How to dance in the rain!

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his
80's,arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb.

He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be
over an hour before someone would be able to see him.

I saw him looking at his watch, and decided, since I was not busy with
another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got
the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.
While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's
appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry.

The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to
eat breakfast with his wife.

I inquired as to her health; he told me that she had been there for a
while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease.

As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late.

He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not
recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even
though she doesn't know who you are'?

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, 'She doesn't know me, but I
still know who she is'.

I had to hold back tears as he left; I had goose bumps on my arm, and
thought, 'That is the kind of love I want in my life'.

True love is neither physical, nor romantic. True love is an
acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

With all the jokes and fun that are in e-mails, sometimes there is one
that comes along that has an important message.

This one I thought I could share with you.

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the best of everything they have.

I hope you share this with someone you care about. I just did.

'Life isn't about how to survive the storm,
But how to dance in the rain.'

A simple prayer

The prayer:

Father, I ask You to bless my friends, relatives and those that I care deeply for, who are reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of Your love and power.
Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very moment.

Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through Your grace.

Where there are needs, I ask you to fulfill their needs. Bless their homes, families, finances, their goings and their comings.

In Jesus ' precious name. Amen.

-shared by Kelvin Ting

World Youth Day and Vocation Celebration

Reflection......

God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful World as it is,
Not as I would have it;
Trusting that You will make all things right
If I surrender to Your will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with You
Forever in the next. Amen.
Author, Reinhold Niebuhr

Regards,
Salina ;-)

True sign of friendship

HiYo!

Just something i'd like to share with everyone. Something to think about... :)

Caring Means Confronting!

An honest answer is a sign of true friendship. - Proverbs 24:26 TEV

It's much easier to remain silent when others around us are messing up, but it's not the loving thing to do. Most people have no one in their lives that love them enough to tell them the truth, so they continue going the wrong way. Usually we know what needs to be said but fear keeps us from saying it. "An honest answer is the sign of true friendship." Sometimes caring means confronting!

Paul writes, "If someone in your group does something wrong, you who are Spiritual should go to that person and gently make him right again" (Gal 6:1 NCV). That's what 'Spiritual' people do!

The trouble is when an issue pops up that might cause tension, it's immediately glossed over in order to preserve peace. Mr. 'Don't-rock-the-boat' jumps in and tries to smooth everyone's ruffled feathers, the issue is never resolved and everyone lives with an underlying feeling of frustration.

"No more pretence. Tell...the truth. In Christ's body we're all connected to each other...When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself" (Eph 4:25 TM).

Now frankness is not a license to be rude and say anything you please. Thoughtless words wound people.

"Never use harsh words when you correct an older man, but talk to him as if he were your father. Talk to younger men as if they were your brothers, older women as if they were your mothers, and younger women as if they were your sisters" (1 Ti 5:1-2 GWT).

Bottom line: whether in a marriage, a friendship, a church or a business, until we care enough to confront and resolve the underlying barriers, we'll never grow close to each other!

God bless

Sarah

Stress?? No Pom Pom! ^^

36 Christian Ways to Reduce Stress

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/activities that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and un-clutter 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.

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.

Submitted By: Thomas Daniel

What God Can Do With "57 Cents"

A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was "too crowded."



"I can't go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by. Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so happy that they found room for her, and she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.

Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings. Her parents called for the kindhearted pastor who had befriended their daughter to handle the final arrangements.

As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled red purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump.
Inside was found 57 cents and a note, scribbled in childish handwriting, which read: "This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School."

For two years she had saved for this offering of love. When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion.

He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building.

But the story does not end there...

A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a wealthy realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands.
When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered to sell it to the little church for 57 cents.

Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide.
Within five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00--a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid large dividends.

When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300. And be sure to visit Temple University, where thousands of students are educated.

Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of beautiful children, built so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday School time.

In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr. Russel H. Conwell, author of the book, "Acres of Diamonds"

This is a true story, which goes to show WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH 57 CENTS.

Happy New Year