I am reading a book by Myles Monroe, 'KINGDOM PRINCIPLES". The first page of the book gave us some questions to ponder. How do you feel?
1. Why is there so much hatred in the world?
2. Why do we discriminate against people who posses human value?
3. Why is there racism in the world?
4. What are the benefits of war?
5. Why do men in every generation pursue power at the expenses of peace?
6. Why are there so many religions?
7. Why do the religions conflict?
8. Why can't we love one another on earth?
9. Why is no one religion good enough for all men?
10. What can I do to make a difference in this world?
11 Why is there always tension between politics and religion?
12. Will there ever be global peace and harmony on earth?
13. Why has man's scientific and intellectual advancement not been able to solve his social, cultural, and religious problem?
14. Is there hope for our world?
15. What about the future for our children? What kind of wolrd will they live in?
Simply asking these questions can ignite a spirit of depression and despair because they expose the deficiencies and defects of humanity and cast a somber cloud of doubt about our achievements as a race as well as our poential to improve our lot.
 | ANGER! | Apr 1, '08 10:50 PM
for everyone |
Excerpt from SPIRITUAL LEADERSIP by J. Oswald Sanders
Can this be right? An angry leader? Indeed, Jesus had this quality and when we use it righthly, we follow Him. In Mark 3:5, Jesus looked "at them in anger."
Holy anger is the counterpart to Love. Both are part of the nature of God. Jesus' love for the man with the withered hand aroused His anger against those who would deny him healing. Jesus' love for God's house made Him angry at the sellers and buyers who had turned the temple into a "den of robbers." (Matthew 21:13)
Great helpers--people who turn the tide and change the direction of events--have been angry at injustice and abuse that dishonors God and enslaves the weak. Wilberfore moved heaven and earth to emancipate slaves in Englnad and eliminate the slave trade--and he was angry!
Martin Luther calimed that he "never did anything well until his wrath was excited, and then he could do anything well."
But holy anger is open to abuse. Many who feel it allow anger to become their downfall.
Bishop Butler teaches six conditions that make anger sinful:
* When, to favor a resentment or feud, we imagine an injury done to us.
* When an injury done to us becomes in our minds, greater than it really is.
* When, without real injury, we feel resentment on account of pain or inconvenience.
* When indignation rise too high, and overwhelms our ability to restrain.
* When we gratify resentments by causing pain or harm out of revenge.
* When we are so perplexed and angry at sin in our own lives that we readily project anger at the sin we find in others.
Paul argues for holy anger when he repeats the advice of Psalm 4:4: "In your anger do not sin." (Ephesians 4:26). This anger is not selfish and does not center on the pain you currently feel. To be free of sin such anger must be zealous for truth and purity, with the glory of God its chief objective.
Davao Writers' Guild, in cooperation with the LCB Performing Arts Center Foundation Inc., would like to announce a "SCRIP WRITING FOR BEGINNERS" this summer. Tentatively dates will be April 15, 17, 22, 24, 29 and May 6, 2008, 10AM to 12 noon.
Only 15 slots available. Please call if you desire to be part of this rare opportunity. please call 300-5844, and 305-0714 for more information.
Registration has been going on for the SUMMER WORSHOP 2008 , of LCB Performing Arts Center Foundation.Classes will begin on March 31, 2008, and will end in May 24, for the recital, which will be held in CAP Grand Auditorium.
This year,we will showcase an Adaptation of the "High School Musical 2"
Classes offered are: Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop,Tap dancing, Belly dancing, Flamenc, acting and voice lessons.
We are introducing Creative Movements for Toddlers, Drums and guitar lessons, Ballet with RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) method aside from our regular ballet lessons.
Hope you come and be part of it! please call 300-5844
continuation....
LONELINESS from SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP by J. Oswald Sanders
Nietzche believed that life always gets harder toward the summit--the cold gets colder,the wind stronger, the burden of responsibilities heavier.
