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WITandWISDOM(tm) - December 15, 2000 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: Deep listening is miraculous for both listener and speaker. When someone receives us with open-hearted, non-judging, intensely interested listening, our spirits expand. - Sue Patton Thoele Source: Peter's Pearls, www.peterspearls.com.au via http://www.witandwisdom.org ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: A few years ago Jessica, my granddaughter, was being a real pest. Finally her mother said, "Please be nice." The childish reply was the essence of helpless sinfulness in the kingdom of Satan: "But I want to be naughty!" she said, exhibiting the typical unregenerate human dependence on the feelings of the moment. A few years went by, and Jessica was 5 years old. One morning she and I were in our library reading the Bible story of Jesus' birth. An opportune moment presented itself. "Jessica," I asked, "have you decided to accept Jesus as your very best friend?" "Well, no." "Would you like to?" "What does it mean?" she asked. "It means you love Jesus. You want Him to be your best friend; and you want Him to save you from sin." "Yes, I'd like that." "OK, let's pray and tell Him your decision." We had a simple little repeat- after-me prayer. "Jessica, do you know what is happening now?" I asked. "What?" "The angels are jumping and shouting for joy because they are so happy about the decision you have made. And they are bringing out the big book of life. One of them is writing your name, Jessica Carlyn Dill, in that special book." Her smile was radiant to behold. Several times that day she caught my eye and shared again with me that smile. The next morning Jessica wanted to have our private worship in the library early. She invited a friend, little sister Juliana. Jessica wanted the same story again about Jesus' birth. When we finished reading, she said to me, "Now ask Juliana." "Ask Juliana what?" I was a little confused. "You know. Ask if she has decided for Jesus," prompted Jessica. "But Jessica, I think she is too little to decide." "Oh, no, she needs to decide now," persisted Jessica. "Juliana, do you want Jesus to be your very best friend?" "Say yes," instructed her big sister. "Yeth," she lisped. "Now we have to say the prayer," continued Jessica. "You pray, and let Juliana repeat after you," I suggested. No sooner said than done. In half a minute Jesus had been informed that He had another best friend. "Now Juliana," said Jessica in her best teacher voice, "do you know what is happening in heaven right now?" "No; what?" she asked with wide blue eyes. Jessica could hardly wait to share. "The angels are jumping up and down and shouting because they are so happy that you are friends with Jesus. And then after they get a little tired of jumping, one of them will get out a big special book." Jessica looked at the bookcase for an illustration and pulled out the prettiest big book she could see. "It is called the book of life. They'll write your name in it really close to mine. Then it will be for sure that we are best friends with Jesus." By Virginia Smith, Adventist Review, Copyright (c) July 5, 2000 Submitted by Nancy Simpson ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: VOCATION VACATION SPOTS Artists: Painted Desert, Arizona Athletes: Olympia Heights, Florida Candy Makers: Carmel, Indiana College Professors: University City, Missouri Ecologists: Green Bay Wisconsin Firefighters: Smokey Mountains Geologists: Stone Mountain, Georgia Gossip Columnists: Grapevine, Texas Helicopter Pilots: Hoover, Alabama Home Builders: New Castle, Pennsylvania Jewelers: Pearl City, Hawaii Landscapers: Garden City, Michigan Lawyers: Accident, Maryland Loan Officers: Fairbanks, Alaska Lumber Jacks: Thousand Oaks, California Manicurists: Finger Lakes, New York Optometrists: Plainview, New York Pastors: Chapel Hill, North Carolina Pianists: Florida Keys Podiatrists: Arches National Park, Utah Politicians: Dodge City, Kansas Real Estate Salesmen: Loveland, Colorado Refrigerator Repairmen: Chilum, Maryland Retired Army Officers: East Point, Georgia Sailors: Marina, California Sheriffs: Marshalltown, Iowa Tree Trimmers: Long Branch, New Jersey TV Evangelists: Paradise, California Source: Geof's Geokes subscribe@mailandnews.com via http://www.witandwisdom.org ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: My husband, Gilson, and I were newlyweds. Before our marriage he had been the district pastor for two years in the interior of Sao Paulo. One week as my young husband was preaching, a lady sat down beside me and soon whispered in my ear, "I think this pastor is too rough and energetic. He needs to calm down a bit. I know this because he is also the pastor in my daughter's church, and she said so, too. I also heard that he married recently. Do you know who is wife is?" "Yes!" I answered. "Me." - By Rosely Gomes Montin, Brazil From: "Seasoned with Laughter, A Tossed Salad of Tales about Parsonage Pandemonium and Ministerial Mayhem." by Sharon M. Cress, Copyright (c) 1999. This book was provided courtesy of the publisher and is available for $6.95 at http://www.ministerialassociation.com/resources/books/laugh.html ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Do you know who your federal, state, and local representatives are, and how to contact them? Enter you ZIP code at this site to learn who wields the power and how your congressional members are voting on key issues. http://government.aol.com/mynews/ Source: Yahoo Internet Life |