Spirit of Things

The Spirit of Things Sharing the hope of a place where people live out their passion for God, interact with the Spirit and find the joy of serving others in Christ.
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... some things to ponder that were sent to me by friends and family ... enjoy !

"The Buzzard, Bat, Bumblebee and People" anonymous
The BUZZARD If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6' x 8' and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite
of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins
a flight from the ground with a run of 10-12'. Without space to run, as is its habit,
it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

The BAT The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkably nimble creature in the air,
cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground,
all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and painfully until it reaches some slight elevation
from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

The BUMBLEBEE A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies,
unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top,
but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom.
It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

and PEOPLE (like you and me) In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat and the bumblebee.
We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations,
never realizing that all we have to do is look up.

Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, but faith looks up.
Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and trust in our Creator who loves us.
May your troubles be less, your blessings more, and may nothing but happiness
come through your door.

"A Lesson from Geese" anonymous
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"A Tennessee Tale" anonymous
A Seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. One morning, they were eating breakfast in a little restaurant, hoping to enjoy a quiet, family meal. While they were waiting for their food, they noticed a distinguished looking, white haired man moving from table to table, visiting with the guests. The professor leaned over and whispered to his wife, "I hope he doesn't come over here.
But sure enough, the man did come over to their table.

"Where are you folks from?" he asked in a friendly voice. "Oklahoma," they answered. "Great to have you here in Tennessee," the stranger said. "What do you do for a living?" "I teach at a seminary," he replied. "Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well, I've got a really good story for you." And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with the couple. The professor groaned and thought to himself, "Great, just what I need--another preacher story!

The man started, "See that mountain over there?" (pointing out a restaurant window). "Not far from the base of that mountain, there was a boy born to an unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up, because every place he went, he was always asked the same question. "Hey boy, who's your daddy?" Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would ask the same question. "Who's your daddy?" He would hide at recess and lunch time from other students. He would avoid going into stores because that question hurt him so much. When he was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his church. He would always go in late and
slip out early to avoid hearing the question, "Who's your daddy ? "

But one day, the new preacher said the benediction so fast, he got caught and had to walk out with the crowd.
Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher, not knowing anything about him put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, "Son, who's your daddy?" The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church looking at him. Now everyone would finally know the answer to the, question, "Who's your daddy?"
The new preacher, though, sensed the situation around him and using discernment that only the Holy Spirit could give, said the following to the scared little boy. "Wait a minute!" he said. "I know who you are. I see the family resemblance now. You are a child of God." With that, He patted the boy on his shoulder and said. "Boy, you've got a great inheritance. Go and claim it." With that, the boy smiled for the first time in a long time and walked out the door a changed person. He was never the same again. Whenever anybody asked him, "Who's your Daddy?" he'd just tell them, "I'm a child of God."

The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said, "Isn't that a great story?"
The professor responded that it really was a great story!
As the man turned to leave, he said, "You know, if that new preacher hadn't told me that I was one of God's children,
I probably would never have amounted to anything!" And he walked away.
The seminary professor and his wife were stunned. He called the waitress over and asked her, "Do you know that man who just left that was sitting at our table?" The waitress grinned and said, "Of course, Everybody here knows him.
That's Ben Hooper. He's the former governor of Tennessee!"

Someone in your life today needs a reminder that they are one of God's children.

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8

YOU'RE ONE OF GOD'S CHILDREN I SEE THE RESEMBLANCE

"Listen for the Bell" anonymous
There is a field, with two horses in it.

From a distance, each looks like every other horse.
But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing.
Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind.
His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.
This alone is amazing.

If nearby and listening, you will hear the sound of a bell.
Looking around for the source of the sound,
you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.
Attached to her halter is a small bell.
It lets her blind friend know where she is, so he can follow her.

As you stand and watch these two friends,
you'll see how she is always checking on him,
and that he will listen for her bell
and then slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she will not lead him astray.

When she returns to the shelter of the barn each evening,
she stops occasionally and looks back,
making sure her friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses,
God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect
or because we have problems or challenges.
He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.

Sometimes we are the blind horse
being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives.
Other times we are the guide horse,
helping others see.

God's friends are like this.
You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.

Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours.

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"Your Place" anonymous

One day, a man went to visit a church.

He got there early, parked his car, and got out.

Another car pulled up and the driver got out and said,

"I always park there! You took my place!"

The visitor went inside for Sunday School,

found an empty seat and sat down.

A young lady from the church approached him and stated,

"That's my seat! You took my place!"

The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome,

but said nothing.

After Sunday School, the visitor went into the sanctuary and sat down.

Another member walked up to him and said,

"That's where I always sit! You took my place!"

The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment,

but still He said nothing.

Later as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them,

the visitor stood up, and his appearance began to change.

Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet.

Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out,

"What happened to you?"

The visitor replied, as his hat became a crown of thorns, and a tear fell from his eye,

"I took your place."

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"Ancient Wisdom" anonymous [Bruce]
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 wolves."

"One Wolf is Evil. It is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt,
resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. "

"The other Wolf is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence,
empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. "

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather,

"Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied,

"The one you feed."

