Welcome to my sappy little page ... this is where you'll find stuff to make you think and maybe shed a few tears!

TWO BABES IN A MANGER

In 1994, two Americans answered an invitation from the Russian Department of Education to teach morals and ethics (based on biblical principles) in the public schools. They were invited to teach at prisons, businesses, the fire and police departments and a large orphanage. About 100 boys and girls who had been abandoned, abused, and left in the care of a government-run program were in the orphanage. They relate the following story in their own words: It was nearing the holiday season, 1994, time for our orphans to hear for the first time, the traditional story of Christmas. We told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem. Finding no room in the inn, the couple went to a stable, where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger. Throughout the story, the children and orphanage staff sat in amazement as they listened. Some sat on the edges of their stools, trying to grasp every word. Completing the story, we gave the children three small pieces of cardboard to make a crude manger. Each child was given a small paper square, cut from yellow napkins I had brought with me. No colored paper was available in the city. Following instructions, the children tore the paper and carefully laid strips in the manger for straw. Small squares of flannel, cut from a worn-out nightgown an American lady was throwing away as she left Russia, were used for the baby's blanket. A doll-like baby was cut from tan felt we had brought from the United States. The orphans were busy assembling their manger as I walked among them to see if they needed any help. All went well until I got to one table where little Misha sat. He looked to be about 6 years old and had finished his project. As I looked at the little boy's manger, I was startled to see not one, but two babies in the manger. Quickly, I called for the translator to ask the lad why there were two babies in the manger. Crossing his arms in front of him and looking at this completed manger scene, the child began to repeat the story very seriously. For such a young boy, who had only heard the Christmas story once, he related the happenings accurately -- until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger. Then Misha started to ad-lib. He made up his own ending to the story as he said, "And when Maria laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no mamma and I have no papa, so I don't have any place to stay. Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn't, because I didn't have a gift to give him like everybody else did. But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much, so I thought about what I had that maybe I could use for a gift. I thought maybe if I kept him warm, that would be a good gift. So I asked Jesus, "If I keep you warm, will that be a good enough gift?" And Jesus told me, "If you keep me warm, that will be the best gift anybody ever gave me." "So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with him --- for always." As little Misha finished his story, his eyes brimmed full of tears that splashed down his little cheeks. Putting his hand over his face, his head dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed and sobbed. The little orphan had found someone who would never abandon nor abuse him, someone who would stay with him-FOR ALWAYS. I've learned that it's not what you have in your life, but who you have in your life that counts.

How can we blame it all on guns? A letter to the editor of the San Angelo, Texas newspaper.

Dear Editor: For the life of me, I can't understand what could have gone wrong in Littleton, Colo. If only the parents had kept their children away from the guns, we wouldn't have had such a tragedy. Yeah, it must have been the guns. It couldn't have been because of half our children are being raised in broken homes. It couldn't have been because our children get to spend an average of 30 seconds in meaningful conversation with their parents each day. After all, we give our children quality time. It couldn't have been because we treat our children as pets and our pets as children. It couldn't have been because we place our children in day care centers where they learn their socialization skills among their peers under the law of the jungle while employees who have no vested interest in the children look on and make sure that no blood is spilled. It couldn't have been because we allow our children to watch, on average, seven hours of television a day filled with the glorification of sex and violence that isn't fit for adult consumption. It couldn't have been because we allow our children to enter into virtual worlds in which, to win the game, one must kill as many opponents as possible in the most sadistic way possible. It couldn't have been because we have sterilized and contracepted our families down to sizes so small that the children we do have are so spoiled with material things that they come to equate the receiving of the material things with love. It couldn't have been because our children, who historically have been seen as a blessing from God, are now being viewed as either a mistake created when contraception fails or inconveniences that parents try to raise in their spare time. It couldn't have been because our nation is the world leader in developing a "culture of death" in which 20 million to 30 million babies have been killed by abortion. It couldn't have been because we give two-year prison sentences to teen-agers who kill their newborns. It couldn't have been because our school systems teach the children that they are nothing but glorified apes who have evolutionized out of some primordial soup of mud by teaching evolution as fact and by handing out condoms as if they were candy. It couldn't have been that we have taken away the school's rights to discipline children and prosecuted teachers for trying to control their classroom. It couldn't have been that we allow lawyers to make a mockery of the judicial system and allow children to sue their parents for trying to keep them in line. It couldn't have been because we teach our children that there are no laws of morality that transcend us, that everything is relative and that actions don't have consequences. What the heck, the president gets away with it. . . . . Nah, it must have been the guns.

