Stories
and Inspirational Messages:
One Day Closer...
My heart searches for you
everywhere I go,
hoping to see a trace
of the warmth I found
in your smile.
You are ever on my mind,
the tide that dashes
upon the shore,
keeping my heart awake
and my dreams alive.
And I could never still
these thoughts of you,
because you turn
the gray sky blue
when winter calls.
And when the night
falls heavy,
you make the stars
shine twice as bright,
lighting up
my world with hope,
and making me yearn for
the dawn that will bring us
one day closer
to being together.
"One Day Closer," written
and designed by Bobette Bryan, 2002
(TOP)
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The Heart's
Will...
If the chatter
in our lives could
be muted,
all the negative
words we ever heard
cancelled or refuted;
if every "it's impossible,"
and "You can't,"
could be still,
and we heard only
the voice of the
heart's will;
and if we could quiet
the noise that
insensitive people make,
it would be so easy
to keep our
hopes and dreams awake.
"The Heart's Will," written
and designed by Bobette Bryan, 2002 (TOP)
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Christ's Christmas Alphabet
A
is for Angels, appearing so bright, Telling of Jesus that first Christmas night.
B
is for Bethlehem, crowded and old, The birthplace of Jesus by prophets foretold.
C
is for Cattle, their manger His bed, There in the stable where He laid His head.
D
is for David and his ancient throne, Promised forever to Jesus alone.
E
is for East, where shone the bright star Which Magi on camels followed afar.
F
is for Frankincense, with myrrh and gold, Brought by the Wise Men as Matthew has
told.
G
is for God, who from heaven above Sent down to mankind the Son of His love.
H
is for Herod, whose murderous scheme Was told to Joseph in a nocturnal dream.
I
is for Immanuel, "God is with us," For Christ brought man back to his Father's
house.
J
is for Joseph so noble and just, Obeying God's word with absolute trust.
K
is for King. A true king He would be, Coming in power and authority.
L
is for Love that He brought down to earth That night in the stable in His lowly
birth.
M
is for Mary, His mother so brave, Counting God faithful and mighty to save.
N
is for Night, when the Savior was born, For the nations of earth and people
forlorn.
O
is for Omega, meaning "the last", He's eternal: present, future and past.
P
is for Prophets, who living on earth Foretold His redemption and blessed birth.
Q
is for Quickly, as shepherds who heard Hastened to act on that heavenly word.
R
is for Rejoice. The sorrow of sin Is banished forever when Jesus comes in.
S
is for Savior. To be this He came, The angel of God assigned Him His name.
T
is for Tidings related to all, Telling of Him who was born in a stall.
U
is for Us, to whom Jesus was given To show us the way and take us to heaven.
V
is for Virgin, foretold by the sage, God's revelation on prophecy's page.
W
is for Wonderful, His works and His words, The King of all Kings, the Lord of
all Lords.
X
is for Christ. It's X in the Greek, Anointed Messiah, mighty yet meek.
Y
is for Yes, called God's Yes in His Word; God's answer to all is Jesus the Lord.
Z
is for Zeal as it burned in Christ's heart; Lord, by thy Spirit to us zeal
impart.
Remember the reason for
the season!
(TOP)
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Christmas Is Remembering...
Christmas is remembering. .
.
The road to Santa Claus,
The blessed time of
childhood
That meant so much. . .
because
It held the tinseled magic
Of fairyland array,
When all the world was
laughter. . .
And life was only play.
Christmas is remembering. .
.
A tree ablaze with light,
The family gathered closely
And knowing deep delight.
Exchanging gifts and
sharing,
The gaiety and song
That star the festive
season. . .
Each time it comes along.
Christmas is remembering. .
.
Our friends who're far and
near,
By giving and receiving. . .
A season always dear.
The mistletoe and holly,
As scarlet tapers glow,
The Christ Child in a
manger. . .
So very long ago.
By Hilda Butler Farr
(TOP)
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Angels
Angels were sent here to watch over us. They come to us in
many forms - in the shape of our families, in the form of our friends. And in
unseen ways that we will never be aware of.
Even though you can't always recognize them, and sometimes
you can't even see them, know that you are surrounded by Angels watching over
you and protecting you. ~ Author
Unknown ~
(TOP)
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Prayer’s For Our Children
-
1) SALVATION.
"Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the
salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Isaiah 45:8, 2 Timothy
2:10).
-
2)
GROWTH IN GRACE. "I pray that my children may
grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter
3:18).
-
3) LOVE.
"Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the
Spirit who dwells in them" (Galatians 5:25, Ephesians 5:2).
-
4) HONESTY
AND INTEGRITY. "May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their
protection" (Psalm 25:21).
-
5) SELF-CONTROL.
"Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let
them be alert and self-controlled in all they do" (1 Thessalonians 5:6).
-
6) LOVE
FOR GOD'S WORD. "May my children grow to find Your Word more precious
than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb" (Psalm 19:10).
-
7) JUSTICE.
"God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they
do" (Psalm 11:7, Micah 6:8).
-
8) MERCY.
"May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful" (Luke
6:36).
-
9)
RESPECT. (for self, others, authority). "Father,
grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as Your Word
commands" (1 Peter 2:17).
-
10) BIBLICAL
SELF-ESTEEM. "Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is
rooted in the realization that they are God's workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus" (Ephesians 2:10).
-
11)
FAITHFULNESS. "Let love and faithfulness never
leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write
them on the tablet of their hearts" (Proverbs 3:3).
-
12)
COURAGE. "May my children always be strong
and courageous in their character and actions" (Deuteronomy 31:6).
-
13)
PURITY. "Create in them a a pure heart, O God,
and let that purity of heart be shown in their actions" (Psalm 51:10).
-
14)
KINDNESS. "Lord, may my children always try to
be kind to each other and to everyone else" (1 Thessalonians 5:15).
-
15)
GENEROSITY. "Grant that my children may be
generous and willing to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves as a firm
foundation for the coming age" (1 Timothy 6:18-19).
-
16)
PEACE-LOVING. "Father, let my children make
every effort to do what leads to peace" (Romans 14:19).
-
17)
JOY. "May my children be filled with the joy
given by the Holy Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 1:6).
-
18)
PERSEVERANCE. "Lord, teach my children
perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance
the race marked out for them" (Hebrews 12:1).
-
19)
HUMILITY. "God, please cultivate in my children
the ability to show true humility toward all" (Titus 3:2).
-
20)
COMPASSION. "Lord, please clothe my children
with the virtue of compassion" (Colossians 3:12).
-
21)
RESPONSIBILITY. "Grant that my children may
learn responsibility, for each one should carry his own load" (Galatians 6:5).
-
22)
CONTENTMENT. "Father, teach my children the
secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them
strength" (Philippians 4:12-13).
-
23)
FAITH. "I pray that faith will find root and
grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been
promised to them" (Luke 17:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-40).
-
24)
A SERVANT'S HEART. "God, please help my children
develop servants' hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were
serving the Lord, not men" (Ephesians 6:7).
-
25)
HOPE. "May the hope of God grant that my
children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy
Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
-
26)
WILLINGNESS AND ABILITY TO WORK. "Teach my
children, Lord, to value work and to work at it with all their heart, as
working for the Lord, not men" (Colossians 3:23).
-
27)
PASSION FOR GOD. "Lord, please instill in my
children a soul that 'followeth hard after thee' (Psalm 63:8), one that clings
passionately to You.”
God Bless the children of
our world! ~ Author Unknown ~ (TOP)
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Little Boy Christmas
Oh Little boy
Christmas
the Savior to be
If you are called
Jesus
Then what's this I see
No room for the Christ
child No place for
your head
Why is it a manger
You use for a bed
The clothes you are wearing
Are not clothes at all
Oh little boy
Christmas
Born there in a stall
And where are the blankets
To warm your soft skin
Instead of the hay
That you're now
resting in
If angels sent notice
To kings from afar
Why is it you're
sleeping
Outside beneath stars
Oh little boy Christmas
My heart breaks in two
You'll die for a world
that
Will crucify you
by Ronnie D. Shreve © 2002, used
with permission
(TOP)
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Bless Those Serving Our Land
Miles away on a lonely post,
A soldier sits alone;
Dreaming back to days gone by,
Now, it's Christmas away from home.
