father told her, "Don't give up, just keep driving!"
Now the storm was terrible, but she never stopped driving, and soon she could see a little more clearly. After a couple of miles she was again on dry land, and the sun came out.

Her father said, "Now you can pull over and get out."

She said "But why now?" 

He said "When you get out, look back at all the people that gave up and are still in the storm, because you never gave up your storm is  now over. This is a testimony for anyone who is going through "hard times". Just because everyone else, even the strongest, gives up.

You don't have to...if you keep going, soon your storm will be over and the sun will shine upon your face again.

Feel free to pass it on to some people you know.
Tell them never give up, because GOD will never give up on them!

"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me!"

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God's Boxes

I have in my hands two boxes,
Which God gave me to hold.
He said, "Put all your sorrows in the black box,
And all your joys in the gold."

I heeded His words, and in the two boxes,
Both my joys and sorrows I stored,
But though the gold became heavier each day,
The black was as light as before.

With curiosity, I opened the black,
I wanted to find out why,
And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole,
Which my sorrows had fallen out by.

I showed the hole to God, and mused,
"I wonder where my sorrows could be!"
He smiled a gentle smile and said,
"My child, they're all here with me.."

I asked God, why He gave me the boxes,
Why the gold and the black with the hole?
"My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings,
The black is for you to let go."

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Happiness is The Way

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.

The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D. Souza. He said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."

This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time and remember that time waits for no one. So, stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you die, until you are born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination. Work like you don't need money, Love like you've never been hurt, And dance like no one's watching. God has given each of us a "gift" that we are to use to glorify His name! Do you know yours???

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God is Always Near

One thing can always cheer me
When I'm feeling sad and low
When I tired of daily trials
That I have to undergo,
When those who should
Seem closest, seem like
People I don't know,
One thing can always cheer me
I know that God is near me.

One thing can always cheer me
When I do not understand
How pain and sadness
In our lives
Can get so out of hand,
When the best of human efforts
Doesn't meet the days demands,
One thing can always cheer me
I know that God is always near me.

One thing can always cheer me
More than anything I've known
And show me I will never
Have to struggle on my own
For no matter what might happen
I will never be alone
The thing that will always cheer me
Is just knowing God is near me.

Our lives are in God's loving
Hands, in everything we do
He is with us constantly,
He always sees us through.
And if our faith is strong enough
We'll never walk alone,
For with His great and perfect love
He takes care of His own.

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Beattitudes Of Marriage

Blessed are the husband and wife who continue to be affectionate, considerate, and loving after the wedding bells have ceased ringing.

Blessed are the husband and wife who are as polite and courteous to one another as they are to their friends.

Blessed are they who love their mates more than any other person in the world, and who joyfully fulfill their marriage vow of a lifetime of fidelity and mutual helpfulness to one another.

Blessed are they who attain parenthood, for children are a heritage of the Lord.

Blessed are they who remember to thank God for their food before they partake of it, and who set apart some time each day for the reading of the Bible and for prayer.

Blessed are those mates who never speak loudly to one another, and who make their home a place "where seldom is heard a discouraging word."

Blessed are the husband and wife who faithfully attend the worship service of the church, and who work together in the church for the advancement of Christ's kingdom.

Blessed are the husband and wife who can work out the problems of adjustment without interference from relatives.

Blessed is the couple which has complete understanding about financial matters, and have worked out a perfect partnership, with all money under the control of both.

Blessed are the husband and wife who humbly dedicate their lives and their homes to Christ, and who practice the teachings of Christ in the home by being unselfish, loyal and loving.

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36 Stress Reducers

1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you to do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.,
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut.) This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough exercise.
18. Eat right.
19. Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write thoughts and inspirations down.
22. Everyday, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until its time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you, Jesus!"
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but yourself, not at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego.
33. Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.

** GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU**

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Three Things

Three things in life that, once gone, never come back
1. Time
2. Words
3. Opportunity

Three things in life that can destroy a person
1. Anger
2.. Pride
3. Unforgiveness

Three things in life that you should never lose
1. Hope
2. Peace
3. Honesty

Three things in life that are most valuable
1. Love
2. Family
3. Kindness

Three things in life that are never certain  
1. Fortune
2. Success
3. Dreams

Three things that make a person  
1. Commitment
2. Sincerity
3.  Hard work

Three things that are truly constant -
Father - Son - Holy Spirit

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GOD Himself

Mark was a multi-millionaire. He was a CEO of 20+ companies (He never told me the exact number). I met him when I was a 14-year old kid who loved sharing God to others.

