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WITandWISDOM(tm) - October 31, 2001 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: "Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don't fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few errors in judgment, repeated every day." - Jim Rohn Source: Quotes From The Masters, http://MailRoom.DailyInbox.Com/ ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Eight Ways to Encourage Your Pastor by Victor Parachin Part 3 of 3 [Oct. 29, 30, 31] 7. Be openly responsive Nothing so animates and excites a spiritual leader as seeing people respond to the preaching and teaching. Imagine the surprise and delight of a pastor in Virginia Beach, Virginia, who, when greeting a visitor to his church, found she came because of the kindness of a church member who was her neighbor. "I'm recently divorced, a single parent and new to this community," she told the pastor. "To keep up with rent and provide for my three children, I must work two jobs. That leaves me very little time for yard work. I was relieved when the weeds didn't overrun my yard as I had feared they might. However, when I made an unscheduled trip home in the middle of my workday, I discovered the reason why the weeds had not taken over my yard. "My 86-year-old neighbor -- a member of your church -- was on his hands and knees pulling my weeds. I barely knew this man and he was embarrassed to be caught in this anonymous act of kindness. He explained that he heard you preach a sermon on the importance of living a life of compassion and kindness and decided to put that sermon into practice by weeding my lawn." One pastor's heart filled with joy when a group of women in Washington, D.C., responded to a sermon preached from the words of Jesus--"Do not judge, or you too will be judged" (Matt. 7:1). After hearing the sermon, the women decided to give a baby shower for the young woman who provided childcare while they met for Bible study. She was unmarried, close to going on welfare, and without support from her family or the father-to-be. The young woman was moved to tears by the surprise baby shower. Later, the women explained to the pastor, "Your sermon taught us that it's possible to reach out to someone in need -- in this case, an unwed mother -- without judging or condoning the situation." 8. Throw away the measuring stick Don't expect that your present spiritual leaders will do things the same way their predecessors did. Lay aside personal agendas and preferences. Instead, focus on how your leader is being used by God to do effective ministry now. By serving your shepherds, you will ensure that they will not only be encouraged but will feel appreciated and continue to minister with enthusiasm and energy. Copyright 1999 by Victor Parachin and Christianity Today http://www.christianitytoday.com/ Source: Heart Touchers http://www.hearttouchers.com/ Submitted by John L. Hoh, Jr., http://www.geocities.com/brandedhand/ ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: QUESTIONS FROM DOGS! Part 2 of 2 [Oct. 29, 30] We dogs can understand human verbal instructions, hand signals, whistles, horns, clickers, beepers, scent IDs, electromagnetic energy fields, and frisbee flight paths. What do humans understand? Are there dogs on other planets, or are we alone? I have been howling at the moon and stars for a long time, but all I ever hear back is the beagle across the street! Are there mailmen in Heaven? If there are, will I have to apologize? Is it true that dogs are not allowed in restaurants because we can't make up our minds what NOT to order? Or is it the carpets again? When my family eats dinner they always bless their food. But they never bless mine. So, I've been wagging my tail extra fast when they fill my bowl. Has God noticed my own blessing? I've always lived at the shelter and I have everything I need. But many of the cats here have names and I don't. Could you give me a name please? It would be good for my self-esteem. The new terrier I live with just peed on the Oriental rug and I have a feeling my family might blame me 'cuz they think I'm jealous of this dog. Since they have no sense of smell, how can I convince them I'm innocent? Does Petsmart sell lie detectors? From Pets' Letters to God, by Mark Bricklin, translator, ISBN 1579542085, Copyright (c) October 1, 1999, Published by St Martins Pr (P), http://isbn.nu/1579542085 Source: The Funnies, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/andychaps_the- funnies ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: Three old sisters, 92, 94, and 96 years old respectively all lived together. One day the oldest drew a bath. She put one foot in the water, paused, then called downstairs to her sisters. "Am I getting in the tub or out of the tub?' The middle sister started up the stairs to help, then paused and called back downstairs. "Was I going up or coming down?" The youngest sister who was sitting at the kitchen table having tea, said, "I guess I'll have to help. I hope I never get that forgetful" and she knocked on wood. She got up then, paused, and called, "I'll come up as soon as I see who's at the door!" Submitted by Larry Arnott ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Uncovering Unclaimed Dollars and Property The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators in Lexington, Kentucky, estimates that states return some $486 million to 574,570 people in the last year alone and that approximately one out of every 10 citizens has unclaimed valuables tucked away in a state vault. This number jumps to about one in every four people, some experts say. when valuables being held by federal agencies are included. Barbara Hafer, state treasurer of Pennsylvania, estimates that one in every 14 residents of her state has valuables languishing in the state vault. A resident's chances of winning the state's Super Six Lotto, in contrast, are about one in 40 million. How to Hunt: Searching for money is relatively simple to do. Every state plus the District of Columbia has an unclaimed property office or division that maintains lists of names of people whose valuables it is holding, and many slates now make it possible for people to search these databases by computer. Go to a good search engine, such as http://www.google.com or http://www.yahoo.com , and type "unclaimed property" in the search window along with the name of the state whose database you want to access. Sites for 27 states and the District of Columbia can also be accessed for free by going to http://www.missingmoney.com , which Jack, Voight helped organize. If a Web site requests a credit card number, leave the site: it's commercial. Searches on government sites are free. You can also contact a state's lost-property office by phone or mail. Call the state capital to get the listing. Your call may be answered by a recording telling you how to conduct inquiries, or you may get a person who will explain the process or help you search by phone. However you search, be sure to check all variations of your name. If you are married, divorced or remarried, search your maiden and married names. Check your spouse's name: your parents', siblings' and children's names: and the names of any deceased relatives. Check the databases in every state where you or these relatives have lived or worked. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the federal government's program for insuring private-sector pension plans, is holding $34 million in unclaimed pension benefits. The average claim is $4,105. To search for your name, visit http://www.pbgc.gov . If you find it, call 800-326-LOST. Source: Family Circle, October 9, 2001, http://www.familycircle.com/ |