Because the leader must always be ahead of his followers, he lives with loneliness. Though he may be friendly, there are areas of life where he must walk alone. Dixon Hoste felt the loneliness when Hudson Taylor retired and placed the leadership of China Inland Mission on his shoulders. Said Hoste after the appointment: "And now I have no one, no one but God!" There he stood on the mount with his God.
We naturally enjoy and need the company of others, and want to share with others the heavy burden of responsibility and care. It is sometimes heartbreaking to make decisions of far-reaching importance that affect the lives of beloved fellow workers--and to make them alone. Moses paid the price for his leadership--alone on the mountain, alone on the plain, misunderstood and criticized.
The Old Testament prophets were lonely men. Enoch walked alone in a decadent society as he preached judgment. His compensation was the presence of God. Jonah was alone in vast Nineveh, a heathen city of a million souls. The loneliest preacher today is the person who has been entrusted with a prophetic message ahead of that times, a message that cuts across the temper of the age.
Gregarious Paul was a lonely man, misunderstood by friends, misrepresented by enemies, deserted by converts.How poignant are his words to Timothy: " You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me." (2Timothy 1:15)
Wrote A. W.Tozer:
Most of the world's greatest souls have been lonely.Loneliness seems to be the price a saint must pay for his saintliness.
The leader must be a person who, while welcoming the friendship and suipport of all who offer it, has sufficient inner resources to stand alone--even in the face of stiff opposition to have "no one but God."
From J. Oswald Sanders' SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP
continuation....
Self Sacrifice
This part of the cost must be paid daily. A cross stands in the path of spiritual leadership, and the leader must take it up. "Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers" ( 1John 3;16). To the degree the cross of Christ is across our shoulders and over our backs, so the resurrection life of Christ is manifest through us. No cross, no leadership.
"Whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" ( Mark 10-44-34). Each of the heroes of faith in Hebrew 11 was called to sacrifice as part of his or her service. Those who lead the church are marked by a willingness to give up personal preferences, to surrender legitimate and natural desires for the sake of God. Bruce Barton quotes a sign at a service station: "We will crawl under your car oftener and get ourselves dirtier than any of our competition." That is the kind of service the Christian seeks to give.
Samuel Zwemer remarked that the only thing Jesus took pains to show after His resurrection were His scars. On the Emmaus road His disciples recognized neither Him nor His message. Not until Jesus broke the bread and they possibly saw the scars did they know the person for who he was. When Jesus stood among His demoralized band in the upper room after the resurrection, He showed than both "his hands and (his) side." ( John 20:20).
Scars are the authenticating marks of faithful discipleship and true spiritual leadership. It was said of one leader, "He belonged to that class of early martyrs whose passionate soul made an early holocaust of the physical man." Nothing moves people more than the print of the nails and the mark of the spear. Those marks are test of sincerity that none can challenge, as Paul knew well. "Let no one cause me trouble, " he wrote, "for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus." (Galatians 6:17)
Paul described himself and his burden this way: 2 Corinthians 4;8-11 way
On every hand hard pressed am I --yet not crushed!
In desperate plight am I--yet not in despair!
Close followed by pursuers--yet not abandoned by Him!
Beaten to earth--yet never destroyed!
Evermore bearing about in my body
The imminence of such a death as Jesus died,
So that the life, too, of Jesus mig th be shown forth
In this body of mine
Always, always while I yet live
Am I being handed over to death's room
For Jesus' sake!
So that in this mortal flesh of mine, maybe
Shown forth also
The very life of Jesus.
sharing time! From J. Oswald Sanders' SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP....
Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with? Mark 10:38
To aspire to leadership in God's kingdom requires us to be willing to pay a price higher than others are willing to pay. The toll of true leadership is heavy,and the more effective the leadership, the higher it goes.
Quinton Hogg, founder of the London Polythechnic Institute, devoted a fortune to the enterprise. Asked how much it had cost to build the great institution, Hogg replied," Not very much, simply one man's life blood."
That is the cost of every achievement, and it is not paid in a lump sum. Achievement is bought on the time-payment plan, with a new installment required each day. Fresh drafts are constantly being drawn, and when payment ceases, leadership wanes. Our Lord taught that we could not save others and ourselves at the same time.
