If you do not find peace in yourself, you will never find it anywhere else





Justice...When you get what you deserve  
Mercy.....When you don't get what you deserve
Grace.....When you get what you don't deserve





Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to McDonald's makes you a hamburger





A coincidence is when God performs a miracle and decides to remain anonymous





Did it ever occur to you that nothing occurs to God?





There are two things I have learned: There is a God, and I'm not him
BR>



Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace....Your best days are never so good that you're beyond the need of God's grace



Oh God! That one might read the book of fate ~Shakespeare~





What you are is God's gift to you.... What you become is your gift to God





THE 4 AGREEMENTS 


1.BE IMPECCABLE WITH YOUR WORDS: 
speak with integrity..say only what you mean..avoid using the words to speak against yourself or to gossip about another..use the power of your words in the direction of truth and love. 


2.DON'T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY: 
nothing others do is because of you..what others say or do is a projection of their reality and their dreams not yours..when you are immune to the opinions and actions of others you won't be the victim of needless suffering. 


3.DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS: 
find the courage to ask questions and toexpress what you really want..communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama..with just this one agreement you can transform your life. 


4.ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST: 
your best is going to change from moment to moment.. it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to when you are sick..under any circumstances simply do your best and you will avoid self judgement.. self abuse and regret.





HANG ON TO EACH OTHER
Too often we feel alone. But there is always someone ready to take our hand. There is a beautiful story of an overworked nurse who escorted a tired, young man to her patient's bedside. Leaning over and speaking loudly to the elderly patient, she said, "Your son is here." 
With great effort, his unfocussed eyes opened, then flickered shut again. The young man squeezed the aged hand in his and sat beside the bed. Throughout the night he sat there, holding the old man's hand and whispering words of comfort. 
By morning's light, the patient had died. In moments, hospital staff swarmed into the room to turn off machines and remove needles. The nurse stepped over to the young man's side and began to offer sympathy, but he interrupted her. 
"Who was that man?" he asked. 
The startled nurse replied, "I thought he was your father!" 
"No, he was not my father," he answered. "I never saw him before in my life." 
"Then, why didn't you say something when I took you to him?" 
"I realized he needed his son and his son wasn't here," the man explained. "And since he was too sick to recognize that I was not his son, I knew he needed me." 
Mother Teresa used to remind us that nobody should have to die alone. Likewise, nobody should have to grieve alone or cry alone either. Or laugh alone or celebrate alone. 
We are made to travel life's journey hand in hand. There is someone ready to grasp your hand today. And someone hoping you will take theirs.


****
ONE

 
One song can spark a moment
One flower can wake the dream
One tree can start a forest
One bird can herald spring
One smile begins a friendship
One handclasp lifts a soul
One star can guide a ship at sea
One word can frame the goal
One vote can change a nation
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness
One laugh will conquer gloom
One step must start each journey
One word must start each prayer
One hope will raise our spirits
One touch can show you care
One voice can speak with wisdom
One heart can know what's true
One life can make the difference
You see, it's up to you!!
*****
I am a tiny angel
I'm smaller than your thumb,
I live in peoples' pockets,
That's where I have my fun.
I don't suppose you've seen me,
I'm too tiny to detect,
Though I'm with you all the time,
I doubt we've ever met.
Before I was an Angel...
I was a fairy in a flower,
God, Himself, hand-picked me,
And gave me Angel power.
Now God has many Angels
that He trains in Angel pools,
We become His eyes, and ears, and hands
We become His special tools.
And because God is so busy,
With way too much to do,
He said that my assignment
Is to keep close watch on you.
When He tucked me in your pocket
He blessed you with Angel care
Then told me to never leave you,
And I vowed always to be there.
I'm your Guardian Angel...
*****


I Am Thankful 

                            
I am Thankful


For the mess to clean after a party, Because it means that I have been surrounded by         friends.


For the clothes that fit a little snug, 
Because it means I have enough to eat. 


For my shadow that watches me work, 
Because it means I am out in the sunshine.       

For a lawn that needs mowing,
windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need
fixing, Because it means I
have a home.


For the parking spot I find at the far end of the Parking lot, Because it means I am capable of walking and that I have been blessed with transportation.         


For my huge heating bill, Because it means I 
am warm.


For the lady behind me in church that sings off   key, Because it means that I can hear. 


For the pile of laundry and ironing, Because it means I have clothes to wear.         


For weariness and aching muscles at the end of   the day, Because it means I have been capable of working hard.         


For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours, Because it means that I am alive.         
 
*****


IF I WAS THE DEVIL TODAY


I would gain control of the most powerful nation in the world; 


I would delude their minds into thinking that they had come from man's effort, instead of God's blessings; 


I would promote an attitude of loving things and using people, instead of the other way around; 


I would dupe entire states into relying on gambling for their state revenue; 


I would convince people that character is not an issue when it comes to leadership; 


I would make it legal to take the life of unborn babies; 


I would make it socially acceptable to take one's own life, and invent machines to make it convenient; 


I would cheapen human life as much as possible, so that the lives of animals are valued more than human beings; 


I would take God out of the schools, where even the mention of His name was grounds for a lawsuit; 


I would come up with drugs that sedate the mind and target the young, and I would get sports heroes to advertise them; 


I would get control of the media, so that every night I could pollute the mind of every family member for my agenda; 


I would attack the family, the backbone of any nation; 


I would make divorce acceptable and easy, even fashionable, because if the family crumbles, so does the nation; 


I would compel people to express their most depraved fantasies on canvas and movie screens, and I would call it art; 


I would convince the world that people are born homosexuals, and that their lifestyles should be accepted and marveled; 


I would convince the people that right and wrong are determined by a few who call themselves authorities, and refer to their agenda as politically correct; 

 
I would persuade people that the church is irrelevant and out of date, and the Bible is for the naive; 


I would dull the minds of Christians, and make them believe that prayer is not important, and that faithfulness and obedience are optional; 
I guess I would leave things pretty much the way they are.  Good Day
*****
QUILTS


As I faced my Maker at the last Judgement I knelt before the Lord along with the other souls. Before each of us laid our lives, like the squares of a quilt, in many piles. 
An Angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life. 
*****
As my Angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. 
Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in everyday life. I saw hardships that I had endured, which were the largest holes of all. 
*****
I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. 
*****
I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened. My Angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, thread bare and empty, like binding air. 
*****
Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose, each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been. *****
My Angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. 
I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness and death, and false accusations that took from me my world as I knew it. I had to start over many times. 
*****
I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I had spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance 
in my life. 
*****
I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully; each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me. And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it had been. I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. 
*****
An awe-filled gasp filled the air. 
I gazed around at the others who stared at me with eyes wide. Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image the face of Christ. 
*****
Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, "Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you. 
*****
May all our quilts be thread bare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through.
*****