A-Z of friendship

A Friend.... (A)ccepts you as you are (B)elieves in "you" (C)alls you just to say "HI" (D)oesn't give up on you (E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts) (F)orgives your mistakes (G)ives unconditionally (H)elps you (I)nvites you over (J)ust "be" with you (K)eeps you close at heart (L)oves you for who you are (M)akes a difference in your life (N)ever Judges (O)ffers support (P)icks you up (Q)uiets your fears (R)aises your spirits (S)ays nice things about you (T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it (U)nderstands you (V)alues you (W)alks beside you (X)-plain things you don't understand (Y)ells when you won't listen and (Z)aps you back to reality

Real Friends

Anyone can stand by you when you are right, but a Real Friend will stand by you even when you are wrong... A simple friend identifies himself when he calls. A real friend doesn't have to. A simple friend opens a conversation with a full news bulletin on his/her life. A real friend says, "What's new with you?" A simple friend thinks the problems you whine about are recent. A real friend says, "You've been whining about the same thing for 14 years. Get off your duff and do something about it." A simple friend has never seen you cry. A real friend has shoulders soggy from your tears. A simple friend doesn't know your parents' first names. A real friend has their phone numbers in his address book. A simple friend brings a bottle of wine to your party. A real friend comes early to help you cook and stays late to help you clean. A simple friend hates it when you call after he has gone to bed. A real friend asks you why you took so long to call. A simple friend seeks to talk with you about your problems. A real friend seeks to help you with your problems. A simple friend wonders about your romantic history. A real friend could blackmail you with it. A simple friend, when visiting, acts like a guest. A real friend opens your refrigerator and helps himself. A simple friend thinks the friendship is over when you have an argument. A real friend knows that it's not a friendship until after you've had a fight. A simple friend will support you. A real friend will show up at your events! A simple friend expects you to always be there for them. A real friend expects to always be there for you!

No Charge

A little boy came into the kitchen one evening while his mother was fixing supper. And he handed her a piece of paper he'd been writing on. So, after wiping her hands on her apron, she read it, and this is what it said: For mowing the grass, $5. For making my own bed this week, $1. For going to the store, 50c. For playing with baby brother while you went shopping, 25c. For taking out the trash, $1. For getting a good report card, $5. And for raking the yard, $2. Well, she looked at him standing there expectantly, and a thousand memories flashed through her mind. So, she picked up the paper, and turning it over, this is what I wrote: For the nine months I carried you, growing inside me, No Charge. For the nights I sat up with you, doctored you prayed for you, No charge. For the time and the tears, and the cost through the years, No Charge. For the nights filled with dread, and the worries ahead, No Charge. For advice and the knowledge, and the cost of your college, No Charge. For the toys, food and clothes, and for wiping your nose, No Charge. Son, when you add it all up, the full cost of my love is No Charge. Well, when the boy finished reading, he had great big tears in his eyes. And he looked up at his mother and he said, "Mama, I sure do love you." Then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: PAID IN FULL.

A Friend Is ...

A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be. A friend is a living treasure, and if you have one, you have one of the most valuable gifts in life. A friend is the one who will always be beside you, through all the laughter, and through each and every tear. A friend is the one thing you can always rely on; the someone you can always open up to; the one wonderful person who always believes in you in a way that no one else seems to. A friend is a sanctuary. A friend is a smile. A friend is a hand that is always holding yours, no matter where you are, no matter how close or far apart you may be. A friend is someone who is always there and will always -- always -- care. A friend is a feeling of forever in the heart. A friend is the one door that is always open. A friend is the one to whom you can give your key. A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be. --source unknown --

HEAVEN'S GROCERY STORE

I was walking down life's highway a long time ago. One day I saw a sign that read, "HEAVEN'S GROCERY STORE". As I got a little closer,the door came open wide, and when I came to myself I was standing inside. I saw a host of ANGELS. They were standing everywhere. One handed me a basket and said, "My Child, shop with care". Everything a human needed was in that grocery store. And all you couldn't carry, you could come back the next day for more." First, I got some PATIENCE. LOVE was in the same row. Further down was UNDERSTANDING, you need that everywhere you go. I got a box or two of WISDOM, a bag or two of FAITH. I just couldn't miss the HOLY GHOST, for it was all over the place. I stopped to get some STRENGTH, and COURAGE to help me run this race. By then my basket was getting full, But I remembered I needed some GRACE. I didn't forget SALVATION, for SALVATION was free, So I tried to get enough of that to save both you and me. Then I started up to the counter to pay my grocery bill, For I thought I had everything to do the MASTER'S will. As I went up the aisle, I saw PRAYER, and I just had to put that in, For I knew when I stepped outside, I would run into sin. PEACE AND JOY were plentiful; they were last on the shelf. SONG and PRAISE were hanging near, so I just helped myself. Then I said to the angel, "Now, how much do I owe?" He smiled and said, "Just take them everywhere you go." Again, I smiled and said, "How much do I really owe?" He smiled again and said, "MY CHILD, GOD PAID YOUR BILL A LONG, LONG TIME AGO."

The Fence

There was once a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of large nails and told him that every time he lost his temper he was to hammer a large nail in the back fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like the one you made in the fence. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out again. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us."

