Growing Good Corn

There was a Nebraska farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won an award...

One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors. 

"How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?" the reporter asked.

"Why sir," said the farmer, "didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn."

He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves.

So it is in other dimensions. Those who choose to be at peace must help their neighbors to be at peace. Those who choose to live well must help others to live well, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others to find happiness for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all. 

The lesson for each of us is this: if we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbors grow good corn.

EAGLES IN A STORM

Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks?

The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it.

The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.

When the storms of life come upon us - and all of us will experience them - we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God. The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow God's power to lift us above them.

God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment in our lives. We can soar above the storm.

Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them.

Parable Of The Pencil

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box. 

"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."

"One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand."

"Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."

"Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."

"Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

"And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replacing the place of the pencil with you.  Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be. 

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person. 

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make. 

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish. Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.

The Wolves Within

An old Grandfather, whose grandson came to him with anger at a schoolmate who had done him an injustice, said, "Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times."

He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way."

"But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."

The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eye and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"

The Grandfather solemnly said, "The one I feed."

The Tiger, the Man, and God

A man was being chased by a tiger. He ran as hard as he could until he was at the edge of a cliff with the tiger in hot pursuit. The man looked over the edge of the cliff and saw a branch 

growing out of the side of the cliff a few feet down. He jumped down and grabbed the branch just as the tiger reached the cliff. The tiger growled viciously as the man sighed a great sigh of relief.

Just then a mouse came out from a crevice and began to  chew on the branch. The man looked down to what was  a drop of a thousand feet and sure death and looked to the heavens and yelled out, "Dear God, if you are there, 

please help. I will do anything you ask but please help."

Suddenly a voice came booming down from heaven, "You will do anything I ask?" it questioned. The man shocked to hear a reply to his plea yelled back, 

"I will gladly do anything you ask, but please save me."

The voice from heaven then replied, "There is one way to save you but it will take courage and faith." The branch began to weaken from the mouse and the tiger was still growling a few feet above the man, "Please, Lord, tell me what I must do and I will do it. Your will is my will."

The voice from heaven then said, "All right then, let go of the branch." The man looked down to a fall of a thousand feet and certain death. He looked up at the hungry tiger a few feet away and he looked at the mouse still chewing on the branch. Then he looked up at the heavens and yelled, "Is there anyone else up there?"

Learn From A Child

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year-old boy 

entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass 

of water in front of him.

“How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked. “50¢,” replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

“Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he inquired. By now more people 

were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. “35¢!” she 

brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away.

The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.

When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table.

There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. 

You see, he couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have enough 

left to leave her a tip.

Start With Yourself

Start With Yourself   When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country. But, it too, seemed immovable. As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it.  And now as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed my self first, then by example I would have changed my family. From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country and, who knows, I may have even changed the world.  (The above words are said to be written on the tomb of an Anglican Bishop in the crypts of Westminster Abbey in London, England.)

What Binds You?

Better not mind the thing that depresses you for it makes you weak.
There are lots of things you can give your mind into.
Don't get stuck with what ruins but with what binds.

The Perspective of Life

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, 

"How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad".

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yeah" said the son.

"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father. 

The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have. Appreciate every single thing you have!

"The evil you do, remains with you. The good you do, comes back to you!"

A woman baked bread for members of her family and an extra one for a hungry passerby. 

  

She kept the extra bread on the Window-sill, for whosoever would take it away. 

  

Every day, a hunch-back came and took away the bread. Instead of expressing gratitude, 

  

He muttered the following words as he went his way: 

  

"The evil you do remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!" 

  

This went on, day after day. Every day, the hunch-back came, picked up the bread and uttered the words: "The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!" 

  

The woman felt irritated. "Not a word of gratitude," she said to herself... 

  

"Everyday this hunch-back utters this jingle! What does he mean? 