So Mark invited me to preach in his huge mansion. So there I was, standing in front of Mark and six of his friends---businessm en of equal wealth and stature. Can you imagine how I looked like at 14? I was a small, thin, ugly, peepsqueaky kid---dressed in a faded shirt and a pair of old brown sandals---nervously holding my Bible--- speaking in front of these millionaires. It was almost hilarious! Why would these bigwigs listen to a nobody?

But when I started telling them about God's love for them---simple stories that any grade schooler could understand-- -the fascinating thing happened: I saw these grown-up men listening intently. I realized they were desperately hungry for God. After my short talk, I led them in a prayer and a song, and I recall how Mark shed tears in front of his friends---and soon after, the others followed.

I can never forget that experience. It made me realize that no matter how old you are, or what state of life you're in---you've got a soul that needs to be fed daily. At the end of the day, your deepest and greatest need is God Himself.

By Bo Sanchez

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I am blind, please help..

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: 'I am blind, please help.' There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, 'Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?'

The man said, 'I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.'

What he had written was: 'Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.' Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing? Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story :

Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.

Invite others towards good with wisdom. Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Great men say, 'Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness. In the journey of life, if you want to travel without fear, you must have the ticket of a good conscience.'

The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling...
And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!

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Before You Start Work Today

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Four People You Will Meet In Life

Four people you will meet in life. Life is the process of finding love; every person will need to find four people in their life.

First person is you, second person is the one you love most, third person is the one who love you most, and the fourth is the one you spend the rest of your life with.

In life, firstly you will meet with the one you love most, and learn how love feels. Because you know how love feels, so you can find the person who loves you most. When you have experienced the feeling of loving others and being loved, you will then know what it is you need most. Then you will find the person who is most suitable for you, to be able to spend the rest of your life with.

Sadly, in real life, these three people are usually not the same person.

The one you love most doesn’t love you. The one, who love you most, is never the one you love most. And the one you spend your life with, is never theone you love most or the one who love you most.

He is just the person who happens to be at the right place at the right time.

Which person are you in other people’s life?

No person will purposely have a change of heart. At the point in time when he loves you, he really loves you. But when he doesn’t love you anymore, he really doesn’t love you anymore. When he loves you, he can’t pretend that he doesn’t. Same goes, when he loves you no more, there’s no way he can pretend he loves you.

When a person doesn’t love you and wants to leave you. You must ask yourself if you still love him, if you also don’t love him anymore, do not keep him just to save your pride. If you still love him, you should wish him happiness, and hope that he will be with the one he loves most, not stop him from it. If you stop him from finding true happiness with the one he loves, it shows you already don’t love him, and if you don’t love him, what rights do you have to blame him for a change of heart?

Love is not possessive, if you like the moon, you can’t just take it down and put it in your basin, but the moonlight still shines upon you. In other words, when you love a person, you can use another method of possessing the person. Let him become a permanent memory in you life. If you really love a person, you must love him for what he is. Love him for his good points, and the bad, you can’t wish for him to become like what you like him to be just because you love him. If he can’t change to become what you like him to be, you don’t love him anymore.

When you really love a person, you cannot find a reason why you love him, you only know that no matter when and where, good mood or bad mood, you will wish to have this person be with you. Real love is when two people can go through the toughest problems without asking for promises or listing criterias. In a relationship, you have to put in effort and give in at times, not always be on the receiving end. Being away from each other is a type of test, If the relationship isn’t strong, then you can only admit defeat. Real love will never become hate.

When two people are in love, they love to ask each other to swear, to make promises. Why do they ask each other to swear and promise? Because they don’t trust each other, they don’t trust their lover. These swear and promises are useless; Till the sky falls, till the ocean dry, my love for you will never change! We all know that the sky will never fall; the ocean will never dry, even if it does happen, are we still alive by then?

Be careful when making promises; don’t make promises that you cannot keep. Swear by things that can never happen, because it can never happen, so no harm just saying it casually. Remember, swearing by things that can never happen are the most touching!! In a relationship, what you say is one thing, but what you do is another; The one saying, doesn’t believe; the one listening, also doesn’t believe.

NB:
I always felt that my love life seems doesn’t go well as I wish. It always hurt.

Those words really have a great great meaning and too easy to be written but it’s absolutely difficult to do..

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A Little Faith

The temporary church-school teacher was struggling to open a combination lock on the supply cupboard. She thought that perhaps she'd forgotten the correct combination, so she went to the pastor's study and asked for help.

The minister came into the room and began to turn the dial. After the first two numbers he paused and stared blankly for a moment. Then he lifted his eyes upward and whispered something too faint to be heard. He finally turned back to the lock, entered the final number and opened it.