Samuel Bregle wrote:
Spiritual power is the outpouring of spiritual life, and like all life, from that of the moss and lichen on the wall to that of the archangel before the throne, it is from God. Therefore those who aspire to leadership may pay the price, and seek it from God."
Yesterday, I fetched a friend who along the way keep on making the sign of the cross everythime we passed by a Roman Catholic Chruch or a small chapel until we reached the place we are going.
I was wondering why did he only make the sign of the cross when we passed by Roman Catholic churches and chapel? We also passby along a INC church and few Protestant and Christian meeting places!
Just a thought, If all RC believers will also make the sign of the cross not only to their churches but to all churches he passby, I think there will be more unity than diversity!
I came along a magazine, "Know The Truth"- a publication to defend the Catholic faith, maiden issue on page 5, and I quote:
"SIGN OF THE CROSS"
The great Catholic tradition--the making of the sign of the cross--is mocked and teased today by some anti-Catholic media because of the latter's ignorance about the Biblical and historical basis of this spiritual tradition. We make the sign of the cross on our foreheads, decorate our churche with the Cross and administer sacraments with the same sign.
(Note: in the same magazine page 6, and I quote: "Jesus in His life never mentioned about the Bible. He never commanded us to believe in a book.")
The Biblical basis: When we make the sign of the cross, we proclaim the message of salvation purchased by Jesus through the cross. The Bible clearly states: "For the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, is the power of God" (1Cor 1:18)
The Bible teaches us to be proud of it as the message of the cross is the power of God; "But God forbid that I should boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world." Gal 6:14
The Cross symbolizes our day to day suffereings without which there is no crown for Christians. When Peter tried to keep Jesus away from the Cross, He called Peter "Satan" . so it is clear, Satan is afraid and keeps himself away from the cross as it is through the Cross that Jesus destroyed the devil's kingdom and saved mankind from the slavery of sin and death. unqoute.
Quoted from 'KINGDOM PRINCIPLES" by Myles Munroe
Summary of the chapter
PRINCIPLES
1. 90% of all national and international problems facing our wolrd today are the result either of government or religion.
2. The need for government and order is inherent in the human spirit and is a manifestation of a divine mandate given to mankind by the Creator.
3. Man's need fro some formal government structure is an outgrowth of his need for social order and relationship management.
4. The mandate of the Creator for mankind was rulership and dominion.
5. Some governments are better than others,but all are inferior to God's government--the Kingdom of Heaven.
6. Feudalism as a concept of governing was derivative of the original government established in the Garden of Eden under the first man, Adam, who himself was made the landlord of the earth.
7. Feudalism is an illustration of the danger of putting the authority that belongs to the King of Heaven into the hands of ungodly and unrighteous human kings and lords.
8. A dictatorship is a government that concentraes its power and authority in the hands of one individual who wields absolute authority unrestricted by laws, constitution, or any other social/political factor.
9. Communism is man's attempt to control land and people by the excercise of dictatorship.
10. Communism is an attempt to establish a kingdom without righteousness.
11. Socialism substitutes the state for the king and attempts to control society for the benefit of society.
12. Democracy is the best form of civil government as we know it because of its basic tenets and because of the checks and balances of the system.
13. One major defect of democracy is its fundamental principle of "majority rule," which even though it gives power to the majority of the people, places morality, values and the standards for laws at the mercy of the majority, thus legitimizing the majority's values, desires, beliefs, aspirations and preferences.
14. Our best alternative is to return to the original government concept of God the Creator, which is the kingdom concept.
Quoted from "KINGDOM PRINCIPLES" by Myles Munroe
Summary of the chapter:
Principles
1. The greatest secret to living effectively on earth is understanding the principle and power of priorities.
2. The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but life without a purpose--life with the wrong priorites.
3. Our self-worth is more important than our basic needs and should never be sacrificed for the sake of those needs.
4. God's number one priority for mankind is that we discover, understand and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
5. A kingdom is the governing influence of a king over his territory, impacting it with his personal will, purpose and intent, producing a culture, values, morals and liefsyle that refect the king's desires and nature for his citizens.
