the living bible

This is such a great example of The Living Bible.

His name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans, and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is brilliant. Kind of profound and very, very bright. He became a Christian while attending college. Across the street from the campus is an up scale, very conservative church. They want to develop a ministry to the students but are not sure how to go about it. One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes, in his jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started and so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat. The church is completely packed and he can't find a seat. By now, people are really looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit, and when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet. By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick. About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church, a deacon is slowly making his way toward Bill. Now the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, and a three-piece suit. A Godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very courtly. He walks with a cane and, as he starts walking toward this boy, everyone is saying to themselves that you can't blame him for what he's going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid sitting on the floor? It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man's cane. All eyes are focused on him. You can't even hear anyone breathing. The Pastor can't even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he has to do. And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty, he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill and worships with him so he won't be alone.
Everyone chokes up with emotion.
When the Pastor gains control, he says, "What I'm about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget." "Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some people will ever read".

I asked the Lord to bless you
as I prayed for you today.
To guide you and protect you
as you go along your way....

His love is always with you,
His promises are true,
And when we give Him all our cares,
You know He will see us through.

Treating someone decent is the best gift you can give yourself. Be kind always.

must have been a baptist...

A man was driving down the street in a sweat because he had an important meeting to attend and couldn't find a parking place anywhere. Looking up towards heaven, he said, "Lord, please take pity on me. If you could just find me a parking place I will go to Church every Sunday for the rest of my life and give up drinking forever, I swear." Miraculously, all of a sudden a parking place appeared. The man looked up again and said, "Never mind, I found one."

one god, one creator

~ Obeying the Laws of the Creator ~

These "laws" have been passed down from generation to generation by the Cherokee. If you study these in depth, you will see that they will cover the Ten Commandments and the others that Jesus gave, most found in the respect shown to others. This is what the Cherokee based their life on. By following these, one would live in harmony and balance with all of Creation.
1. The first thing one should do of the morning is to praise the Creator for your life and all of Creation. Asking Him for guidance through the day and thanking Him for providing another day for you. Recognizing Him as the only one true God.
2. Always keep fresh in your mind that everything has been created by God and deserve respect. Everything God has created has a purpose in life. We should honor these and treat them with kindness and generosity. Always assume that others are in need of something. Offer what you have to give.
3. When you find that you have more than you and your family need, then give the excess to someone who can use it.
4. When you say you are going to do something, or otherwise promise something, you are bound by your words. You can not break it without permission from the person you have told this to.
5. Practice silence. This shows self-control, true courage, patience, dignity, reverence and internal peace. And by practicing silence you can build these characteristics up through time.
6. Never over indulge or under indulge on anything. Do all things in moderation. And this includes boasting or attracting attention through your behavior. Eating, sleeping, working, learning and so on.
7. Know what helps you and what hurts you. Learn from your experiences and be open to new ones, remembering to live each day in itself, not worrying about tomorrow or living in the past but retaining the knowledge learned. Listen to advice and guidance offered by elders and friends. Listen with your heart and then follow up through prayer to the Creator for His guidance.
8. Always ask permission before doing anything that involves someone else, including all living things. Always give something back in return for things received, including a simple "thank you." Remember that a smile can be shared.
9. Beware of what is inside you and outside of you.

The following are all about respect and can be grouped together as one once it is understood what respect truly is.

10. Always, always, always show respect. From the youngest to the oldest, from the rocks to the trees, from all animals to all peoples.
11. Never stare at someone and drop your eyes in respect to an elder or teacher.
12. Always give a sign of greeting, even to strangers.
13. Never talk about someone in a harmful or critical way. Remember that what you say it will always come back to you one way or the other.
14. Never touch anything that is not yours without permission from the owner.
15. Respect the privacy of everyone. Never enter into their place or space without permission. Do not disturb anyone's quiet time or prayer time.
16. Never offer advice or ask questions of another without their permission.
17. Never interrupt.
18. When you are in someone's home, follow their customs out of respect.
19. Always treat other things held sacred by someone with respect even though you may not understand why.
20. Treat Mother Earth with respect. Always protect Mother Earth as well as all of Creation on her in all ways.

