Wednesday, January 18, 2006
GOIN HOME
This was emailed to me and I just want to share this with you:
Years ago, I was enthralled as I listened to a pastor who for several years had faithfully served the church. His executive responsibilities had taken him all over this country. As he concluded his message, he told of one of the most frightening yet thought-provoking experiences of his life.
He had been on a long flight. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: "Fasten your seat belts." Then, after a while, a calm voice said, "We shall not be serving the beverages at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence. Please be sure your seat belt is fastened." As he looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming apprehensive. Later, the voice of the announcer said, "We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us."
And then the storm broke. The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines. Lightening lit up the darkening skies, and within moments that great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air; the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash. The pastor confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. He said, "As I looked around the plane, I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying. The future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm.
And then, I suddenly saw a girl to whom the storm meant nothing. She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on her seat and was reading a book. Everything within her small world was calm and orderly. Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would read again; then she would straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her world. When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm, when it lurched this way and that, as it rose and fell with frightening severity, when all the adults were scared half to death, that marvelous child was completely composed and unafraid."
The minister could hardly believe his eyes.
It was not surprising therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying to disembark, he lingered to speak to the girl whom he had watched for such a long time. Having commented about the storm and behavior of the plane, he asked why she had not been afraid. The sweet child replied, "Sir, my Dad is the pilot, and he is taking me home."
Author Unknown
Trust the Lord to be the pilot of your life just as the child in this story trusted her father and know that because you have put your faith and confidence in Him, your future is safe, protected and forever secured.
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Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Life's lesson No. 1
There once was a bunch of tiny frogs,...
... who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants...
The race began...
Honestly, no one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. You heard statements such as: "Oh, WAY too difficult!!" "They will NEVER make it to the top." or: "Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"
The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one...... Except for those, who in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher... The crowd continued to yell, "It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!"
More tiny frogs got tired and gave up... ..But ONE continued higher and higher and higher...
This one wouldn't give up!
At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top! THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?
A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal? It turned out...that the winner was DEAF!!!!
The wisdom of this story is:
Never listen to other people's tendencies to be negative or pessimistic...
...because they take your most wonderful dreams and wishes away from you -- the ones you have in your heart! Always think of the power words have. Because everything you hear and read will affect your actions!
Therefore:
ALWAYS be... POSITIVE!
And above all:
Be DEAF when people tell YOU that you can not fulfill your dreams!
Always think:
God and I can do this!
Give some motivation 2DAY!!!
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There's always a reason!
Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this?" or "Why did God have to do this to me?" Here is a wonderful explanation! A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.
Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."
"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers. "Yuck" says her daughter.
"How about a couple raw eggs?" "Gross, Mom!"
"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?" "Mom, those are all yucky!"
To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!
God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!
God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.
If you like this, send this on to the people you really care about. I did.
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.
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Friday, October 28, 2005
The Story Doesn't End Here
The Story Doesn't End Here
Once upon a time a tortoise and a hare had an argument about who was
faster.
They decided to settle the argument with a race. They agreed on a route
and started off the race.
The hare shot ahead and ran briskly for some time.
Then seeing that he was far ahead of the tortoise, he thought he'd sit under
a tree for some time and relax before continuing the race. He sat under
the tree and soon fell asleep.
The tortoise plodding on overtook him and soon finished the race,
emerging as the undisputed champ.
The hare woke up
and realized that he'd lost the race.
The moral- "Slow and steady wins the race. This is the version of the
story that we've all grown up with."
THE STORY DOESN'T END HERE
there are few more interesting
things.....it continues as follows......
The hare was disappointed at losing the race and he did some
soul-searching.
He realized that he'd lost the race only because he had been overconfident,
careless and lax.
If he had not taken things for granted, there's no way the tortoise could have beaten him. So he challenged the tortoise to another race.
The tortoise agreed. This time, the hare went all out and ran without
stopping from start to finish. He won by several miles.
The moral - " Fast and consistent will always beat the slow and steady.
It's good to be slow and steady; but it's better to be fast and reliable."
THE STORY DOESN'T END HERE
The tortoise did some thinking this time, and realized that there's no
way it can beat the hare in a race the way it was currently formatted.
It thought for a while, and then challenged the hare to another race, but
on a slightly different route. The hare agreed. They started off. In keeping
with his self-made commitment to be consistently fast, the hare took off and
ran at top speed until he came to a broad river. The finishing line was a
couple of kilometres on the other side of the river.
The hare sat there
wondering what to do.
In the meantime the tortoise trundled along, got into the river, swam to the opposite bank, continued walking and finished the race.