6. God established only two priorities for mankind: the Kingdom of God and the Righteousness of God.
7. The concept of "kingdom" was not invented by mankind but was the first form of government introduced by the Creator.
8. Ignorance of the kingdom concept makes it difficult to understand fully the message of the Bible.
Quoted from KINGDOM PRINCIPLES by Myles Munroe
The power of religion lies in its ability to serve as a substitute for the Kingdom and thus hinder mankind from pursuing the genuine answer to is dilemma. My (Munroe's) study of the nature of religion and how it impacts the process of man's search for the Kingdom uncovered several significant truths:
Religion preoccupies man until he finds the Kingdom.
Religion is what man does until he finds the KIngdom.
Religion prepares man to leave earth; the Kingdom empowers man to dominate earth.
Religion focuses on heaven; the Kingdom focuses on earth.
Religion is reaching up to God; the Kingdom is God coming down to man.
Religion wants to escape earth; the Kingdom impact, influences and changes earth.
Religion seeks to take earth to heaven; the Kingdom seeks to bring Heaven to earth.
Perhaps this is why Jesus addressed the religious leaders of His day so strongly when He said:
Matthew 23:13, 15
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter nor will you let those enter who are trying to...Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
Matthew 15:1-3
Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, "Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat!" Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?"
Matthew 15:6b
Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition
Matthew 5:20
For I tell you that unless your righteousness supasses that of the Pharisees and the tachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 21;31b
Jesus said to them, " I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.
It seems clear from these words that religion is one of the greatest obstacles to the Kingdom. Perhaps this may be cause for us all to take another look at the power of religion over our lives, culture and society.
quote from Myles Munroe's "KINGDOM PRINCIPLES"
A careful and honest look at the biblical Script will reveal that the fundamental message of this greatly misunderstood Book is about a King and a Kingdom. The BIble is not primarily about a religion or rituals, but about the establishment of a kingdom rulership on this planet from the heavenly realm. It is about a divine project of governing earth from Heaven through mankind. In pratical terms, the Bible is about a royal family mandated to colonize earth from Heaven.
This KIngdom assignemnt is the priority of God the Creator and the object of mankind's inherent pursuit!
I am reading a book by Myles Munroe, KINGDOM PRINCIPLES". Just want to share it .......and I quote
All religions are the same in the sense that they atempt to answer the questions of power and meaning. They all promise power to control life and circumstances and to explain life and death. They all claim to have truth. They all claim superiority over each other. They all compare and compete with each other. They all demand adherence to their particular belief system while denying the others. They all are motivated by contention and usually thrive in an isolated culture that excludes other segments of humanity. In fact, all religions seem to glorify in a spirit of segregation and separatism. Rather than uniting humanity with common power and knowledge of purpose, religion has proven itself instead to be the great divider of mankind..... unquote
February 2
I received a text message from friend, Alex, to pray for Vicente Sulit Ferrazzini, who was shot 3 times while going to parked in his fruit stall around 9:30 AM. I felt stunned for a while, then begin to pray for him.
About lunch time, I again received a message from Momong, that Centing needs immediately 24 bags of type A+ blood. Immediately, I went to Red Cross to do my turn of blood letting. Many people lined up to donate, come to know all were there for Centing. Runners, golfers, co- workers , classmates......The face of Centing was never out of my sight the whole day. Prayed the whole day!
I got my updates from Nelia Aportadera, whose husband is a close friend and also a co-runner, who was the surgeon at that time. Also got updates from Alex and Cita, a relative of Centing. Accordingly he was out of the operating room before 3 PM. Text messages keep pouring in for more prayers because he is still in critical situation!
The next morning, Sunday, I got a message that the spleen and kidney (s) were removed and they have repaired his stomach with a big gun shot wound as big as a Bangkok santol! he has consumed 38 bags of blood!. I was in tears when I knew the news of his situation! Begin to pray for him again and I asked God what is going to happend to his situation, and when I begin to do my daily reading of my Bible, I was reading Genesis 31 and 32. Jacob was fleeing Laban and "going back to his father." I know God already gave me the answer that he is going back to his Father!
