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Posted on 10/05/2006 8:13:09 PM PDT by Soaring Feather
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Have the congregation praying for him, and he's on my daily list! Wishing the best for a brother Vet and a good friend.
It'll have to be a Good Afternoon now. Hope your day is going well.
The morning went by quickly, and I was too busy to get on FR. Good Afternoon. Hope your day is going well.
Thank You, and the congregation for your prayers.
Hello Soldier Dad. The day went by rapidly even with my early rising, so fast in fact I took a long nap. ;)
The Homeless Man
It was a cold winter's day that Sunday. The parking lot to the church was filling up quickly. I noticed as I got out of my car that fellow church members were whispering among themselves as they walked to the church. As I got closer I saw a man leaned up against the wall outside the church. He was almost laying down as if he was asleep. He had on a long trench coat that was almost in shreds and a hat topped his head, pulled down so you could not see his face.
He wore shoes that looked 30 years old, too small for his feet with holes all over them, his toes stuck out. I assumed this man was homeless, and asleep, so I walked on by through the doors of the church. We all fellowshipped for a few minutes, and someone brought up the man laying outside. People snickered and gossiped but no one bothered to ask him to come in, including me. A few moments later church began. We all waited for the Preacher to take his place and to give us the Word, when the doors to the church opened.
In came the homeless man walking down the aisle with his head down. People gasped and whispered and made faces. He made his way down the aisle and up onto the pulpit he took off his hat and coat.
My heart sank.
There stood our preacher...he was the "homeless man." No one said a word.
The preacher took his Bible and laid it on the stand. "Folks, I don't think I have to tell you what I am preaching about today."
Then he started singing the words to this song.
If I can help somebody as I pass along,
If I can cheer somebody with a word or song,
If I can show somebody that he's traveling wrong,
Then my living shall not be in vain.
IS YOUR LIVING IN VAIN?
Author Unknown
"IS YOUR LIVING IN VAIN?"
A brilliant lesson indeed! I imagine each and everyone of them had much to think on. Indeed, from such a lesson, hearts must first see their own faults, they made fun of a wretch, and left him out in the cold, closing the doors of the church to a soul in need, as they closed their own hearts. The preacher put each and everyone of them in a glaring light they couldn't avoid, they saw their fellow church members all to clearly, and themselves even clearer. I can guess they didn't like what they saw. That little bit of play acting was a powerful sermon in itself, and no one will forget it, or how they felt about the person they saw reflected in their mirrors for days!
Wish I coulda taken a nap. Our son called his mother today. But during the call someone came in, said something, and Robert had to cut the call short. Not sure what might have happened. Prayers for the 10th Mountain.
Good morning,
Ms Feather!
Grandpa’s Hands
Grandpa, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench.
He didn't move, just sat with his head down staring at his hands.
When I sat down beside him he didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer
I sat I wondered if he was OK. Finally, not really wanting to disturb him but wanting to check on him at the same time, I asked him if he was OK.
He raised his head and looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,"
he said in a clear strong voice. "I didn't mean to disturb you, Grandpa,
but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,"
I explained to him.
"Have you ever looked at your hands," he asked.
"I mean really looked at your hands?"
I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them.
I turned them over, palms up and then palms down.
No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as
I tried to figure out the point he was making.
Grandpa smiled and related this story:
"Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have,
how they have served you well throughout your years ..
These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and weak have
been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab
and embrace life.
They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor.
They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back.
As a child my Mother taught me to fold them in prayer.
They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots.
They held my rifle and wiped my tears when I went off to war.
They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent.
They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son.
Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special.
They wrote the letters home and trembled and shook when
I buried my Parents and Spouse and walked my Daughter down the aisle.
Yet, they were strong and sure when I dug my buddy out of a foxhole
and lifted a plow off of my best friend's foot.
They have held children, consoled neighbors,
and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.
They have covered my face, combed my hair,
and washed and cleansed the rest of my body.
They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw.
And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real
well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.
These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of my life.
But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home.
And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ.
I will never look at my hands the same again.
But I remember God reached out and took my Grandpa's hands and led him home.
When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and wife
I think of Grandpa. I know he has been stroked and caressed and
held by the hands of God.
I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.
French playwright Pierre Corneille said, "To win
without risk is to triumph without glory."
Hello Lady! Brilliant color!
Intense, isn't it? Orange is the best photographic color. You gonna be on TV and want to stick out, wear orange.
Yes, if you can wear orange. I can't.
I am a cool color gal, black, pinks, purple, etc.
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