The moral - "First identify your core competency and then change the
playing field to suit your core competency."
THE STORY STILL HASN'T END HERE
The hare and the tortoise, by this time, had become pretty good friends
and they did some thinking together.
Both realized that the last race could
have been run much better. So they decided to do the last race again, but to
run as a team this time.
They started off, and this time the hare carried the tortoise till the riverbank. There, the tortoise took over and swam
across with the hare on his back. On the opposite bank, the hare again carried
the tortoise and they reached the finishing line together. They both felt a
greater sense of satisfaction than they'd felt earlier.
The moral - "It's good to be individually brilliant and to have strong
core competencies; but unless you're able to work in a team and harness each
other's core competencies, you'll always perform below par because
there will always be situations at which you'll do poorly and someone else
does well.
Teamwork is mainly about situational leadership, letting the person
with the relevant core competency for a situation take leadership.
Note that neither the hare nor the tortoise gave up after failures. The
hare decided to work harder and put in more effort after his failure. The
tortoise changed his strategy because he was already working as hard as
he could."
In life, when faced with failure,
sometimes it is appropriate to work
harder and put in more effort.
Sometimes it is appropriate to change strategy and try something different.
And sometimes it is appropriate to do both.
The hare and the tortoise also learnt another vital lesson. When we stop competing against a rival and instead start competing against the
situation, we perform far better.
To sum up- the story of the hare and tortoise has much to say:
Chief among them are that fast and consistent will always beat slow and
steady;work to your competencies; pooling resources and working as a team will always beat individual performers; never give up when faced with
failure; & finally, compete against the situation - not against a rival.
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Friday, July 22, 2005
A Mcdonald's Love Story
A little old couple walked slowly into a McDonald's one cold winter evening. They looked out of place amid the young families and young couples eating there that night. Some of the customers looked admiringly at them. You could tell what the admirers were thinking:
"Look, there is a couple who has been through a lot together, probably for 60 years or more!"
The little old man walked up to the cash register, placed his order with no hesitation and then paid for their meal. The couple took a table near the back wall and started taking food off of the tray. There was one hamburger, one order of French fries and one drink. The little old man unwrapped the plain hamburger and carefully cut it in half. He placed one half in front of his wife. Then he carefully counted out the French fries, divided them in two piles and neatly placed one pile in front of his wife. He took a sip of the drink, and then his wife took a sip as the man began to eat his few bites. Again, you could tell what people around the old couple were saying.
"They were used to sharing everything."
Then the crowd noticed that the little old lady still hadn't eaten a thing. She just sat there watching her husband eat and occasionally sipped some of the drink. A young man came over and begged them to let him buy them another meal. The lady explained that no, they were used to sharing. As the little old man finished eating and was wiping his face neatly with a napkin, the young man could stand it no longer and asked again. After being politely refused again, he finally asked the little old lady,
"Ma'am, why aren't you eating? You said that you share everything. What is it that you are waiting for?"
She answered:
“THE TEETH”
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Thursday, July 07, 2005
THE ANT PHILOSOPHY
Second, ants think winter all summer. That's an important perspective. You can't be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering in their winter food in the middle of summer.
An ancient story says, "Don't build your house on the sand in the summer." Why do we need that advice? Because it is important to be realistic. In the summer, you've got to think storm. You've got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun. Think ahead.
The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, "This won't last long; we'll soon be out of here." And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they'll dive back down, but then they come out the first warm day. They can't wait to get out.
And here's the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All that he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the "all-that-you-possibly-can" philosophy.
Wow, what a great seminar to attend - the ant seminar. Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
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Tuesday, July 05, 2005
HE MADE HIM CAPTAIN
One of my best friends coaches a group of 13-year-old boys in soccer.
He saw some leadership potential in one of the boys but he also saw some disturbing qualities. My friend approached the boy and told him that he thought he could be captain of the team but he wanted to see changes in some of his behaviors.
Almost overnight, the boy stopped his whining and complaining. He became responsible and an effective leader. Today, he is the captain of the soccer team and parents who have known this kid for years are asking my friend what he did to transform him.
My friend didn't do anything other than tell someone that he believed in him and thought he could do better. When was the last time you told someone that you believed in them? You can criticize until the cows come home. However, if you want to see lasting change... find the positives in a person and reinforce those. When you do those qualities will grow and overshadow the less desirable qualities.
For an overnight transformation...find positives and make them captain!
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Tuesday, June 21, 2005
You're in my dash. . .