The teacher was amazed. "I'm in awe at your faith, Pastor," she said.

"It's really nothing," he answered. "The number is taped to the ceiling."

Of course, he still may have been a man of great faith. Or he may have been a man of little faith. Not that it matters, for even a little faith can move a mountain-sized obstacle. Often, if we just begin with a tiny bit of belief and fertilize it with desire, even some of the most impossible obstacles imaginable can be surmounted and some of the most outlandish aspirations can be realized. Just a little belief, firmly held, can accomplish a great thing.

Many Warsaw Jews died during the German occupation of their city during World War II. But some survived, and some were sustained by faith. During those dark years, an unknown hand wrote this graffiti on a Warsaw ghetto wall:

I believe in the sun, even if it does not shine.
I believe in love, even if I do not feel it.
I believe in God, even if I do not see Him.
Faith, little or great, can make a big difference.

Steve Goodier -- From *Prescription for Peace* by Steve Goodier

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Daddy From Heaven

Her hair up in a pony tail,
her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy's Day at school,
and she couldn't wait to go.

But her mommy tried to tell her,
that she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand,
if she went to school alone.

But she was not afraid;
she knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates,
on this Daddy's Day.

But still her mother worried,
for her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again,
she tried to keep her daughter home.

But the little girl went to school,
eager to tell them all.
There were daddies along the wall in back,
for everyone to meet.

Children squirming impatiently,
anxious in their seats.
One by one the teacher called,
a student from the class.

To introduce their daddy,
as seconds slowly passed.
At last the teacher called her name,
every child turned to stare.

Each of them were searching,
for a man who wasn't there.
"Where's her daddy at?"
she heard a boy call out.

"She probably doesn't have one,"
another student dared to shout.
And from somewhere near the back,
she heard a daddy say,

"Looks like another deadbeat dad,
too busy to waste his day."
The words did not offend her,
as she smiled at her friends.

And looked back at her teacher,
who told her to begin.
And with hands behind her back,
slowly she began to speak.

And out from the mouth of a child,
came words incredibly unique.
"My Daddy couldn't be here,
because he lives so far away.

But I know he wishes he could,
be with me on this day.
And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know.

All about my daddy,
and how much he loves me so.
He loved to tell me stories,
he taught me to ride my bike.

He surprised me with yellow roses,
and taught me to fly a kite.
We used to share fudge sundaes,
and ice cream in a cone.

And though you cannot see him,
I'm not standing all alone.
"Cause my daddy's always with me,
even though we are apart

I know because he told me,
he'll forever be here in my heart"
With that her little hand reached up,
and lay across her chest.

Feeling her own heartbeat,
beneath her favorite dress.
And from somewhere in the crowd of dads,
her mother stood in tears.

Proudly watching her daughter,
who was wise beyond her years.
For she stood up for the love,
of a man not in her life.

Doing what was best for her,
doing what was right.
And when she dropped her hand back down,
staring straight into the crowd.

She finished with a voice so soft,
but its message clear and loud.
"I love my daddy very much,
he's my shining star.

And if he could he'd be here,
but heaven's just too far.
But sometimes when I close my eyes,
it's like he never went away."

And then she closed her eyes,
and saw him there that day.
And to her mother's amazement,
she witnessed with surprise.

A room full of daddies and children,
all starting to close their eyes.
Who knows what they saw before them,
who knows what they felt inside.

Perhaps for merely a second,
they saw him at her side.
"I know you're with me Daddy,"
to the silence she called out.

And what happened next made believers,
of those once filled with doubt.
Not one in that room could explain it,
for each of their eyes had been closed.

But there placed on her desktop,
was a beautiful fragrant yellow rose.
---(---(---( --@@
And a child was blessed, if only a moment, by the
love of her shining bright star.
And given the gift of believing,
that heaven is never too far.

Author Unknown

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Is GOD Real?

God are you real? The little child whispered, "God, speak to me". And a meadowlark sang. But the child did not hear. So the child yelled, "God, speak to me!"

And the thunder rolled across the sky But the child did not listen. The child looked around and said, "God let me see you". And a star shone brightly, but the child did not notice.

And the child shouted, "God show me a miracle!" and a life was born but the child did not know. So the child cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are there!"

Whereupon God reached down and touched the child. But the child brushed the butterfly away And walked away unknowingly.

Author Unknown

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Your Tounge Can Be Your Worst Enemy!

Your words, your dreams, and your thoughts have power to create conditions in your life. What you speak about, you can bring about.