The next day, got a message that Centing expired at about 12:50 AM.
I know Centing for many years as a friend and co-runner in our Davao Sunday Runners Club. He was a very jolly and practical person. He has a very friendly prsonality that is why he has many friends. An agriculturist, who managed their family fruit farm, is also a philatrophist, who help co-farmers to distribute their farm products, thus the formation of Davao Durian's Park.
Aside from Centing, I almost know all their family members, specially their father, Johnny, who is a very charitable person. A regular donor to the Maharlika Charity Foundation. They always host an annual run to their rest house and welcome all Sun Run members for breakfast. Last year, they donated a lumpsum to the Maharlika Charity Foundation, from the proceeds of the Annual Fun Run, on the anniversary of their chain store , Merco!
Today, I received a phone call from his brother, Anton. who thanks me for the donaion of blood to his brother. I told him that, that is the least I can do to help. I was in tears again! I will miss a true friend! Farewell Centing!
I am reading a book by J. Oswald Sander, entitled Spiritual Leadership. It was a gift to me by a Brother in Christ, Dustin Campbell, last December in our leadership Group Christmas party. And I would like to share it part by part, as I progress my reading, which I think is of good importance in our walk with the Lord!
Most Christians have reservations about aspiring to Leadership. They are unsure whether it is truly right for a person to want to be a leader. After all, is it not better for the position to seek out the person rather than the person to seek out the position?
"To aspire to leadership is an honorable ambition.' 1Timothy 3:1 (NEB)
" Should you then seek great things for yourself? Seek Not." Jeremiah 45;5
These two verses provide a warning and an encouragement --for sorting out the difference. When our ambition is to be effective in the service of God-- to realize God's highest potential for our lives, we can keep both of these verses in mind and hold them in tension.
Real leaders are in short supply. People and groups constantly search for them. Throughout the Bible, God searches for leaders, too.
"The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people."
1 Samuel 13:14
"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall." Ezekiel 22:30
The Bible shows us that when God does find a person who is ready to lead, to commit to full discipleship and take on responsibility for others, that person is used to the limit. Such leaders still have shortcomings and flaws, but despite them, they become spiritual leaders. Such were Moses, Gideon, and David. And in the history of the church, Martin Luther, John Wesley, Adoniram Judson, William Carey and many others.
To be a leader in the church has always required Strength and Faith beyond the merely human.
If the world is to hear the church's voice today, leaders are needed who are Authoritative, Spiritual, and Sacrificial.
Authoritative, because people desire leaders who know where they are going and are confident of getting there.
Spiritual, because without a strong relationship with God, even the most attractive and competent person cannot lead people to God.
Sacrificial, because this follows the model of Jesus, who gave hmself for the whole world and who calls us to follow in His steps.
To be continued....
 The Essence of Christmas is LOVEA message from JESUS
Christmas is spoken as “the season of joy” and “a time of cheer.”
But as Christmas comes around, do you sometimes experience things far from joy and cheer? Do you find yourself bogged down and your days filled with busyness? Are you weary after a long year and the numerous problems and difficulties that came your way? Does Christmas seem like one more pressure, one more demand on your time? STOP FOR A MINUTE You may not think you have time to stop, but you should anyway. I want to help you experience calm and peace this Yuletide. Instead of hoping to survive the Christmas season, I’d like you to actually enjoy it! It will mean an exchange, though You’ll have to give up something in your busy life so that you can make space for something better. You may look at each Christmas as needing to be bigger and better than the last, and you anxiously filled up every moment making preparations toward the goal. But sometime less is more. Have you stopped to think about whether all the running around is necessary? Is it really making your Christmas season and that of your loved one happier? Or are you cutting out the truly important things in life in order to select the perfect gifts, arrange the decorations impeccably, and gather the most sumptuous ingredients for a dinner celebration? The less frenzied you are about creating the “Perfect” Christmas, the more time you’ll find to enjoy it. The less stressed and pressure you are, the more happiness and joy will fill the time you and your loved ones spend together. Christmas is best enjoyed when it isn’t centered on decorations, gifts or festivities, but when love is at its core. LOVE IS THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTMAS! Christmas should mean taking quality time with your family and friends. It’s about cherishing and celebrating the love you shared. Sadly, love can get lost amidst the Christmas hustle and bustle. Sometime, it’s covered up by decorations and gifts, the endless shopping and the Christmas dinner and parties! Christmas is a time of festivities, but there’s much more to it than that. Christmas is MY BIRTHDAY! It’s a time to celebrate the greatest gift ever given to humanity. Can you take a moment for ME now, in honor of MY birthday? Can you spare a minute and let ME tell you how much I love you? Can you stop to thank ME for My love and to reflect on how you can spread more love throughout the world? It was love for you that brought Me to Earth 2000 years ago It was love that gave Me the impetus to walk your world and be one of you, to live and to die for you. Love was, and still is, the core of My existence. You mean that much to Me.