These natural laws and ways of obeying the one Creator is put inside us through the Sacred Fire. Putting these teachings into words is not an easy task. Kelly Hartley (Willow Branch), has used the book "Medicine of the Cherokee: The Way of Right Relationship" by JT Garrett and Michael Garrett in aiding her in doing this so that we could better understand the proper way of living as Cherokee.

no words necessary

men and women, black and white alike, soldiers strong and brave joined together in prayer, that's america. that's my america. lets pray they all come home safe and soon.

a moment of doubt

i had a doctors appointment today, it was hopefully the last one i needed to get my disability approved of. first off my truck would not start, my brother had to come over and exchange the battery for me and he was late. i had company just as i was getting ready to get in the shower, it was a couple of friends i had not seen in a while so it was nice but bad timing, they understood and left after a short visit. i still had time, thought i would trim my hair a bit, half way though, the clippers took a dive, wound up taking me an hour to do a 3 minute trim job, finally got ready, finally got underway and about 8 blocks from my house my truck overheats, the thermostat is climbing and climbing into the red zone. i think for some reason god did not want me to make that appointment, i even told my kid as much. i slowed down and the truck cooled off some so i kept going (this was the most important doctor visit of my life) no visit, no money, no support kid. i kept limping on, honking at people to hurry and get out of the way (i was even praying). it seemed as long as i kept moving steady the temp kept going up and down but staying out of the pullover and stop zone. i finally made it, front door parking, right on time, no waiting, an excelent doctor, everything went well and it looks promising for me to get approved. left and got down the road a ways and remembered the overheating problem, pulled over, now we had the time and i had a few jugs of water in the back, my kid filled the radiator and we continued on our way, no problem. and i realized it wasn't that god did not want me to make it, it was god got my brother there on time to fix my truck, god made it possible for me to get ready and get on my way, and god made sure i at least had enough water to make it there. god was looking out for me all of the time. for a moment i forgot that. just like all of the bad things that laid in my way my whole life, it was not god who put those thing there to test me and make me struggle or even to fail. he was the one who stood beside me, when i needed it, he was the one who stood in front of me when i needed it, he was the one who stood behind me when i needed it. he was the one who helped me get through it all, and still i forget. but my god will not spite me and leave me to my own distruction because i forget now and then. he will be there everytime to help me, and he will remind me to have faith in him even when i don't in myself. and i thank him. it's true what they say, god is good.

i'm going to heaven

i'm going to heaven someday, it is my wish to see you there also. you may not have religion and that's ok with me, i wont judge you, but at least have faith in something and love in your heart.

as simple as a dog's faith

A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side." Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know." "You don't know? But you're Christian man, you do not know what is on the other side?" The doctor was holding the handle of the door on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness. Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was in here, and when the door opened, he sprang inside without any fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing... I know my Master is there and that is enough."

11 years

today it's been 11 years since the bombing of the alfred p. murrah federal building in oklahoma city. at that time it was the largest terrorist attack on american soil. that was before the september 11th, 2001 attacks on the world trade center in new york and the pentagon in washington d.c.. on this day, april 19th, 1995 at 9:02 am, 168 people lost their lives. men, women, and children, for no other reason than the sick minds of a few cowardly individuals. it still seems like only yesterday. i remember hearing about it on the news that morning shortly after it had happened, the smoke and the dust had not yet settled. i could not believe it, nothing like it had happened in my lifetime, and now it has happened twice. i pray it does not happen again.

god and geese

There was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he didn't hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays. His wife, however, did believe, and she raised their children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments. One snowy Eve, his wife was taking their children to service in the farm community in which they lived. They were to talk about Jesus' birth. She asked him to come, but he refused. "That story is nonsense!" he said. "Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That's ridiculous!" So she and the children left, and he stayed home. A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window. He looked out, but couldn't see more than a few feet. When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could have been beating on his window. In the field near his house he saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn't go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed. The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside. But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn't seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them. The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them, and they moved further away. He went into the house and came with some bread, broke it up, and made a bread crumb trail leading to the barn. They still didn't catch on. Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe. "Why don't they follow me?!" he exclaimed. "Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?" He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human. "If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud. Then he had an idea. He went into barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese. He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn -- and one-by-one, the other geese followed it to safety. He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them!" Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier. "Why would God want to be like us? That's ridiculous!" Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the geese--blind, lost, perishing. God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way and save us. As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and pondered this wonderful thought. Suddenly he understood why Christ had come. Years of doubt and disbelief vanished with the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer:
"Thank You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm!"