  

"One day, out of desperation, she decided to do away with him. "I shall get rid of this hunch-back," she said. And what did she do? She added poison to the bread she prepared for him! As she was about to place it on the window sill, her hands trembled. "What is this I am doing?" she said. 

  

Immediately she threw the bread into the fire, prepared another one and kept it on the window-sill. 

  

As usual, the hunch-back came, picked up the bread and muttered the words: 

  

"The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!" 

  

The hunch-back proceeded on his way, blissfully unaware of the war raging in the mind of the woman. Everyday, as the woman placed the bread on the window-sill, she offered a prayer for her son who had gone to a distant place to seek his fortune. For many months, she had no news of him.. She prayed for his safe return. 

  

That evening, there was a knock on the door. As she opened it, she was surprised to find her son standing in the doorway.. He had grown thin and lean. His garments were tattered and torn. He was hungry, starved and weak. As he saw his mother, he said, "Mom, it's a miracle I'm here. While I was but a mile away, I was so hungry that I collapsed. I would have died, but just then an old hunch-back passed by. I begged of him for a small part of his food, and he was kind enough to give me a whole bread. "As he gave it to me, he said, "This is what I eat everyday: today, I shall give it to you, for your need is greater than mine!" 

  

"As the mother heard those words, her face turned pale and red. She leaned against the door for support. She remembered the poisoned bread that she had made that morning. Had she not burnt it in the fire, it would have been eaten by her own son, and he would have lost his life! 

  

It was then that she realized the significance of the words: "The evil you do remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!" 

  

Do good and don't ever stop doing good, even if it’s not appreciated.

Forgiveness = Love

In the Lord's prayer, LOVE is not mentioned.
Instead, FORGIVE is used.
Perhaps because to FORGIVE
is the highest expression of LOVE.

No Fear

Obstacles don't frighten a heart that has a firm faith 

because it knows too well that God's love 

does not abandon those who puts his trust in Him.

Getting Along With People

10 Suggestions for getting along better with people.

1. Guard your tongue.  Say less than you think.
2. Make promises sparingly. But keep them faithfully.
3. Never let an opportunity pass by to say a kind word.
4. Be interested in others, their pursuits, work, and family.
5. Be cheerful.  Don't dwell on minor aches and small disappointments.
6. Keep an open mind. Discuss but don't argue.
7. Discourage gossip.  It is destructive.  Never talk bad against anyone behind his back.
8. Be careful of other's feelings.
9. Pay no attention to ill-natured remarks about you. Live in such a way that nobody will believe them.
10. Don't be anxious about getting credit.  Just do your best and be patient.

Being Complete

Loving God is self giving.

The more you love HIm, the more you lose a part of yourself.

Yet you do not become less of who you are.

You end up being complete.

Happy People

Happy people are those who continuously evaluate and improve themselves. 
Unhappy people are those who continuously evaluate others.

Sometimes...

Sometimes God allows moments of darkness, agitation, and bitterness so that we may know what we are.  Conscious of our own nothingness, we may throw ourselves back to Him with total trust. 

Blessed and Thankful

I am blessed and thankful

that I have another day to live;

that I can make things right this time no matter the situation before;

that I can share the simple blessing of making someone smile;

that I can express how much my family and friends mean to me one more time. 

What a beautiful day this is!

The Weight of the Cross

Our Lord sometimes make you feel the weight of the cross. 

This weight may seem unbearable but 

you carry it because in His love and mercy, 

the Lord helps you and gives you strength.

Only by grace

It is only by God's grace that we can endure and persevere through any test.
For when we are at our weakest, God's strength is at its best.

I Need You

Lord, I need you.
Carry me when I am weak.
Hold me when I am tired.
Love me when I do not care anymore.
When I am lonely and afraid,
cover me with your protective hands.
Lord, I place my trust in You.

Ask and Give Thanks

Ask God to give you the right direction, the right words, and the right spirit.

If you fail, do not be dismayed. If you succeed, do not be proud.

But in all things, give thanks to God who richly supplies you with great gifts and talents.