"THE SMALL TREE" anonymous
I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after he had finished a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit and his ancient one ton truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss. Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier. "Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again. Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."

Do you have a small tree where you hang your troubles ...?

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"RUNNING IN THE RAIN" anonymous
A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Walmart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Walmart.

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in
"Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.

"What?" Mom asked.

"Let 's run through the rain!" She repeated.

"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated:
"Mom, let's run through the rain,"

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.

"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning,"
the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?

"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said,
'If God can get us through this,he can get us through anything!"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain.
We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes.

Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD let's us get wet,
well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.

And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories...
So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday.
To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.

A friend sent this to me to remind me of life. Hope you enjoy it.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them,
but then an entire life to forget them.

Take the time to live!!!

Keep in touch with your friends, you never know when you'll need each other --
and don't forget to run in the rain.

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Coincidence ...?
Following two items, "Eye of God" and "The Devil and the Duck", were received recently within a day or two of each other ... a coincidence perhaps ?

"The Devil and the Duck" anonymous
There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it. He was shocked and grieved. In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen." Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes. Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper." Sally just smiled and said, "Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help." She whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help. After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's ... he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing. But because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done ... whatever the devil keeps throwing in your face (lying, debt, fear, hatred, anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, etc.)... whatever it is.... You need to know that God is standing at the window and He see's everything..... He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you. The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He not only forgives you, but He forgets ..... It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved. Go ahead and make the difference in someone's life today. Share this with a friend and always remember: God is at the window!....
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PIECE OF CAKE
Sometimes we ask ourselves, "What did I do to deserve this?, or, "Why did God have to do this is me?". Well, here's just one explanation ... A daughter was telling her Mother how eveything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away. Meanwhile, her mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Sure Mom, I love cake." With this her mother offers some cooking oil. "Yuck" says her daughter. "How about a couple raw eggs?" "Gross, Mom!" "Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?" "Mom, those are yucky!" To which her mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themsleves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!" God works in the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for the good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful! God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart. I hope your day is a "Piece of Cake ...!" Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well eat cake.

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ATTITUDE
" The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. "I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. "Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room .... just wait." "That doesn't have anything to do with it," she replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged...it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it .."It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away ... just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account ... you withdraw from what you've put in ... So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing. "

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred. 2. Free your mind from worries. 3. Live simply. 4. Give more. 5. Expect less.
anonymous
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The Pastor's Cat
This particular story just made me laugh. Every time I think about it, the vision of that poor cat just amuses me.
Hope the story leaves a bright spot in your day --- Whoever said the Creator doesn't have a sense of humor?
Dwight Nelson recently told a true story about the pastor of his church. He had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his backyard and then was afraid to come down. The pastor coaxed, offered warm milk, etc. The kitty would not come down. The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to his car and drove away so that the tree bent down, he could then reach up and get the kitten. He did! All the while, checking his progress in the car frequently, he then figured if he went just a little bit further, the tree would be bent sufficiently for him to reach the kitten. But as he moved a little further forward, the rope broke.The tree went "boing!" and the kitten instantly sailed through the air -- out of sight. The pastor felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they'd seen a little kitten. No. Nobody had seen a stray kitten. So he prayed, "Lord, I just commit this kitten to your keeping," and went on about his business.
A few days later he was at the grocery store, and met one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. This woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her, "Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?" She replied, "You won't believe this," and told him how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days before, the child had begged again, so the Mom finally told her little girl, "Well, if God gives you a cat, I'll let you keep it." She told the pastor, "I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. And really, Pastor, you won't believe this, but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue sky, with its paws outspread, and landed right in front of her."
Never underestimate the Power of God and His unique sense of humor.

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, especially your friends! "Life is too short and friends are too few."
From another email and another friend ...
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What Makes A Person Rich?

"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, especially your friends!
"Life is too short and friends are too few."
From another email and another friend ...
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Isn't It Strange?
Isn't it strange how a 20 dollar bill seems like such a large amount when you donate it to church, but such a small amount when you go shopping?
Isn't it strange how 2 hours seem so long when you're at church, and how short they seem when you're watching a good movie?
Isn't it strange that you can't find a word to say when you're praying, but you have no trouble thinking what to talk about with a friend?
Isn't it strange how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the Bible, but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a popular novel?
Isn't it strange how everyone wants front-row-tickets to concerts or games, but they do whatever is possible to sit at the last row in Church?
Isn't it strange how we need to know about an event for Church 2-3 weeks before the day so we can include it in our agenda, but we can adjust it for other events in the last minute?
Isn't it strange how difficult it is to learn a fact about God to share it with others, but how easy it is to learn, understand, extend and repeat gossip?
Isn't it strange how we believe everything that magazines and newspapers say, but we question the words in the Bible?
Isn't it strange how everyone wants a place in heaven, but they don't want to believe, do, or say anything to get there?
Isn't it strange how we send jokes in e-mails and they are forwarded right away, but when we are going to send messages about God, we think about it twice before we share it with others?

Do you find these things strange ...???
From an email and a friend ...
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This page contains material sent to the webmaster by e-mail from friends and/or family and is here for those who wish to contemplate the solidarity of their faith, and brighten their day ...

We are happy to include music Memories... from The Midi Pages by Donkerman