This was sent to me by my Friend, Shannon Holcomb

my parents are in heaven

we never went to church as kids, both of my parents had faith that is for sure. it's a poor excuse but we were poor and nice clothes were not in abundance. my mom would read to us from the bible from time to time but not often. my dad was the hardest working man alive and if he was not working he really needed the rest on sundays. my parents considered themselves baptists so that's what i figured i was. at 13 i started going to a methodist church with a friend, i really liked it and was baptized and became a member of the church. the youth group was great but i started seeing all of the money that was going through the church and it became apparent that money was important, a little too important and i started feeling like a second (or third) class church member so my attendance faded and finally became not at all. i never felt missed. later at around 16, i started going to an assembly of god church with my older brother and i liked it quite a bit also. but i havn't been to church in years. i'm getting away from my intended thought like i usually do, this was supposed to be about my parents.
i still have the bible story books for children that my mom got for us as kids. they are in my daughter's room so i guess that makes them hers now. she has gone to church some but at her age if your parents don't make you go it's kind of up to what your friends do. the other day she was on the computer filling out a profile of herself and she made a point of adding that she was a christian. i can't say i had a hand in that, she is just a good kid on her own. it's amazing what god will put in your heart. there are only two prayers that my mom taught us that i remember, they are simple like we were and is something you can't forget no matter how old you get. "now i lay me down to sleep, i pray the lord my soul to keep, if i should die before i wake, i pray the lord my soul to take" and then you would bless everyone you cared for and of course end with "amen" also there was the blessing for supper, "our kindly, heavenly father, thank you for these blessings and all others, for christ's sake, amen" they were simple and short and we didn't use them near as often as we should have but they are a good place to start. my mom died in 1985 and my dad in 1988. after my mom passed, my dad would read the bible every night before he went to bed. you would not know this unless you stepped in to say something to him or to just say goodnight. he knew where my mom was and i think it made him feel closer to her. he was reading the bible i received when i was baptized. i hope to see them again someday. wouldn't that be something.

happy easter

happy easter to all, no worries or problems today. a day to enjoy family, kids, god, and good food. the sun is shining in green country and no rain in sight. it's ok to go ahead and indulge in a chocolate egg or a bunny. don't forget to thank christ for this day and all others. joy and peace to all and god bless.

i spoke too soon

it's 5am, i spoke too soon, i've been awake since 1am and i got up, i laid back down at 2am, i've been in pain since 3am, i cried at 4am, i went ahead and got back up at 5am. my vision is blurred as usual and it hurts to sit. i've taken my meds a little early but it does not matter. the only reason i do take them is because i am scarred that they may actually be working. i have enough booze to make the pain go away for a while, but i won't use it, i never do. the doctors won't give me anything stronger because they say it's going to get a lot worse. i started this site so that i could complain without driving my friends and family nuts. it took a turn towards faith and i thought that it might be a good idea if i kept track of my pain and my faith together so i won't forget. i get mad almost everyday, i curse and i swear and i damn all things holy and not. i get over it and i calm down. i never forget about god, he is with me always, especialy when i'm at my worst. i just need to remember to thank him when i'm at my best

"Dear God, I admit that I am a sinner. I've tried to do things my way, but I can not get to Heaven on my own. I am sorry for my sins and I ask for Your forgiveness. I invite Jesus to be my Savior and be in control of my life. I accept the gift of salvation by faith and intend to serve God with my life."
In Jesus' name. Amen.

it's good friday. do you know the meaning of good friday?

my god

my god has big hands, a strong back, and wide shoulders. i understand that i am made in his image.

my god has taken care of me today, he has eased my pains. he took care of me yesterday. he will take care of me tomorrow, and i thank him.