This Christmas season take time for love. If you do, you’ll be giving Me a wonderful gift, and you’ll make it possible for Me to give you special gift this year as well. The festive decorations, the sumptuous food, the many gifts, most of these will fade into oblivion, lost among the memories of many Christmases; but the love that you have shared and nurtured will live on forever. I LOVE YOU. JESUS If you haven’t yet experienced Jesus’ beautiful love, the heart and soul of Christmas, you can now. All it takes is inviting Him into your heart and life. Prayer: Jesus, I thank you for the love you have shown me by coming to earth, by living and dying for me. I want to celebrate this Christmas together with You. I want to know You, to receive Your love, and Your gift of eternal life, please touch my life with the love You have to offer, and help me to share that love with others too. Merry Christmas!
 WHAT WILL MATTER Author: Michael Josephson Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear. So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant. So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured? What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave. What will matter is not your success, but your significance. What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught. What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example. What will matter is not your competence, but your character. What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone. What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you. What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what. Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life that matters. Luke 1:68, 69 "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David...
 A man came home from work late again, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year-old son waiting for him at the door. "Daddy, may I ask you a question?" "Yeah, sure. What is it?" replied the father.
"Daddy, how much money do you make an hour?"
"That's none of your business! What makes you ask such a thing?" the father said angrily.
"I just wanted to know. Please tell me. How much do you make an hour?" pleaded the little boy.
"If you must know, I make $20 an hour."
Looking up, the boy said, "Daddy, may I borrow $9 please?" The father was furious. "If the only reason you wanted to know how much money I make is just so you can borrow some, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you're being selfish. I work long, hard hours everyday and don't have time for such childish games." The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The father sat down and started to get madder about his little boy's questioning. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After an hour, he calmed down and started to think he might have been a little too hard on his son. Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $9. And, he didn't ask for money often. The father went to his son's room and opened the door. "Are you asleep, son?" he asked. "No, Daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy. "I've been thinking. Maybe I was too hard on you earlier," said the father. "It's been a long day, and I took my aggravations out on you. Here's the $9 you asked for."
The little boy sat up straight, beaming. "Oh, thank you Daddy!" he said. Then, reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some more crumpled bills. He counted the money; then looked up at his father. "Why did you want more money if you already had some?" the father asked. "Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied. “Daddy, I have $20 now...... Can I buy an hour of your time?" * Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “The only gift is a portion of thyself.” There is Another who loves you and me and longs for an enduring relationship with us. He demonstrated His love for us by giving us a tremendous gift: the gift of HIMSELF (Galatians 2:20). Our sins separate us from God but Jesus gave His life as payment for our sins so that we can be reconciled to Him. “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men -- the testimony given in its proper time” (1 Timothy 2:5-6). If we will respond in loving obedience through: faith (Acts 16:30-31) and repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confessing Jesus (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized (immersed) in His name (Acts 2:38), then our sins are washed away and we can be reconciled to God. Then as we continue to follow Him faithfully, He will continue to cleanse us from all sin (1 John 1:7). Jesus gave more than a “portion” of Himself for us; He gave His ALL.
