Jesus Lives 4
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THE SMELL OF RAIN
A very humid July wind danced around the dead
of night in our city as the doctor walked into
the hospital room. Still groggy from surgery,
my husband held my hand. That afternoon,
complications had forced me, only 24-weeks
pregnant, to undergo an emergency cesarean to
deliver our new son, Adam Joshua. At 12 inches
long and weighing only one pound and eight
ounces, we knew he was perilously premature.
Still, the doctor's soft words dropped like
bombs. "I don't think he's going to make it,"
he said. "There's only a 10-percent chance he
will live through the night, and even then, his
future could be a very cruel one."
Numb with disbelief, we listened as the doctor
described the devastating problems Adam would
likely face if he survived. He would never walk;
he would never talk; he would probably be blind
(his eyes were still webbed shut), and he would
certainly be prone to other catastrophic
conditions from cerebral palsy to complete mental
retardation; and on and on. "No! No!" was all I
could say. My husband and my other two little
boys had dreamed of the day we would become a
family of five. Now, in a matter of hours, that
dream was slipping away. My husband said that we
needed to talk about making funeral arrangements,"
I recall, "I felt so bad for him because he was
doing everything, trying to include me, but I
just couldn't listen." I said, "No, that is not
going to happen, no way! I don't care what the
doctors say. Adam is not going to die! One day
he will be just fine, and he will be coming
home with us!"Adam clung to life with the help
of every medical machine and marvel his
miniature body could endure - but as those first
days passed, a new agony set in for my husband
and I. Because Adam's underdeveloped nervous
system was essentially "raw," the lightest kiss
or caress only intensified his discomfort - so
we couldn't even cradle our tiny baby boy
against our chests. All we could do was to pray
that God would stay close to our precious little
boy. As the weeks went by, he slowly gained
weight and strength. When Adam turned two months
old, we were able to hold him. Two months later,
though doctors continued to warn that his
chances of survival - much less living a normal
life - were next to zero, Adam went home, just
as I had predicted. Four and a half years later,
Adam is small and fragile for his age group but
that doesn't stop him from being a feisty young
boy. He does have quite a few physical
impairments, but he does not have any mental
problems. However, this happy ending is far
from the end of his story...This past spring,
Adam was sitting on my lap, watching his two
big brothers race their bicycles. As usual,
Adam was chattering non-stop with me.
Hugging his arms across his chest, Adam asked, "Do
you smell that?" Detecting the approach of a
thunderstorm, I replied, "Yes, it smells like rain."
Still caught in the moment, Adam shook his head,
patted his thin shoulders with his small hands
and loudly announced, "No, it smells like Him.
It smells like God......when you lay your head
on His chest". Tears blurred my eyes as Adam
then got down to play. My precious little boy
confirmed what we had known all along. During
the first two months of life,when his nerves
were too sensitive for us to touch him, God
was holding Adam on His chest, and it was His
loving scent that he remembers so well.
Author Unknown
ICE-CREAM IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL...
Last week I took my children to a restaurant. My
six-year-old son asked if he could say grace.
As we bowed our heads he said, "God is good. God
is great. Thank you for the food, and I would
even thank you more if mom gets us ice cream for
dessert. And Liberty and justice for all! Amen!"
Along with the laughter from the other customers
nearby I heard a woman remark, "That's what's
wrong with this country. Kids today don't even
know how to pray. Asking God for ice-cream! Why,
I never!". Hearing this, my son burst into tears
and asked me, "Did I do it wrong?
Is God mad at me?"
As I held him and assured him that he had done a
terrific job and God was certainly not mad at him,
an elderly gentleman approached the table. He
winked at my son and said, "I happen to know that
God thought that was a great prayer." "Really?"
my son asked. "Cross my heart." Then in a
theatrical whisper he added (indicating the woman
whose remark had started this whole thing), "Too
bad she never asks God for ice cream. A little ice
cream is good for the soul sometimes."
Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end
of the meal. My son stared at his for a moment
and then did something I will remember the
rest of my life.
He picked up his sundae and without a word walked
over and placed it in front of the woman. With a
big smile he told her, "Here, this is for you.
Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes, and
my soul is good already."
Author Unknown
MATHEMATICAL PROOF
Mathematical Proof That God Can Take Care OF
US. Logistics of the Exodus or How good is
your math? Dr. Danny Kellum, Headmaster of
Donelson Christian Academy, wrote: "One of
the biggest arithmetical miracles in the
world: Moses and the people were in the desert,
but what was he going to do with them? They had
to be fed, and feeding 3 or 3 1/2 million people
requires a lot of food. According to the
Quartermaster General in the Army, it is reported
that Moses would have to have 1,500 tons of food
each day. Do you know that to bring that much
food each day, two freight trains each a mile
long would be required!
