Wednesday's Positive Thread

gloriajean — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 05:14:45 GMT

It is laughter that helps us cope with the upsets and chaos of everyday
living. Lord, lighten my spirit so that I will not take myself so seriously
and be able to find more moments to laugh.

Scripture for the day:

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be
like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the
floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not
fall, because it had been founded on rock." ~Matthew 7:24-25

Meditation for the day:

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be
like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the
floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not
fall, because it had been founded on rock." When our lives are built
upon obedience to God and upon doing God's will as we understand it,
we can be steadfast and unmovable even in the midst of storms. The
serene, steadfast, unmovable life--the rock home--is laid stone by
stone--foundations, walls and roof--by acts of obedience to the
heavenly vision. The daily following of God's guidance and the daily
doing of God's will builds our house upon rock.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that my life may be founded upon the rock of faith. I pray
that I may be obedient to the heavenly vision.

Hello my friends! Tonight I have to be very brief and hope you don't mind.
We are canning over at Lori's - barbecue sauce for the first time, and it's
taking a long time to boil down for canning, so we came home for me to type
out the Padre Pio Reflections that I send my list every night and do this
thread - and we'll be going back there again to finish the canning. Linus
is really, really wanting to sell cars now - and work full time there,
please pray for God's will to be done - he'll be stopping over there to see
them again soon. Praying for all of you for all your intentions, and thanks
for your prayers for us.

A THOUSAND MARBLES
Author Unknown
Jun 12, 2009

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the
quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's
the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first
few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable. A few weeks ago, I
was shuffling toward the kitchen with a steaming cup of coffee in one
hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as atypical
Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to
hand you from time to time.

Let me tell you about it. I turned the volume up on my radio in order
to listen to a Saturday morning talk show. I heard an older sounding
chap with a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should
be in the broadcasting business himself. He was talking about "a
thousand marbles" to someone named "Tom". I was intrigued and sat down
to listen to what he had to say.

"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure
they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and
your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to
work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you
missed your daughter's dance recital." He continued, "Let me tell you
something Tom, something that has
helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities." And that's
when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."

"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average
person lives about seventy-five years. know, some live more and some
live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years."

"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is
the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire
lifetime. Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part."
"It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this
in any detail", he
went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight
hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-
five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy." "So I went
to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up
having to visit three toy
stores to round-up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside
of a large, clear plastic container right here in my workshop next to
the radio. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and
thrown it away." "I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I
focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing
like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your
priorities straight."

"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and
take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very
last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next
Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing
we can all use is a little
more time."

"It was nice to talk to you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your
loved ones, and I hope to meet you again someday. Have a good
morning!" You could have heard a pin drop when he finished. Even the
show's moderator didn't have anything to say for a few moments. I
guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to do some
work that morning, then go to the
gym. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss.

"C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast." "What brought
this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special, it's just been
a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can
we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."

Mother Teresa said...
The password of the early Christians was "joy," so let us still serve the
Lord with joy. Joy is love, joy is prayer, joy is strength. God loves a
person who gives joyfully, and if you give joyfully you always give more. A
joyful heart is the result of a heart burning with love.

Love has no meaning if it isn't shared. Love has to be put into action. You
have to love without expectation, to do something for love itself, not for
what you may receive. If you expect something in return, then it isn't love,
because true love is loving without conditions and expectations.

Yesterday is gone and tomorrow has not yet come; we must live each day as if
it were our last so that when God calls us we are ready, and prepared, to
die with a clean heart.

IT'S ONLY A QUARTER!
Author Unknown
September 18, 2012

Several years ago a preacher moved to Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he
arrived, he had occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area.
When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a
quarter too much change.

As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, you better give the
quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it. Then he thought, "Oh, forget
it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway
the bus company already gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept
it as a gift from God and keep quiet."

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, then he handed the
quarter to the driver and said, "Here, you gave me too much change."

The driver with a smile, replied, "Aren't you the new preacher in town? I
have been thinking lately about going to worship somewhere. I just wanted to
see what you would do if I gave you too much change."

When my friend stepped off the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light
pole, and held on, and said, "O God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter."

Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read.

GUIDANCE
Author Unknown

When I meditated on the word guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of
the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow
with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.

When one person relaxes and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow
with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or
by pressing lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one
body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and
attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word guidance. When I saw "G," I thought of God,
followed by "u" and "i." God, "u" and "I" dance. God, you, and I dance.
This statement is what guidance means to me.

As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance
about my life.

Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

God's Messengers By: Helen Steiner Rice

The unexpected kindness from an unexpected place
a hand outstretched in friendship, a smile on someone's face.
A word of understanding spoken in a time of trail
are unexpected miracles that make life more worthwhile.
We know not how it happened that in our hour of need somebody out of nowhere
proved to be a friend indeed.
For God has many messengers we fail to recognize, but He sends them when we
need them, and His ways are wondrous and wise.
So keep looking for your angel and keep listening to hear, for on life's
busy, crowded streets you will find God's presence near.

Peaceful Place

Heavenly Father
Full of Grace
Please take me to
A peaceful place.

When the burdens of this world
Seem to great to bear,
Help me to place them at the cross
And leave them in Your care.

And, Lord, help me to remember
That my needs; both great and small
You have promised to provide for me --
You will hear me when I call.

So when this world's got me down
And I don't know what to do,
Help me to remember You're there for me
And I can run to You.

You wrap me in
Your warm embrace
And wipe each tear
From my tear-stained face.

Heavenly Father
Full of Grace
It is in Your arms
I find my peaceful place.

Stephanie Wood 7-31-2001

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Wednesday's Positive Thread