He DIED so that we might LIVE! Won’t YOU respond to His great love on His terms and LIVE for Him? David A. Sargent, Minister; Church of Christ at Creekwood
As you well know, we are getting closer to my birthday. Every year there is a celebration in my honor and I think that this year the celebration will be repeated.
During this time there are many people shopping for gifts, there are many radio announcements, TV commercials, and in every part of the world everyone is talking that my birthday is getting closer and closer. It is really very nice to know, that at least once a year, some people think of me.
As you know, the celebration of my birthday began many years ago. At first people seemed to understand and be thankful of all that I did for them, but in these times, no one seems to know the reason for the celebration.
Family and friends get together and have a lot of fun, but they don't know the meaning of the celebration. I remember that last year there was a great feast in my honor. The dinner table was full of delicious foods, pastries, fruits, assorted nuts and chocolates. The decorations were exquisite and there were many, many beautifully wrapped gifts. But, do you want to know something? I wasn't invited. I was the guest of honor and they didn't remember to send me an invitation. The party was for me, but when that great day came, I was left outside, they closed the door in my face and I wanted to be with them and share their table.
In truth, that didn't surprise me because in the last few years all close their doors to me. Since I wasn't invited, I decided to enter the party without making any noise. I went in and stood in a corner. They were all drinking; there were some who were drunk and telling jokes and laughing at everything. They were having a grand time.
To top it all, this big fat man all dressed in red wearing a long white beard entered the room yelling Ho-Ho-Ho! He seemed drunk. He sat on the sofa and all the children ran to him, saying: "Santa Claus, Santa Claus" as if the party were in his honor!
At midnight all the people began to hug each other; I extended my arms waiting for someone to hug me and do you know no-one hugged me.
Suddenly they all began to share gifts. They opened them one by one with great expectation. When all had been opened, I looked to see if, maybe, there was one for me. What would you feel if on your birthday everybody shared gifts and you did not get one? I then understood that I was unwanted at that party and quietly left.
Every year it gets worse. People only remember the gifts, the parties, to eat and drink, and nobody remembers me. I would like this Christmas that you allow me to enter into your life. I would like that you recognize the fact that almost two thousand years ago I came to this world to give my life for you, on the cross, to save you.
Today, I only want that you believe this with all your heart.
I want to share something with you. As many didn't invite me to their party, I will have my own celebration, a grandiose party that no one has ever imagined, a spectacular party. I'm still making the final arrangements.
Today I am sending out many invitations and there is an invitation for you. I want to know if you wish to attend and I will make a reservation for you and writ e your name with golden letters in my great guest book.
Only those on the guest list will be invited to the party. Those who don't answer the invite will be left outside. Be prepared because when all is ready you will be part of my great party.
See you soon. I Love you!
Jesus
Bill Gates organized an enormous session to recruit a new Chairman for Microsoft Europe.
5000 candidates assembled in a large room. One candidate is MARIO DIMACULANGAN.
Bill Gates: Thank you for coming. Those who do not know JAVA may leave.
2000 people leave the room.
MARIO says to himself, 'I do not know JAVA but I have nothing to lose if I stay. I'll give it a try'
Bill Gates: Candidates who never had experience of managing more than 100 people may leave.
2000 people leave the room.
Mario says to himself ' I never managed anybody by myself but I have nothing to lose if I stay.
What can happen to me?' So he stays.
Bill Gates: Candidates who do not have management diplomas may leave.
500 people leave the room.
MArio says to himself, 'I left school at 15 but what have I got to lose?'
So he stays in the room.
Lastly, Bill Gates asked the candidates who do not speak Serbo - Croat to leave.
498 people leave the room.
Mario says to himself, ' I do not speak one word of Serbo - Croat but what do I have to lose?'
So he stays and finds himself with one other candidate. Everyone else has gone.
Bill Gates joined them and said 'Apparently you are the only two candidates who speak
Serbo - Croat, so I'd now like to hear you have a conversation together in that language.'
Calmly, Mario turns to the other candidate and says 'Ano ba yan, pare?'
The other candidate answers 'Ewan ko ba pare....'
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