Besides you must remember, they were out in the
desert, and they would have to have firewood to
use in cooking the food. This would take 4,000
tons of wood and a few more freight trains each
a mile long, just for one day. And just think,
they were forty years in transit. Oh, yes, they
would have to have water. If they only had enough
to drink and wash a few dishes, it would take
11,000,000 gallons each day, and a freight train
with tank cars 1,800 miles long, just to bring water!
And then another thing. They had to get across
the Red Sea at night. Now, if they went on a
narrow path, double file, the line would be 800
miles long and would require 35 days and nights
to get through. So, there had to be a space in the
Red Sea, 3 miles wide so that they could walk
5,000 abreast to get over in one night.
But then another problem. Each time they camped
at the end of the day, a campground two-thirds
the size of the state of Rhode Island was required,
or a total of 750 square miles long, think of it!
This space just for nightly camping.
Do you think Moses figured all this out before he
left Egypt? I think not! You see, Moses believed
in God. God took care of these things for him.
Do you think God can take care of
all your needs, too???
WOULD YOU LISTEN??
A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible
Study. The Pastor had shared about listening
to God and obeying the Lord's voice. The young
man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still
speak to people?" After service he went out with
some friends for coffee and pie and they
discussed the message. Several different ones
talked about how God had led them in different ways.
It was about ten o'clock when the young man
started driving home. Sitting in his car, he
just began to pray, "God.. If you still speak
to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will
do my best to obey." As he drove down the main
street of his town, he had the strangest thought,
stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head
and said out loud, "God is that you?" He didn't
get a reply and started on toward home. But
again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk. The
young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't
recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel
ran to Eli. "Okay, God, in case that is you, I
will buy the milk." It didn't seem like too hard
a test of obedience. He could always use the
milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of
milk and started off toward home. As he passed
Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, "Turn
down that street." This is crazy he thought and
drove on pass the intersection. Again, he felt
that he should turn down Seventh Street. At the
next intersection, he turned back and headed
down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud,
"Okay, God, I will".
He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt
like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb
and looked around. He was in a semi-commercial
area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't
the worst of neighborhoods either. The
businesses were closed and most of the houses
looked dark like the people were already in bed.
Again, he sensed something, "Go and give the
milk to the people in the house across the
street." The young man looked at the house. It
was dark and it looked like the people were
either gone or they were already asleep. He
started to open the door and then sat back in
the car seat. "Lord, this is insane. Those people
are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going
to be mad and I will look stupid." Again, he felt
like he should go and give the milk. Finally, he
opened the door, "Okay God, if this is you, I will
go to the door and I will give them the milk. If
you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I
want to be obedient. I guess that will count for
something but if they don't answer right away,
I am out of here."
He walked across the street and rang the bell. He
could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled
out, "Who is it? What do you want?" Then the door
opened before the young man could get away. The
man was standing there in his jeans and t-shirt.
He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a
strange look on his face and he didn't seem to
happy to have some stranger standing on his
doorstep. "What is it?" The young man thrust
out the gallon of milk, "Here, I brought this to
you." The man took the milk and rushed down a
hall way speaking loudly in Spanish. Then from
down the hall came a woman carrying the milk
toward the kitchen. The man was following her
holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had
tears streaming down his face. The man began
speaking and half crying, "We were just praying.
We had some big bills this month and we ran out
of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby.
I was just praying and asking God to show me how
to get some milk." His wife in the kitchen yelled
out, "I ask him to send an Angel with some...Are
you an Angel?" The young man reached into his
wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him
and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked
back toward his car and the tears were streaming
down his face. He knew that God still answers
prayers and that God still speaks to His people.
DO YOU??????
Author Unknown
HOW MUCH DOES A PRAYER WEIGH?
There is a story of a grocery store owner who
tried to weigh one. A tired-looking woman came
into the store and asked for enough food to make
a dinner for her children. The grocer asked her
how much she could spend. The frail woman
answered, "I have nothing to offer but a little
prayer." The storekeeper was not very sentimental
nor religious, so he said, half-mockingly, "Write
it on paper, and I'll weigh it."
So she did. The grocer placed the prayer on the
weight side of his old- fashioned scales. Then he
began piling food on the other side; but to his
amazement, the scale would not go down. He finally
became flustered and gave the woman a
large bag of food.
The grocer never saw the woman again, but he
treasures the slip of paper upon which the
woman's prayer had been written; "Please, Lord,
give us this day our daily bread."
-Author Unknown-
~~~~~GROCERIES~~~~~
There was a Christian lady who lived next door
to an atheist. Everyday, when the lady prayed,
the atheist guy could hear her. He, thought to
himself, "She sure is crazy, praying all the time
like that. Doesn't she know there isn't a God?"
