Inspiration
On God's Love:
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes... John 3, 16
Man goes to the Doctor, says to the Doctor, "Dr. I think I'm dying, give it to me straight, what's happening to me?"
Doctor says "you are right, you will surely die"
Man: "Doctor, I don't want to die, I want to live! What can you do for me. I have a son!"
Doctor: "There's nothing that can help you, it's too late."
Man: "Please Doctor please, I beg you, I want to live!!!"
Doctor: "I don't know..."
Man: "Please, you've got to save me."
Doctor: "Well, there is a type of medicine, it's experimental, not on the market yet, not even tested."
Man: "I need that medicine! Please Doctor, will you get it for me?"
Doctor: "It's very expensive."
Man: "I don't have any money but I got to have that medicine!"
Doctor: " I'll see what I can do. Come see me tomorrow, same time."
Doctor empties out his bank account, then has to mortgage his house. Next day the man is waiting for the Doctor in the examining room, the Doctor walks in distraught, dishevelled, clothes torn, eyes sunken back.
Man: "Dr.! what happened!"
Doctor: "I looked everywhere for the medicine, I searched high and low. I finally found it and was rushing back here to get it to you."
Man: "Surely you must be hurt, you have blood all over your clothes!"
Doctor: (Sobbing) "In rushing back here to give you this medicine, I was in a car accident. My Son was also in my car. This blood is my Son's. My only Son was killed! My Son whom I loved more than anything! The sparkle of my eye. My beloved Son - Dead!!.... here is your medicine." A. Rogers
On Evangelization: Faith and Action
President of the parish council in a small community was trying to find ways to increase the number of parishioners. He goes into the church and prays. The next day while shovelling snow off the church steps, he notices a truck spinning on the ice next door to the church, he goes over to help push the gentleman off the ice. The gentleman says, "thank you very much, if there is anything you need in the future, here is my business card."
The next day the parish council president is sitting in his office trying to think of ways to increase the faithful. He is interrupted by a woman knocking on the door. "Hi, I'm lost, can you tell me how to get to Elm Street?" After giving directions, the grateful woman hands him a card and says, "I owe you one, here is my card." Council president mumbles to himself "litho?" and throws the card in the garbage.
A week later a gentleman arrives at the council office, asks, "Can you give me something to eat?" Council president, not wanting to turn anybody away, agrees. The gentleman upon leaving notices a note on the floor with the words "evangelism" and a question mark. The gentleman tells the Council President that he was once a speaker but lost his job due to drinking and has since found his way back to the Lord. The Council President, noticing the time on his watch, walks the gentleman out, telling him to take care.
The next week while at Mass, the Council President notices that the numbers in the church continue to dwindle. That night the Council President begins to feel tingling in his arm and pressure on his heart. He dies. He is taken up to heaven and asks God, "Why are you not hearing my prayers for our church to grow?" God says, "I sent the man that you helped when his truck was sliding on the ice, he was a sign maker. He was willing to give you a great deal on a large outdoor sign. The woman looking for directions, she was a print specialist, she offered to repay your kindness with flyers you could have sent out. The poor alcoholic street person you fed, he was a motivational speaker, he could have organized your evangelization campaign, spoke in public and gone door to door with the flyers." w. mcdonald
On Judging each other: Judge and be judged
An old man, being a perspicacious bigot all his life, is on his way to the hospital to see his first great grandchild; a beautiful black baby boy.
A man berates his brother for making the wrong choice in a wife and becoming recently separated. Days later the man learns his girlfriend is pregnant. Eleven years and another child later, the woman leaves the man with the kids and his money.
A father leaves his first wife and 3 young boys and moves to Florida, 4000 kilometres from their home. When one of the boys turns 18, he angrily phones his father. The father wondering why the phone call, asks "what are you on"? The 18 year old acrimoniously blurts out a lie, "I'm on coke" The father uses this information in family court against the 18 year olds mother. Not long afterward, the father has a child with his second wife - a boy no less. Since that unfortunate "I'm on coke" misrepresentation and for the next 25 years, the father proceeds to tell everyone that one of his children from his first wife, is a cocaine addict. The father's son from his second wife dies of a cocaine overdose just before his 25th birthday.
Well, not exactly uplifting, these 3 tales are actually true. They do drive home the point that we must not judge. "Stop judging and you will not be judged... Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother's eye." Luke 7, 37-42 w. mcdonald 1
On God's Will
When to act
We are an impetuous lot. Though our lives are a series of decisions, most of us fail to seek guidance or counsel and therefore, quite often, end up taking the wrong or the long way. Like a soldier waiting on orders from his C.O., so should we.
Following God's Will is akin to the Israelites following the ark of the covenant; when the ark moved, so did the Israelites. No matter what they were doing they had to get up and follow it and for this reason: "That you may know the way to take, for you have not gone over this road before." Joshua 3, 1-6 w. mcdonald
A Firm Foundation
The following bible verses are the foundation of everything you'll ever need to know about Christianity. I'm not saying they are all you need to know, however, everything is built upon these verses: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” (John 3:16) “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37) “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mt 22:39) The first verse is the epitome of Truth and Love. As far as the second and third, "The whole law and the prophets depend on these ..." (Mt 22:40) w. mcdonald
The Long Silence
At the end of time, billions of people were scattered on a great plain before God's throne. Most shrank back from the brilliant light before them. But some groups near the front talked heatedly - not with cringing shame but with belligerence, saying, "Can God judge us? How can He know about suffering?" snapped a pert young brunette. She ripped open a sleeve to reveal a tattooed number from a Nazi concentration camp. "We endured terror, beating, torture, and death!"
In another group a Negro boy lowered his collar. "What about this?" he demanded, showing an ugly rope burn. "Lynched for no crime but being black!"
In another crowd, a pregnant school girl with sullen eyes said, "Why should I suffer? It wasn't my fault."
Far out across the plain were hundreds of such groups. Each had a complaint against God for the evil and suffering He permitted in His world. How lucky God was to live in heaven where all was sweetness and light, where there was no weeping or fear, no hunger or hatred. What did God know of all that men had been forced to endure in this world? For God leads a pretty sheltered life, they said.
So each of these groups sent forth their leader, chosen because he had suffered the most. A Jew, a Negro, a person from Hiroshima, a horribly deformed arthritic, a thalidomide child. In the centre of the plain they consulted with each other.
At last they were ready to present their case. It was rather clever. Before God could be qualified to be their judge, He must endure what they had endured. Their verdict was that God should be sentenced to live on earth - as a man! Let him be born a Jew. Let the legitimacy of His birth be doubted. Give Him a work so difficult that even His family will think Him out of His mind when He tries to do it. Let Him be betrayed by His closest friends. Let Him face false charges, be tried by a prejudiced jury and convicted by a cowardly judge. Let Him be tortured. At last, let Him see what it means to be terribly alone. Then let Him die. Let Him die so that there can be no doubt He died. Let there be a whole host of witnesses to verify it.
As each leader announced his portion of the sentence, loud murmurs of approval went up from the throng of people assembled. When the last had finished pronouncing sentence there was a long silence. No one uttered another word. No one moved. For suddenly all knew that God had already served His sentence. Unknown Author