Somewhere on an ocean blue,
A Sailor wipes a tear;
Duty calls, but still he yearns,
For the joy of bygone years.
And there among the ones who serve,
A woman thinks of home;
In service to her country,
This year, she is alone.
Away from friends and family,
The memories of home are clear;
When life was oh, so simple,
With loved ones gathered near.
Somewhere in a prison camp,
A heart cries out for home,
Where quiet desperation speaks...
"Did they leave me here alone?"
There in the lonely silence,
Soft and sweet and low;
A Christmas song begins to play,
And tears begin to flow.
For in the soft, sweet melody,
The memories start to stream;
Of, "I'll Be Home For Christmas,
If Only In My Dreams."
So, bless the sailor across the blue,
And the soldier who serves our land;
With Christmas dreams to fill their hearts,
Till they come home again.
Allison Chambers Coxsey ©2000 (TOP) (Back to Stories Index)
A Wonderful Story
Submitted by Kim
Holtzberg-Broach
A woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long
white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. She said "I
don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have
something to eat."
"Is the man of the
house home?", they asked.
"No", she replied. "He's out."
"Then we cannot come in", they replied.
In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened.
"Go tell them I am home and invite them in!"
The woman went out and invited the men in"
"We do not go into a House together," they replied.
"Why is that?" she asked.
One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to
one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am
Love." Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us
you want in your home."
The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was
overjoyed. "How nice!!", he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth.
Let him come and fill our home with wealth!"
His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?"
Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house.
She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love?
Our home will then be filled with love!"
"Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to his wife.
"Go out and invite Love to be our guest."
Love got up and started
walking toward the house. The other 2 also got up and followed him.
Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, Why are you
coming in?"
The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the
other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He
goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and
Success!!!!!!"
MY WISH FOR YOU...
-
-Where there is pain, I wish you
peace and mercy.
-
-Where there is self-doubting, I
wish you a renewed confidence in your ability to work through it.
-
-Where there is tiredness, or
exhaustion, I wish you understanding, patience, and renewed strength.
-
-Where there is fear, I wish you
love, and courage. (TOP)
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A New Year’s Prayer
May you get a
clean bill of health from your dentist, your cardiologist, your gastro-enterologist,
your urologist, your proctologist, your podiatrist, your psychiatrist, your
plumber and the I.R.S.
May your hair,
your teeth, your face-lift, your abs and your stocks not fall; and may your
blood pressure, your triglycerides, your cholesterol, your white blood count and
your mortgage interest not rise.
May New Year's Eve
find you seated around the table, together with your beloved family and
cherished friends. May you find the food better, the environment quieter, the
cost much cheaper, and the pleasure much more fulfilling than anything else you
might ordinarily do that night.
May what you see
in the mirror delight you, and what others see in you delight them. May someone
love you enough to forgive your faults, be blind to your blemishes, and tell the
world about your virtues.
May the
telemarketers wait to make their sales calls until you finish dinner, may the
commercials on TV not be louder than the program you have been watching, and may
your check book and your budget balance – and include generous amounts for
charity.
May you remember
to say "I love you" at least once a day to your spouse, your child, your parent,
your siblings; but not to your secretary, your nurse, your masseuse, your
hairdresser or your tennis instructor.
And may we live in
a world at peace and with the awareness of God's love in every sunset, every
flower's unfolding petals, every baby's smile, every lover's kiss, and every
wonderful, astonishing, miraculous beat of our heart. ~Author Unknown~
(TOP)
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Brand New Year
As we look toward a brand
new year
Then gaze back to the past
We pause with mixed emotions
And memories that still
last.
For these years have taught
us lessons
We never thought we’d learn
To stand in the face of
adversity
Seeking peace for which we
yearn.
Our nation still stands
together
Since that sad September day
When in an instant all was
changed
And so many taken away.
Each life a precious memory
Each face burned in our
souls
The hero, the innocent,
those who were lost
Were halves who made someone
whole.
So we pray for this year to
be peaceful
For strength to see us
through
For each one who lost
someone precious
And for all that is holy and
true.
As we pray God’s eternal
blessings
For our leaders and our land
We walk toward the future
together
Heart to heart and hand in
hand.
Beautiful Poetry @ by
Allison Chambers Coxsey
(TOP)
(Back to Stories Index)
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