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WITandWISDOM(tm) - August 4, 2005 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: Too often we...enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought. - John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), U.S. President Source: DailyInBox Presents, http://dailyinbox.com ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: A Good Scar By Bob Perks We saw my wife, Marianne’s, surgeon who removed both her breasts. I love this man dearly. He was thrilled to see her progress. His last words to us were, "Well, I'll see you every six months. We'll grow old together." Of course I cried. Today, her plastic surgeon set the date for her final reconstructive surgery. August 16th, 8:00 A.M.. This was a bit more traumatic for both of us. As I stood behind my wife and watched her fill out all the paper work, I had very real flashbacks of the first surgery. I began to shake a bit, tears held back for her sake dried up long before they hit my cheeks. Then I saw her write her diagnosis on a form for her employer..."Breast Cancer." Oh God, it punched me in the stomach. Not that I had forgotten. But I learned to accept it and it lightened the impact until that moment. She stood up and as we left the office she reached for my hand, not saying a word. We went through the final doors to the outside and as I turned to say something to her, I saw her face. She was weeping. Her tear soaked eyes, her red face just sank my heart into the deepness of this reality. I turned to her and held her as we both cried. Relief? I wish. Still afraid? Yes. I have not been able to sleep now for a few weeks. I want this all over and finished. This is one of those events in life that leave more than the physical scars. I am emotionally drained for some time now. But this scar will fade. It will, in turn, leave "A Good Scar." “He was a great doctor. He always left a good scar,” she told me. “I thought a good doctor wouldn’t leave a scar,” I said. “It was the way he handled it that made the difference.” . . . “The doctor always stitched the wound in such a way that it looked terrible at first. But he developed this process so that little remained afterwards,” she went on to explain. . . . So when we get hit really hard it may be ugly at first. How we choose to handle it will determine how long it stays with us. How we choose to see it helps us to deal with it and move on. . . . Yes, life can leave some scars. But those without scars never knew the joy of getting up after being knocked down. . . . By Bob Perks, Copyright (c) 2005 mailto:Bob@BobPerks.com http://www.bobperks.com Bob Perks is a professional Speaker, Trainer and author. To receive his free weekly messages, I Believe in You!, visit: http://www.topica.com/lists/Ibelieveinyou ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Christian One-Liners "Don't let your worries get the best of you. Remember, Moses started out as a basket case" Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited - until you try to sit in their pews. Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one. The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes and sand gnats come close! When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there. People are funny, they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church. Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever. Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn't belong. If the church wants a better preacher, it only needs to pray for the one it has. God Himself does not propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should you? Some minds are like concrete, thoroughly mixed up and permanently set Peace starts with a smile. I don't know why some people change churches; what difference does it make which one you stay home from? A lot of church members who are singing "Standing on the Promises" are just sitting on the premises. We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges. Be ye fishers of men. You catch them - He'll clean them. Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous. Don't put a question mark where God put a period. Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church. Forbidden fruits create many jams. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. God grades on the cross, not the curve. God loves everyone, but probably prefers "fruits of the spirit" over "religious nuts!" God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. He who angers you, controls you! If God is your Copilot - swap seats! Prayer: Don't give God instructions -- just report for duty! The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us. The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not protect you. We don't change the message, the message changes us. You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him. The best mathematical equation I have ever seen: 1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given. Submitted by Pastor John L. Bechtel, http://www.tagnet.org/fremont/ ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: A little girl, enchanted by her new baby cousin, asked her mother, "Can't we have a baby?" "I don't believe so, darling," her mother replied. "They cost too much." "How much?" the child inquired. "Oh, about $4,000," her mother said. The youngster thought for a moment, then said, "That's not very much, when you consider how long they last." Source: Pulpit Supply, mailto:pulpit-supply-subscribe@strategicnetwork.org ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Got water? $46 billion - Amount spent per year globally on bottled water $1.7 billion - Amount needed per year beyond current spending to provide clean drinking water to everyone on earth More than one billion - Number of people worldwide who lack reliable access to safe drinking water 80 - Percentage of world illnesses due to water-borne diseases Source: The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/ Submitted by Pastor John L. Bechtel