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Like streams in the desert and wells in the waste,
A river flows out from the Lord's holy place,
With comfort and strength for the weak and oppressed
. The wounded are healed and the weary find rest!....
©1994 Bruce L. Johnson.
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FUNNY
A young Nun who worked for a local home health care agency was out making her rounds when she ran out of gas. As luck would have it, there was a gas station just one block away. She walked to the station to borrow a can with enough gas to start the car and drive to the station for a fill up. The attendant regretfully told her that the only gas can he owned had just been loaned out, but if she would care to wait he was sure it would be back shortly.
Since the nun was on the way to see a patient, she decided not to wait and walked back to her car. After looking through her car for something to carry to the station to fill with gas, she spotted a bedpan she was taking to the patient. Always resourceful, she carried it to the station, filled it with gasoline, and carried it back to her car. As she was pouring the gas into the tank of her car, two men watched her from across the street. One of them turned to the other and said: “I know that the Lord turned water into wine, but if that car starts, I’m going to church every Sunday for the rest of my life.”
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QUESTION:
Q. Esther was also called by another name. What is it?
A. Hadassah.
Esther 2:7
And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter.
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“Looking through the want ads last week, I came across a job that required a college degree or the equivalent. Finally, I thought, my eight years of high school are paying off.” —Buzz Nutley
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“I get those maternal feelings sometimes, like when I’m lying on the couch and can’t reach the remote, I think, ‘Boy, a kid would be nice right now.’” —Kathleen Madigan
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“There exists a widespread myth that humans should learn about sex from their parents. My relationship with my father nearly ended when he tried to teach me how to drive. I can’t imagine our relationship having survived his instructing me how to have sex.” —Bob Smith
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My broker called me this morning and said, “Remember that stock we bought and I said you’d be able to retire at age 65?”
“Yes, I remember,” I said.
“Well,” my broker continued, “your retirement age is now 108.”
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Blood may be thicker than water, but baseball beats them both. I learned this after explaining to my two boys that they were half-Lithuanian on their father’s side, and half-Yankee, meaning their other set of parents came from an old New England family.
My younger son looked worried. “But we’re still a hundred percent Red Sox, right, Mom?”
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Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
-James 5:11 (NRSV)
THE Book of Job presents “a man who was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1). This book from the Bible was especially meaningful to me during the time when I was diagnosed with cancer and required surgery. I didn’t know if the surgery would be successful or if it was too late. Thus it was important for me to keep peace in my heart, and the Book of Job inspired me.
Until my experience with cancer, I thought I knew the Book of Job well. But now reading it was different; I was reading the same words, but they were telling me a new story about physical pain and spiritual victory. I identified with Job, attacked on many fronts, and I decided to adopt his attitude. When the crisis threatened me, I read the Bible; and Job’s example strengthened my spirit and helped me to overcome the pain and to survive.
This experience happened many years ago. The scars from the physical ordeal have disappeared. However, even today Job’s example of refusing to give up on his relationship with God continues to help me in difficult situations.
Antoaneta Petrova Kochevska (Pleven, Bulgaria)
Prayer
Thank you, Lord, that every time we trust you and seek your help, you hear our prayers. Thank you for the wonderful examples of confidence and strong faith we discover in the Bible. Amen.
Thought for the Day
In difficult situations, how can we trust and wait for God’s help?
Prayer Focus
Those being treated for cancer