There was an atheist couple who had a child. The couple had never told their daughter anything about the Lord. One night when the little girl was 5 years old, the parents fought with each other and the father shot the mother, right in front of the child. Then, the father shot himself. The little girl watched it all. The little girl was sent to a foster home. Her foster parents were Christians and took the child to church. On the first day of Sunday School, the foster mother told the teacher that the girl had never heard of Jesus, and to have patience with the little girl. The teacher held up a picture of Jesus and asked, "Does anyone know who this is?" The little girl said, "I do. That's the man who was holding me the night my parents died."

One night in a church service a young woman felt the tug of God at her heart. She responded to God's call and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. The young woman had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs, and prostitution. But, the change in her was evident. As time went on she became a faithful member of the church. She eventually became involved in the ministry, teaching young children. It was not very long until this faithful young woman had caught the eye and heart of the pastor's son. The relationship grew and they began to make wedding plans. This is when the problems began. You see, about one half of the church did not think that a woman with a past such as hers was suitable for a pastor's son. The church began to argue and fight about the matter. So they decided to have a meeting. As the people made their arguments and tensions increased, the meeting was getting completely out of hand. The young woman became very upset about all the things being brought up about her past. As she began to cry, the pastor's son stood to speak. He could not bear the pain it was causing his wife to be. He began to speak and his statement as this: "My fiancee's past is not what is on trial here. What you are questioning is the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin. Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial. So, does it wash away sin or not?" The whole church began to weep as they realized that they had been slandering the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world is going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Or is it scary? Funny how someone can say "I believe in God" but still follow Satan (who by the way, also "believes" in God) Funny how you can send a thousand 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but the public discussion of Jesus is suppressed in the school and workplace. Funny isn't it? Funny how someone can be so fired up for Christ on Sunday, but be an invisible Christian the rest of the week. Are you laughing? Funny how when you read this message, you will not think about sending it to many on your email address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them. Funny how I can be more worried about what other people think of me than what God thinks of me. Are you thinking? God has blessed us in many ways. So have a blessed day!

THE SMELL OF GOD A cold March wind danced around the dead of night in Dallas as the doctor walked into the small hospital room of Diane Blessing. Still groggy from surgery, her husband David held her as they braced themselves for the latest news. That afternoon March 10, 1991, complications forced Diana, only 24 weeks pregnant, to undergo emergency surgery. At 12 inches long and weighing only one pound 9 ounces Danae Lu arrived by cesarean delivery. They already knew she was perilously premature. Still the doctor's soft words dropped like bombs. "I don't think she going to make it," he said as kindly as he could. "There's only a 10% chance she will live through the night. If by some slim chance she does make it her future could be a very cruel one." Numb with disbelief, David and Diana listened as the doctor described the devastating problems Danae could face if she survived. She would never walk, nor talk -- probably be blind; prone to other catastrophic conditions from cerebral palsy to complete mental retardation, and on and on. Through the dark hours of morning as Danae held onto life by the thinnest thread, Diana slipped in and out of drugged sleep growing more and more determined their daughter would live to be a happy, healthy young girl. Fully awake, David knew he must confront his wife with the inevitable. David walked in and said that they needed to talk about making funeral arrangements. Diana remembers saying, "No, that is not going to happen, Danae is not going to die. One day she will be just fine and she will be coming home with us. As if willed to live by Diana's determination, Danae clung to life hour after hour. But as those first days passed, a new agony set in for David and Diana because Danae's underdeveloped nervous system was essentially "raw." Kisses or caresses only intensified her discomfort, so they couldn't even cradle their tiny baby against their chest. All they could do as Danae struggled beneath the ultra violet light was to pray that God would stay close to their precious little girl. At last when Danae turned 2 months old, her parents were able to hold her for the very first time. Two months later, Danae went home from the hospital just as her mother predicted, even though doctors grimly warned that her chances of surviving, much less a normal life, were almost zero. 9 years later, Danae is a petite but feisty young girl with glittering gray eyes and an unquenchable zest for life. She shows no signs whatever of any mental or physical impairments. She is everything a little girl can be and more-but that happy ending is far from the end of the story. One blistering summer afternoon in 1996 in Irving, Texas, Danae was sitting in her mother's lap at the ballpark where her brother Dustin's baseball team was practicing. As always Danae was busy chattering when she suddenly fell silent. Hugging her arms across her chest, Danae asked her mother, "Do you smell that?" Smelling the air and detecting a thunderstorm approaching, Diana replied, "Yes, it smells like rain." Danae closed her eyes again and asked, "Do you smell that?" Once again her mother replied, "Yes, I think we're about to get wet - it smells like rain." Caught in the moment, Danae shook her head, patted her thin shoulders and loudly announced, "No, it smells like HIM. It smells like God when you lay your head on HIS chest." Tears blurred Diana's eyes as Danae then happily hopped down to play with other children before the rain came. Her daughter's words confirmed, at least in their hearts, what Diana and all the members of the Blessing family had known all along. During those long days and nights of her first two months of her life, when her nerves were too sensitive for them to touch her, God was holding Danae on HIS chest, and it is His loving scent that she remembers well. Intimacy with God is everything! Do you smell the scent of God when you lay your head on His chest?