by Inspiration | Jun 23, 2023 | Archives, Featured, Inspiration
A baby camel asked his mother, “Why do we have such large hoofs on our feet?” She turned to him. “God made us that way for a very special reason,”… A baby camel asked his mother, “Why do we have such large hoofs on our feet?” She turned to him. “God made us that way for a very special reason,” and she began her explanation. “The big hoofs are to keep us from sinking into the sand.” “Oh! So why do we have long eyelashes?” “It’s to protect our eyes from the sand.” “Why the big humps?” “That is to store fat and have enough energy to go long distances in the hot desert!” “I see!” the baby camel stretched his neck and looked up at his mother, “The big hoofs are to keep from sinking into the sand, the long eyelashes are to keep the sand out of our eyes, and the humps are to store energy to travel long distances. Then what are we doing in this cage in the middle of a zoo?” Like the camel, I had asked the same kind of questions. When my blindness set in, I initially locked myself in a cage of self-pity and bitterness. Weary from pacing within that gloomy cage, something nudged me to see beyond my circumstance and unfortunate
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by Inspiration | Jun 22, 2023 | Archives, Featured, Spiritual Growth
You see it all the time. People achieve success, and then their personal lives seem to fall apart. As someone once said, success has made failures of many men. But… You see it all the time. People achieve success, and then their personal lives seem to fall apart. As someone once said, success has made failures of many men. But does that have to happen? The September 1996 issue of Standing Firm magazine contains a great story about Bobby Bowden. Bowden is head football coach for Florida State University. His team’s winning record places him near the top in wins among active coaches at the Division I level. Bowden’s record of successes in bowl games is the highest winning percentage in NCAA history. So he is successful in his chosen career. Whether you are a fan of F.S.U. or not, you have to admit that Bowden is a successful coach. But there is more to Bowden than the statistics you read in the sports pages. He is a man of faith and makes no apologies for that. During his team’s Friday evening meetings before their Saturday games, Bowden uses valuable time for team devotionals, which he leads. As for his ongoing leadership of the team’s staff, each day he meets with his staff for devotions and prayer prior to their
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by Inspiration | Jun 21, 2023 | Archives, Featured, Marriage
Yesterday, I went to interview a preacher. He came three hours late to his church, venue of our meeting and I was a bit angry. But when he explained what… Yesterday, I went to interview a preacher. He came three hours late to his church, venue of our meeting and I was a bit angry. But when he explained what kept him, not only did I forgive him quickly and learned some lessons, but I decided to share this with you so that some of us could learn. Husbands and wives should learn how to settle their quarrels without delay. I have seen situations where couples allow simple disagreement to fester for days. Husband is silently hurting, expecting the wife to speak to him first; same for the wife, hurting and expecting the husband to play the man. The waiting game leads from one thing to the other. If you are at this level of matrimony, please read this. You might have a reason to call your spouse and together take an oath that “OUR QUARREL WOULD NOT LAST BEYOND THAT MOMENT.” The story as told by the reverend: Husband and his wife (his church members) had a domestic disagreement one morning. The man said he was so bitter about it, claiming his wife knew she was wrong but refused
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by Inspiration | Jun 20, 2023 | Archives, Featured, Parenting
Currently, we have our seven-year-old grandson visiting us. Julian is delightful and thoroughly enjoyable to be around, when he is getting his way. One day this past summer, as we… Currently, we have our seven-year-old grandson visiting us. Julian is delightful and thoroughly enjoyable to be around, when he is getting his way. One day this past summer, as we were on our way to the swimming pool, I stopped to indulge his request for an ice cream cone. He decided he wanted a “Big Blast.” He was all smiles as he devoured the horrid-looking blue drink with whipped cream topping. Our next stop was the video store. When we finally found one he had not seen, I checked it out and was on my way out the door, when I noticed that Julian was not behind me. He had discovered a Nintendo game. By the time we finally left the store, he’d talked me into letting him play for about 30 minutes. Then I had to make a quick stop at a nearby department store for the pair of jeans I’d promised him. By the time we came out of the department store–without the jeans (he had now decided he wanted a type of jeans the store did not carry)–it was 4:40 pm. “Julian,” I said, “we are going
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by Inspiration | Jun 19, 2023 | Archives, Featured
The Many Names of Christ To the ARTIST He is the One Altogether Lovely. To the ARCHITECT He is the Chief Corner Stone. To the BAKER He is the Living… The Many Names of Christ To the ARTIST He is the One Altogether Lovely. To the ARCHITECT He is the Chief Corner Stone. To the BAKER He is the Living Bread. To the BANKER He is the Hidden Treasure. To the BIOLOGIST He is the Life. To the BUILDER He is the Sure Foundation. To the CARPENTER He is the Door. To the DOCTOR He is the Great Physician. To the EDUCATOR He is the Great Teacher. To the ENGINEER He is the New and Living Way. To the FLORIST He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley. To the GEOLOGIST He is the Rock of Ages. To the HORTICULTURIST He is the True Vine. To the JUDGE He is the Righteous Judge, Judge of All Men. To the JEWELER He is the Pearl of Great Price. To the LAWYER He is the Counselor, the Lawgiver, the Advocate. To the NEWSPAPER He is the Good Tidings of Great Joy. To the OCULIST He is the Light of the Eyes. To the PHILANTHROPIST He is the Unspeakable Gift. To the PHILOSOPHER He is the Wisdom of God.
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by Inspiration | Jun 16, 2023 | Archives, Featured, Leadership
A butcher watching over his shop is really surprised when he sees a dog coming inside the shop. He ‘shoos’ him away. But later, the dog is back again. So,… A butcher watching over his shop is really surprised when he sees a dog coming inside the shop. He ‘shoos’ him away. But later, the dog is back again. So, he goes over to the dog and notices it has a note in its mouth. He takes the note and it reads, “Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please?” The dog has money in its mouth, as well. The butcher looks inside and, low and behold, there is a $10 note there. So he takes the money and puts the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog’s mouth. The butcher is so impressed, and since it’s about closing time, he decides to shut the shop and follow the dog. So off he goes. The dog is walking down the street, when it comes to a level crossing the dog puts down the bag, jumps up and presses the button. Then it waits patiently, bag in mouth, for the lights to turn. They do, and it walks across the road, with the butcher following him all the way. The dog then comes to
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