Many times while she was praying, he would go to
her house and harass her, saying, "Lady, why do
you pray all the time? Don't you know there is no
God?" But, she kept right on praying. One day, she
ran out of groceries. As usual, she was praying to
the Lord, explaining her situation, and thanking
Him for what He was gonna do.
AS USUAL, the atheist heard her praying and
thought to himself, "Hmph . . . I'll fix her."
So he went to the grocery store, bought a whole
bunch of groceries, took them to her house,
dropped them off on the front porch, rang the
door bell, and then hid in the bushes to see
what she would do.
When she opened the door and saw the groceries,
she began to praise the Lord with all her heart---
jumping, singing, and shoutin' everywhere! The
atheist then jumped out of the bushes and told
her, "You ol' crazy lady, God didn't buy you those
groceries. I bought those groceries!"
Well, she broke out, and started running down
the street, shouting and praising the Lord. When
he finally caught her, he asked what her problem
was . . . She said, "I knew the Lord would
provide me with some groceries, but I didn't know
he was gonna make the devil pay for them!"
Author Unknown
BEAUTY HINTS
For Wrinkled brows
Try the well-known cream - SWEETNESS of TEMPER.
It tones up the facial muscles, reduces wrinkle
and is very uplifting.
For the Lips
Use the marvelous lipstick-SILENCE. It is
particularly good for lips that have been
distorted by uncharitable gossip.
For Lovely Hands
There's really only one preparation to use. It
is called GENEROSITY. Get a large size jar.
For facial tone
Expose the face to the morning air, especially
between six and eight o'clock. The air on the way
to CHURCH is especially refreshing and uplifting.
For clean eyes
Faithful care with that tried and true protective
preparation-MODESTY. For the best results we
recommend that you carry it with you wherever you go.
A Wonderful Cleansing Agent
-CONFESSION-
An ideal Conditioner and Beautifier
-HOLY COMMUNION-
Author Unknown
IN THE PARK WITH GOD
There once was a little boy who wanted to meet
God. He knew it was a long trip to where God
lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies
and a six pack of root beer and he started his
journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he
met an old woman. She was sitting in the park
just staring at some pigeons.
The boy sat down next to her and opened his
suitcase. He was about to take a drink from
his root beer when he noticed that the old lady
looked hungry, so he offered her a Twinkie. She
gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her
smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see
it again, so he offered her a root beer. Once
again she smiled at him. The boy was delighted!
They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling,
but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the
boy realized how tired he was and he got up to
leave, but before he had gone more than a few
steps, he turned around, ran back to the old
woman and gave her a hug. She gave him her
biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house
a short time later, his mother was surprised by
the look of joy on his face. She asked him,
"What did you do today that made you so happy?"
He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before
his mother could respond, he added, "You know
what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've
ever seen!" Meanwhile, the old woman, also
radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son
was stunned by the look of peace on her face and
he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that
made you so happy?" She replied, "I ate Twinkies
in the park with God." But before her son
responded, she added, "You know, he's much
younger than I expected."
author unknown
THE ROCK
A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when
suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior
appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for
him to do, and showed him a large rock in front
of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was
to push against the rock with all his might.
This the man did, day after day. For many years
he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders
set squarely against the cold, massive surface of
the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might.
Each night the man returned to his cabin sore,
and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been
spent in vain. Seeing that the man was showing
signs of discouragement, that Wicked One decided
to enter the picture by placing thoughts into
the man's weary mind: "You have been pushing
against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't
budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are
never going to move it. " Thus giving the man
the impression that the task was impossible and
that he was a failure, these thoughts discouraged
and disheartened the man. "Why kill myself over
this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time,
giving just the minimum effort and that will be
good enough." And that is what he planned to do
until one day he decided to make it a matter of
prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.
"Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in
your service, putting all my strength to do that
which you have asked. Yet, after all this time,
I have not even budged that rock by half a
millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?" The
Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I
asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told
you that your task was to push against the rock
with all your strength, which you have done. Never
once did I mention to you that I expected you to
move it. Your task was to push. And now you come
to me, with your strength spent, thinking that
you have failed. But, is that really so?
Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled,
your back sinewed and brown, your hands are
callused from constant pressure, and your legs
have become massive and hard. Through opposition
you have grown much and your abilities now surpass
that which you used to have. Yet you haven't moved
the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and
to push and to exercise your faith and trust in
My wisdom. This you have done. I, my child, will
now move the rock."
At times when we hear a word from God, we tend
to use our own intellect to decipher what He
wants, when actually what God wants is just simple
obedience and faith in Him....... By all means,
exercise the faith that moves mountains; but
remember that it is still God who moves the mountains.
Author Unknown
Page 5
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