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WITandWISDOM(tm) - September 6, 2000 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: In all things, do your duty - one cannot do more, and one should never wish to do less. - R.E. Lee via http://www.witandwisdom.org Submitted by John W Kimbrell ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: DON'T "WASTE" THE PAIN by Jill P. Briscoe I was so grateful and excited. My daughter, Judy, had just agreed to accompany me on a trip to Australia where I was to speak at a conference. I was thankful to enjoy a few weeks of my daughter's company, and we excitedly planned out trip together. However, two days before we were to leave on the trip my back went out on me! Now I was more thankful than ever for Judy. A we climbed aboard the plane, Judy asked, "Are you OK?" "The long rest will help," I replied hopefully. But by the time that we arrived in Sydney, Australia, I couldn't move! Airline personnel carried me off the plane and laid me gently on the airport floor. I looked up at a circle of worried faces. The welcoming committee, clutching huge bunches of flowers, did not look at all thankful to see their guest speaker from this angle! That night, wide awake with jet lag, Judy and I began to plan. It was difficult for us to find anything to feel thankful about. "You'll have to help me, Judy," I told her. "I'll try to take two meetings a day, but you'll have to do the rest." "Mother, I've only given two talks to the youth group," she protested. "What were they about?" I asked. "Stress and anxiety," she answered, grinning. "Perfect," I replied. "I'll help you with them." That night we worked together on her talks. At the first meeting I noticed Judy praying for me as I spoke. And when she spoke, the women loved her. Somehow we struggled through together - and we began to be thankful again. We thanked God for each other, for the privilege of funny things that gave us relief along the way. We thanked God for showing Judy her own unique gifts. We had nearly given up, but God gave us the grace and the strength to go on and to finish the course. By the time that we climbed onto the plane to fly back home, we had a new vision of a ministry together that has now come to fruition. I have often ravished the lessons we learned on our trip. Above all, I've tried not to "waste" the pain that God allows in my life, but to let the pain drive me to Him, not away from Him - and to be thankful in all circumstances. Jill P. Briscoe is an author and speaker. She and her husband, Stuart, live in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, where Stuart is senior pastor at Elmbrook Church, in Brookfield. Source: Decision, November 1999, Copyright (c) 1999 Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, www.graham-assn.org/decision/ via http://www.witandwisdom.org ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: MORE BUMPER STICKERS A mouse is an elephant built by the Japanese. Does the name Pavlov ring a bell? Editing is a rewording activity. I used to be indecisive; now I'm not sure. Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do I'm not just a gardener, I'm a plant manager. Someday we'll look back on all this and plow into a parked car. From: Terry Marchal www.wvgazette.com/Columns/Terry.html Source: Keith's Mostly Clean Humor, McHawList-subscribe@onelist.com via http://www.witandwisdom.org ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: A minister was talking to a Sunday school class about things money can't buy. "It can't buy laughter," he told them. "That comes from the soul. And it can't buy love." Then driving his point home, he said, "What would you do if I offered you a thousand dollars not to love your mother and father?" A moment of silence ensued while the boys and girls mulled this over and then a small voice piped up, "How much would you offer me not to love my big sister?" Source: Bits & Pieces, August 17, 1995, Copyright (c) Economic Press, Inc., www.epinc.com via http://www.witandwisdom.org ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: HOW DO WE LOOK FROM THERE? A very interesting web site shows real-time composite satellite views of the world from outer space: http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/vplanet.html (Source: Web Evangelism web-evangelism-subscribe@lists.gospelcom.net via http://www.witandwisdom.org |