Do You Believe In Easter ?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas. She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying, "My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why, yes, I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you believe about Easter?" Beverly said, "Well, it's all about egg hunts, going to church, and dressing up." Edith kept pressing her about the real meaning of Easter, and finally led her to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Dr. Phillips said, "Beverly, don't call Edith into the office quite yet. I believe there is another delivery taking place in the waiting room." After being called back in the doctor's office, Edith sat down, and when she took a look at the doctor she said, "Dr. Will, why are you so sad? Are you reading your Bible? Are you praying?" Dr. Phillips said gently, "Edith, I'm the doctor and you're the patient." With a heavy heart he said, "Your lab report came back and it says you have cancer, and Edith, you're not going to live very long." Edith said, "Why Will Phillips, shame on you. Why are you so sad? Do you think God makes mistakes? You have just told me I'm going to see my precious Lord Jesus, my husband, and my friends. You have just told me that I am going to celebrate Easter forever, and here you are having difficulty giving me my ticket!" Dr. Phillips thought to himself, "What a magnificent woman this Edith Burns is!" Edith continued coming to Dr. Phillips. Christmas came and the office was closed through January 3rd. On the day the office opened, Edith did not show up. Later that afternoon, Edith called Dr. Phillips and said she would have to be moving her story to the hospital and said, "Will, I'm very near home, so would you make sure that they put women in here next to me in my room who need to know about Easter." Well, they did just that, and women began to come in and share that room with Edith. Many women were saved. Everybody on that floor from staff to patients were so excited about Edith that they started calling her Edith Easter; that is, everyone except Phyllis Cross, the head nurse. Phyllis made it plain that she wanted nothing to do with Edith because she was a “religious nut". She had been a nurse in an Army hospital. She had seen it all and heard it all. She was the original G.I. Jane. She had been married three times, she was hard, cold, and did everything by the book. One morning the two nurses who were to attend to Edith were sick. Edith had the flu and Phyllis Cross had to go in and give her a shot. When she walked in, Edith had a big smile on her face and said, "Phyllis, God loves you and I love you, and I have been praying for you." Phyllis Cross said, "Well, you can quit praying for me. It won't work and I'm not interested." Edith said, "Well, I will pray and I have asked God not to let me go home until you come into the family." Phyllis Cross said, "Then you will never die because that will never happen," and curtly walked out of the room. Every day Phyllis Cross would walk into the room and Edith would say, "God loves you, Phyllis, and I love you, and I'm praying for you." One day Phyllis Cross said she was literally drawn to Edith's room like a magnet would draw iron. She sat down on the bed and Edith said, "I'm so glad you have come, because God told me that today is your special day." Phyllis Cross said, "Edith, you have asked everybody here the question, ‘Do you believe in Easter?’, but you have never asked me." Edith said, "Phyllis, I wanted to many times, but God told me to wait until you asked, and now that you have asked ." Edith Burns took her Bible and shared with Phyllis Cross the Easter Story of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Edith said, "Phyllis, do you believe in Easter? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is alive and that He wants to live in your heart?" Phyllis Cross said, "Oh, I want to believe that with all of my heart, and I do want Jesus in my life." Right there, Phyllis Cross prayed and invited Jesus Christ into her heart. For the first time Phyllis Cross did not walk out of a hospital room, she was carried out on the wings of angels. Two days later, Phyllis Cross came in and Edith said, "Do you know what day it is?" Phyllis Cross said, "Why Edith, it's Good Friday." Edith said, "Oh, no, for you every day is Easter. Happy Easter, Phyllis!" Two days later, on Easter Sunday, Phyllis Cross came into work, did some of her duties, and then went down to the flower shop and got some Easter lilies, because she wanted to go up to see Edith, give her some Easter lilies, and wish her a Happy Easter. When she walked into Edith's room, Edith was in bed. That big black Bible was on her lap. Her hands were in that Bible. There was a sweet smile on her face. When Phyllis Cross went to pick up Edith's hand, she realized Edith had passed away. Her left hand was on John 14: "In my Father's house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you. I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." Her right hand was on Revelation 21:4: "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death nor sorrow, nor crying, and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Phyllis Cross took one look at that precious lady, and then lifted her face toward heaven, and with tears streaming down her cheeks said, "Happy Easter, Edith... Happy Easter!" Phyllis Cross left Edith's body, walked out of the room and over to a table where two student nurses were sitting. She said, "Hello, my name is Phyllis Cross. Do you believe in Easter?"

still day ll

late in the day the pain is getting worse, still nothing takes the edge off. here is a little something for the masses, it's called the scripture tree. it's easy, painless, and peaceful http://home.att.net/~sheryl4/ST/ST.html enjoy and don't be so serious. a little on line church won't hurt ya. a real nice lady sent this to me.

day ll

i finally slept but was awakened early to the sounds of someone trying to escape. the sirens were going off and for a moment i forgot where i was. it seems something in the a/c unit came loose and was making a noise like an air raid horn in ww-2. my legs are better but i'm waiting. the meds just don't do the trick anymore. we will see how the day turns out.

neuropathy day l

some days are good and some days are bad, and then there are the days that are pure hell. i wonder if i did something to deserve this. i wonder if it really works that way. are the bad things that i've done in my life returning to punish me. today i felt like someone poured gas on my legs and lit me on fire. they burned if i laid down, they burned if i sat up. if crying would help i would have. god does not put on us more than we can bare. well he was in rare form today. i'm still here. it's over now and i thank him.