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WITandWISDOM(tm) - December 27, 2005 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: The reward of a thing well done, is to have done it Source: The Funnies, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/andychaps_the-funnies ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Back in the 50's there was a well known radio host/comedian/song writer in Hollywood named Stuart Hamblen who was noted for his drinking, womanizing partying, etc. One of his bigger hits at the time was "I won't go hunting with you Jake, but I'll go chasing women". One day, along came a young preacher holding a tent revival. Hamblen had him on his radio show presumably to poke fun at him. In order to gather more material for his show, Hamblin showed up at one of the revival meetings. Early in the service the preacher announced, "There is one man in this audience who is a big fake." There were probably others who thought the same thing, but Hamblen was convinced that he was the one the preacher was talking about (some would call that conviction), but he was having none of that. Still the words continued to haunt him until a couple of nights later he showed up drunk at the preacher's hotel door around 2 am demanding that the preacher pray for him But the preacher refused, saying, "This is between you and God and I'm not going to get in the middle of it." But he did invite Stuart in and they talked until about 5 am at which point Stuart dropped to his knees and with tears, cried out to God. But that is not the end of the story. Stuart quit drinking, quit chasing women, quit everything that was "fun". Soon he began to lose favor with the Hollywood crowd. He was ultimately fired by the radio station when he refused to accept a beer company as a sponsor. Hard times were upon him. He tried writing a couple of "Christian" songs but the only one that had much success was "This Old House", written for his friend Rosemary Clooney. As he continued to struggle, a long time friend named John took him aside and told him, "all your troubles started when you 'got religion', was it worth it all?" Stuart answered simply, "Yes". Then his friend asked, "You liked your booze so much, don't you ever miss it?" And his answer was, "No". John then said, "I don't understand how you could give it up so easily." And Stuart's response was, "It's no big secret. All things are possible with God." To this John said "That's a catchy phrase. You should write a song about it." And as they say, the rest is history. The song Stuart wrote was "It Is No Secret" It is no secret what God can do. What He's done for others, He'll do for you. With arms wide open, He'll welcome you. It is no secret, what God can do.... By the way......... the friend was John Wayne. And the young preacher who refused to pray for Stuart Hamblen but invited him in to talk was none other than "Reverend Billy Graham". http://www.heavenwhispers.com/Pages/NS/It_Is_No_Secret.html Submitted by Gary Parsons ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Immutable Laws (which cannot be avoided) When one wishes to unlock a door but has only has one hand free, the keys are in the opposite pocket. (Von fumbles law) A door will snap shut only when you have left the keys inside. (Yale law of destiny) When ones hands are covered with oil, grease, or glue, your nose will start to itch. (Law of ichiban) Your insurance will cover everything but what has happened. (Insurance so sorry law) When things seem to be going well, you've probably forgotten to do something. (Cheney’s second corollary) When things seem easy to do, it's because you haven't followed all the instructions. (Destiny awaits law) If you keep your cool when everyone else is losing his, it's probably because you have not realized the seriousness of the problem (law of gravitas) Most problems are not created nor solved, they only change appearances. (Einstein’s law of persistence) You will run to answer the telephone just as the party hangs up on you. (Principle of dingaling) Whenever one wants to connect with the internet, the call you’ve been waiting for all day will arrive. (Principle of Bellsouth) If there are only two programs on TV that are worth your time, they will always be at the same time. (Law of wasteland) The cost is always higher than one budgets for, and it is exactly 3.14 times higher, hence the importance of pi. (Law of pi eyed) The probability that one will spill food on one's clothes is directly proportional to the need to be clean. (Law of Campbell scoop) Each and every body submerged in a bathtub will cause the phone to ring. (Law of yes now) Each and every body sitting on a commode will cause the doorbell to ring. (Law of ding dong!)" Wind velocity will increase proportionally to the cost of one's hairdo. (The donking principle) After discarding something not used for years, you will need it one week later. (Law of fatal irreversibility) Arriving early for an appointment will cause the receptionist to be absent, and if one arrives late, everyone else has arrived before you. (Law of de lay) Do not take life too seriously, because in the end, you won't come out alive anyway." (Theory of absolute certainty) Submitted by Angelwings ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: A mother and father were chatting with their eight-year-old son about his future. The youngster said he'd like to attend Cornell, as his parents and other members of the family had. Pleased with his response, they pressed on. 'What would you like to take when you attend college?' they asked the little boy. After giving it some thought and glancing around the kitchen, he replied, 'The refrigerator, if you can get along without it.' Submitted by POPO ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Painesville, Ohio (UPI) -- A judge in Painesville, Ohio, has ordered a woman to spend a winter night in the woods for abandoning 40 kittens in two parks. Michelle Murray must spend the night with no food, light or shelter as part of the court-imposed sentence, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports. Municipal Judge Michael Cicconetti said parks rangers will take the 26-year-old woman into the forest at dusk and pick her up at dawn on Thanksgiving Day. Rangers will monitor her to make sure she is safe and does not freeze, the report said. The weather forecast for the area is for a chance of snow with a low of 23 degrees. Cicconetti had offered Murray a choice of three months behind bars or one night in the woods followed by 14 days in jail, 15 days of house arrest and three years of probation. Source: ArcaMax - Trivia, http://tinyurl.com/9kf44