If you keep saying you can't stand your job, you might lose your job.
If you keep saying you can't stand your body, your body can become sick.
If you keep saying you can't stand your car, your car could be stolen or just stop operating.
If you keep saying you're broke, guess what? You'll always be broke.
If you keep saying you can't trust a man or trust a woman, you will always find someone in your life to hurt and betray you.
If you keep saying you can't find a job, you will remain unemployed.
If you keep saying you can't find someone to love you or believe in you, your very thought will attract more experiences to confirm your beliefs.
If you keep talking about a divorce or break up in a relationship, then you might end up with it.

Turn your thoughts and conversations around to be more positiveand power packed with faith, hope, love and action.

Don't be afraid to believe that you can have what you want and deserve.

Watch your Thoughts, they become words.
Watch your Words, they become actions.
Watch your Actions, they become habits.
Watch your Habits, they become character.
Watch your Character, for it becomes your Destiny.

The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settle for.

Thought I would share this with you.
In the search for Me, I discovered Truth.
In the search for Truth, I discovered Love.
In the search for Love, I discovered GOD.
And in God, I have found Everything.

Be Blessed

Watch how your circumstances and situations begin to change when you change the way you speak.

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Control Everything That Can Be Controlled

We are often spending our time and energy to feel worry about all the things which is out of our control. We try so hard to control uncontrollable peoples or things, manipulating everything and got frustrated that all we have done is useless. 4 things which are normally uncontrollable in our life are :

1. Other people
We cannot change our partner, children, boss or colleagues, even if we want it to.

2. Our inheritance
We cannot choose the family where we were born, or we will be born as a boy or a girl.

3. Our past
Some of us would like to change our past. Sins, mistakes, bad decisions, wrong curves, which all of this obsessed us and we often imagine if we can control our past. We are all known there is nothing we can do to change our past.

4. Environment and our surrounding
There are many things in our life which cannot be controlled. Economics, drunk driver who crashed your car, living cost, weather, etc. If we try to control the uncontrollable things, it would be ended almost every time with frustration and disenchantment, and we harmed our self. If we try to control the uncontrollable peoples in our life, the truth which is happening is that we destroy out own happiness. Knowing that we cannot control them but we are still trying, it would make us become in their control. Our happiness, peace and our comfort are depending to their behaviour, achievement or attitude. Then, when we were frustrated because we cannot control those uncontrollable, we disposed to give full rein to our God. Our relationship with God is stop and we are suffering because we get no love and power from Him to help us. God do not abandon us; He does not leave us or ignore us. God is able and ready to take the uncontrollable things or persons and carry all your problems in His shoulder. He will be there to give all the support and help that you need. God will not take all your problems until you admit it that all your problems is out of your control.

There are things in our life that we can control:

1. Our relationship with God.
It needs a disciplines, acceptance and willingness. If your relationship with God is more important than anything else, you will have a power to control all the uncontrollable things.

2. Our mind.
If you prefer to think about all the wrong things, imagining all the bad things, thinking about all the negative things, and you let your mind to control our surrounding, you will never win from the uncontrollable things.

3. Our tongue.
So many damages happened every day because of the uncontrollable tongues. How important for us to control our tongue and all the words that we said. Our relation with others will get better soon if we can control our tongue.

4. Our attitude.
Even your condition is very bad, there is nothing that can force you to do a bad thing if you do not want it to, and even your condition is very good, there is nothing that can force you to do a good thing if you do not want it to. Our attitude is our own choice.

5. Our integrity.
We can control our integrity. Are you honest to all what you have done in your live? Are you known as a person to be relying on? If we are using our time and power to control the controllable things, there will be enough power and wisdom to handle the uncontrollable. We are not wasting time to be frustrated because of the uncontrollable persons or things, since we are too busy to control the controllable things or person. If you can control the controllable things, you can handle also the uncontrollable.

Source : "How to remain growing from 9 am to 5 pm"

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God Answer Prayer

God answers prayers in 3 ways
He says yes and gives you what you want
He says no and gives you something better
He says wait and gives you the Best

Jesus loves you

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Feeling More Thankful

A man lay in a hospital bed worried about whether he would live or die. He called his pastor to come pray for him. He told her that if he got well, he'd donate $20,000 to the church. The pastor prayed and the man eventually DID get well and returned home. But no check came to the church. So the pastor paid him a visit.

"I see you're doing quite well now," she observed.

"I was just wondering about the promise you made."

"What promise?" he asked.

"You said you'd give $20,000 to the church if you recovered."

"I did?" he exclaimed.

"That goes to show you just how sick I really was!"