I read of a man who stood to speak At the
funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on her tombstone, From the
beginning...to the end. He noted that first came her date of birth And spoke
the following date with tears, But he said what mattered most of all Was the
dash between those years (1934 - 1998). For that dash represents all the time That
she spent alive on earth... And now only those who loved her, Know what that
little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own; The
cars...the house...the cash, What matters is how we live and love And how we
spend our dash. So think about this long and hard.. Are there things you'd like
to change? For you never know how much time is left, That can still be
rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough To consider what's true and real, And always
try to understand The way other people feel And be less quick to anger, And
show appreciation more And love the people in our lives Like we've never loved
before.
If we treat each other with respect, And more often wear a smile. Remembering
that this special dash Might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy's being read With your life's actions to rehash... Would
you be proud of the things they say About how you spent your dash? I am glad
that you're in my life and part of my dash.
From My dash to yours........
Laugh long, live long,
Yesterday is history
Tomorrow is a mystery
Today is a GIFT.
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Wednesday, May 25, 2005
YOUR SPEAKING TREE
Once there were three trees on a
hill. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said,
"Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold,
silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and
everyone would
see the beauty." Then the
second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and
queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will
feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull." Finally the third
tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the
forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and
think of the heavens and
God and how close to them I am
reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember
me."
After a few years of praying
that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees.
When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I
think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter." And he began cutting
it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him
into a treasure chest. At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks
like a strong tree, I should be
able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he
knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship. When the woodsmen came upon
the third tree, the tree was
frightened because he knew that
if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything
special from my tree so I'll take this one," and he cut it down.
When the first tree arrived at
the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in
a barn and filled with hay. Now, this was not at all what he had prayed for.
The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being
a mighty
ship and carrying kings had come
to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.
The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.
Then one day, a man and woman
came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the
feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have
made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel
the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of
all time.
Years later , a group of men got
in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went
to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree
didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping
man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this
time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
Finally, someone came and got
the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man
who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree
and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree
came to
realize that it was strong
enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because
Jesus had been crucified on it.
The moral of this story is that
when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for
you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the
trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't
always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our
ways, but His ways are always best.
Cheers to life!
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Friday, May 13, 2005
The Girl in Pink Dress.
There was this little girl sitting by
herself in the park. Everyone passed by her and never stopped to see why she
looked so sad.
Dressed in a worn pink dress, barefoot and
dirty, the girl just sat
and watched the people go by.
She never tried to speak.
She never said a word.
Many people passed by her, but no one would stop.
The next day I decided to go back to the
park in curiosity to see if the little girl would still be there.Yes, she was
there, right in the very spot where she was yesterday, and still with the same
sad look in her eyes.
Today I was to make my own move and walk over to the little
girl.
For as we all know, a park full of strange people is not a place
for young children to play alone.
As I got closer I could see the back of the little girl's dress.
It was grotesquely shaped.
I figured that was the reason people just passed by and made no
effort to speak to her.
Deformities are a low blow to our society and, heaven forbid if
you make a step toward assisting someone who is different.
As I got closer, the little girl lowered her eyes slightly to
avoid my intent stare.
As I approached her, I could see the shape of her back more
clearly.
She was grotesquely shaped in a humped over form.
I smiled to let her know it was OK; I was there to help, to
talk.
I sat down beside her and opened with a
simple, "Hello."
The little girl acted shocked, and
stammered a "hi"; after a long stare into my eyes. I smiled and she
shyly smiled back.
We talked until darkness fell and the park was completely empty.
I asked the girl why she was so sad.
The little girl looked at me with a sad
face said, "Because, I'm different." I immediately said, "That
you are!"; and smiled.The little girl acted even sadder and said, "I
know."
"Little girl," I said, "you remind me of an
angel, sweet and innocent."
She looked at me and smiled, then slowly she got to her feet and
said, "Really?"
"Yes, you're like a little Guardian Angel sent to watch
over all people walking by."
She nodded her head yes, and smiled.
With that she opened the back of her pink dress and allowed her
wings to spread, then she said "I am."
"I'm your Guardian Angel," with a twinkle in her eye.
I was speechless -- sure I was seeing things.
She said, "For once you thought of
someone other than yourself.
My job here is done". I got to my
feet and said, "Wait, why did no one stop to help an angel?"
She looked at me, smiled, and said, "You're the only one
that could see me," and then she was gone.
And with that, my life was changed dramatically.
So, when you think you're all you have, remember, your angel is
always watching over you.
Pass this to everyone that means anything at all to you. Make
sure you send it back to the person who sent it to you, to let them know
you're glad they care about you.
Like the story says, we all need someone...
And, every one of your friends is an Angel in their own way.
The value of a friend is measured in the heart.
I hope your Guardian Angel watches over
you always.
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