by Inspiration | Apr 2, 2023 | Archives, Featured, Spiritual Growth
A churchgoer wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. I’ve gone for 30 years now,”… A churchgoer wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. I’ve gone for 30 years now,” he wrote, “and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But, for the life of me, I can’t remember a single one of them. So I think I’m wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all.” This started a real controversy in the “Letters to the Editor” column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher: “I’ve been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me those meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead
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by Inspiration | Apr 1, 2023 | Archives, Featured, Inspiration
A young man working in the army was constantly humiliated because he believed in God. One day the commander decided to humiliate him before the troops. He called him and… A young man working in the army was constantly humiliated because he believed in God. One day the commander decided to humiliate him before the troops. He called him and said: “Young man, take the key and go park the Jeep in front.” The young soldier replied, “Sir, I cannot drive!” The superior said, “Then ask for assistance from your God! Show us that He Exists!” The young man took the key and walked to the vehicle, praying all the way. He started the car, and started to move hesitantly at first, and gently he began to move until he got to the place where the commander told him to park it. As he parked the car and came out, he saw the commander and his colleagues all crying. Then they said, “We want to serve your God!” The young soldier was astonished, he wanted to know what was going on? The commander was still busy sobbing, then he opened the hood of the jeep to reveal to the young man that the car had no engine. Then the lad said, “See? This is the God I serve, the God
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by Inspiration | Mar 31, 2023 | Archives, Featured, Inspiration
One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration I’m sure those students will never forget. After I… One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration I’m sure those students will never forget. After I share it with you, you’ll never forget it either. As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, “Okay, time for a quiz.” Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?” Everyone in the class said, “Yes.” Then he said, “Really?” He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he smiled and asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time the class was onto him. “Probably not,” one of them
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by Inspiration | Mar 30, 2023 | Archives, Featured, Inspiration
One night a group of nomads were preparing to retire for the evening when suddenly they were surrounded by a great light. They knew they were in the presence of… One night a group of nomads were preparing to retire for the evening when suddenly they were surrounded by a great light. They knew they were in the presence of a celestial being. With great anticipation, they awaited a heavenly message of great importance that they knew must be especially for them. Finally, the voice spoke, “Gather as many pebbles as you can. Put them in your saddlebags. Travel a day’s journey and tomorrow night will find you glad and it will find you sad.” After having departed, the nomads shared their disappointment and anger with each other. They had expected the revelation of a great universal truth that would enable them to create wealth, health and purpose for the world. But instead, they were given a menial task that made no sense to them at all. However, the memory of the brilliance of their visitor caused each one to pick up a few pebbles and deposit them in their saddlebags while voicing their displeasure. They travelled a day’s journey and that night while making camp, they reached into their saddlebags and discovered every pebble they had gathered had become
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by Inspiration | Mar 29, 2023 | Archives, Attitude, Featured
The Rev. Harry Pritchett, Junior, is rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Atlanta. His church includes specific ministries for the poor, for street people, for college students. It is… The Rev. Harry Pritchett, Junior, is rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Atlanta. His church includes specific ministries for the poor, for street people, for college students. It is Dr. Pritchett who called my attention to a boy named Philip. He was nine – in a Sunday School class of eight-year-olds. Eight-year-olds can be cruel. The third-graders did not welcome Philip to their group. Not just because he was older. He was “different.” He suffered from Down’s syndrome and its obvious manifestations: facial characteristics, slow responses, symptoms of retardation. One Sunday after Easter the Sunday school teacher gathered some of those plastic eggs – the kind in which some ladies pantyhose are packaged. Plastic eggs which pull apart in the middle. The Sunday school teacher gave one of these plastic eggs to each child. On that beautiful spring day, each child was to go outdoors and discover for himself some symbol of “new life” and place that symbolic seed or leaf or whatever inside his egg. They would then open their eggs one by one, and each youngster would explain how his find was a symbol of “new life.”
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by Inspiration | Mar 28, 2023 | Archives, Featured, Relationship
When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember well the polished old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver… When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember well the polished old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it. Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person — her name was “Information, Please” and there was nothing she did not know. “Information, Please” could supply anybody’s number and the correct time. My first personal experience with this genie-in the-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I hacked my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there didn’t seem to be any reason in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the
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