It is easy to give thanks -- or to show it -- when we feel grateful. But gratitude is not a feeling we can manufacture. Nor are we born feeling grateful. Children are not thankful by nature. We teach them to say thanks and, in time, they develop stronger feelings of gratitude.

My children could talk before they were weaned from diapers, but one thing they never said was, "Thank your for changing my dirty diapers. Dad, I know that is a messy job. I appreciate all you are doing for me." Too bad. Sometimes I deserved a BIG thank you. When they were sick, they never thanked us for sitting up with them at night. And when they became car sick at the beginning of a road trip, they never said thanks for cleaning it up. Even though their mother and I spent almost a half hour scrubbing the carpet in a convenience store parking lot at seven degrees below zero (our metric system readers will recognize that as -22 degrees Celsius), they never did said, "Gosh, guys, you're the greatest parents ever! We are SO lucky to be part of this family."

Naturally, we wouldn't expect small children to thank their parents for being parents. And for most people, feelings of gratitude come with empathy as we mature. But can we learn to feel more thankful? Here are three simple steps to help anybody live more thankfully and to respond more authentically.

First, recognize WHEN a thankful response is appropriate. We take for granted too many of the things that we should be giving thanks for.

Second, spend a moment reflecting on how another's thoughtfulness makes you feel. Be intentional about this.

Then third, from a sincere feeling of gratitude, give thanks. When you do, you will also discover that you are becoming a happier person.

-- Steve Goodier

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Amazing Grace

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me....

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now, I see.

T'was Grace that taught...

my heart to fear.

And Grace, my fears relieved.

How precious did that Grace appear...

the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares...

we have already come.

T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...

and Grace will lead us home.

The Lord has promised good to me...

His word my hope secures.

He will my shield and portion be...

as long as life endures.

When we've been here ten thousand years...

bright shining as the sun.

We've no less days to sing God's praise...

then when we've first begun.

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me....

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now, I see.

THE AMAZING STORY of AMAZING GRACE
Born into a captain's family who traded at the East India Company, John Newton (July 24, 1725 - December 21, 1807) embarked on sea voyages at the young age of 11. He soon entered the prosperous slave trade until he nearly died on a voyage that would change his life forever. He proclaimed, "Only God's amazing grace could and would take a rude, profane, slave-trading sailor and transform him into a child of God." This would influence his famed hymn Amazing Grace, in which he declared he was once blind but now could see. Newton wrote the hymn after converting to Christianity in 1748 and abandoning his participation in the slave trade. Newton also wrote of his experiences in his autobiography An Authentic Narrative published in 1764, the same year he was ordained as a priest in the Church of England. John Newton went on to write many other hymns as well.

Author Unknown

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Still He Walked

He could hear the crowds screaming "crucify" "crucify"...

He could hear the hatred in their voices,

These were his chosen people.

He loved them,

And they were going to crucify him.

He was beaten, bleeding and weakened... his heart was broken,

But still He walked.

He could see the crowd as he came from the palace.

He knew each of the faces so well.

He had created them.

He knew every smile, laugh, and shed tear,

But now they were contorted with rage and anger...his heart broke,

But still He walked.

Was he scared?

You and I would have been

So his humanness would have mandated that he was. He felt alone.

His disciples had left, denied, and even betrayed him.

He searched the crowd for a loving face and he saw very few.

Then he turned his eyes to the only one that mattered

And he knew that he would never be alone.

He looked back at the crowd, at the people who were spitting

At him, throwing rocks at him and mocking him and he knew

That because of him, they would never be alone.

So for them, He walked.

The sounds of the hammer striking the spikes echoed through

The crowd. The sounds of his cries echoed even louder,

The cheers of the crowd, as his hands and feet

Were nailed to the cross, intensified with each blow.

Loudest of all was the still small voice inside his

Heart that whispered "I am with you, my son",

And God's heart broke.

He had let his son walk.

Jesus could have asked God to end his suffering,

But instead he asked God to forgive.

Not to forgive him, but to forgive the ones who were persecuting him.

As he hung on that cross, dying an unimaginable death,

He looked out and saw, not only the faces in the crowd,

But also, the face of every person yet to be,

And his heart filled with love.

As his body was dying, his heart was alive.

Alive with the limitless, unconditional love he feels for each of us.

That is why He walked.

When I forget how much My God loves me,

I remember his walk.

When I wonder if I can be forgiven,

I remember his walk.

When I need reminded of how to live like Christ,

I think of his walk.

And to show him how much I love him,

I wake up each morning, turn my eyes to him,

And I walk.

- Author Unknown -

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