Prior Date

Archive Index

Next Date

WITandWISDOM(tm) - February 16, 2006 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: I think laughter may be a form of courage. – broadcast journalist Linda Ellerbee Source: Guideposts, Copyright (c) March 2005, http://www.guideposts.org ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Years ago, when I ministered in Scotland, there were two elderly sisters in the congregation. Both of them had been members of the church all of their lives. One of them lived on a farm, which had a large acreage and in the past it had been very productive. The other sister lived in a modest condo, which she kept immaculately clean. The sister on the farm was widowed and had lived a hard life. She was weary and very needy. She didn't go out much and as the years sped past, she almost became a recluse. Her sister, on the other hand, was very outgoing, had a wonderful husband, and a lot of joy in her life. To look at both of them, you wouldn't think they came from the same home, but they did. In fact, they were both brought up on the same farm. When their father died, they were due to equally inherit the family farm, but one of the sisters managed to get her father sign over ownership to both her and her husband before her dad died. The other sister was left with nothing, and so she quit the farm and went to live in public housing in the nearby town. Throughout her life, she didn't have very much financially, but the riches of her life were a loving husband, great children, and a joyful disposition. On the other hand, her sister had all the riches of the farm, which she and her husband squandered over the years. She ended up with a bad marriage, estranged children, and a guilty conscience for the rest of her days. The beautiful thing is that in her last few years of sickness, her loving sister visited her and cared for her each day on the farm. One was rich and had lived a lie. The other was poor, but showed unfailing love. Every day we make choices and decisions: the question we must ask ourselves is this - are we only choosing to fulfill our desires and deceive ourselves, or are we willing to share our blessings and show unfailing love? Prayer: Lord Jesus, we all suffer injustice in our lives, and trouble never seems far away. Sometimes we bring this on ourselves because of greed, insecurity or ambition. Help us to remain true to You in all that we seek to do this day. Keep us free from guile and deception. Enable us to show compassion and care, even to those who hurt and disappoint us. In Your Holy name, we pray. Amen. By John Stuart mailto:TRAQAIR@aol.com http://www.erinpresbyterian.org Rev. John Stuart is a native of Scotland, he and his wife Evelyn became US citizens in the summer of 2001. Rev. Stuart grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, and served several small churches in S.W. Scotland before accepting the call to Erin Presbyterian Church. ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: America believes in education: The average professor earns more money in a year than the professional athlete earns in a whole week. - Evan Esar You know, I spent a fortune on deodorant before I realized that people didn't like me anyway. – Unknown We need a twelve-step group for compulsive talkers. They could call it On Anon Anon. - Paula Poundstone "I'm not saying Ted is a Hypochondriac, but he did tell me he wanted his tombstone to read "See!" These big birthday parties my friends make for their kids: One of my friends had a surprise birthday party for her child. He was one year old. We all snuck around the crib, jumped up, and yelled, "Surprise!" He's in therapy now. - Rita Rudner Source: Jokeworm's Quotes, http://Jokeworm.com ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: My dinner party was headed for disaster. One man, an insurance salesman, was monopolizing the conversation with a lengthy account of recent litigation involving himself. Since two other guests were lawyers, I was becoming increasingly uneasy. "In the end," the salesman concluded, "you know who got all the money." I cringed. "The lawyers!" he shouted. There was embarrassed silence at the table. My heart was pounding until the wife of one lawyer said, "Oh, I love a story with a happy ending." Contributed to "Life In These United States" by Jane Ghegan Source: Beliefnet Presents, http://www.beliefnet.com/user/newsletter_choose.asp ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: At the Virtual Cave web site, you are treated to a plethora of photos from underground and underwater caves, along with explanations of what you're looking at and how it came to be. You'll see weird stuff you've never seen before, unless you're a spelunker. For us non-spelunkers, this site is a visual treat...enjoy! http://www.goodearthgraphics.com/virtcave/index.html Source: Internet Tutor, http://www.gophercentral.com/sub/sub-tutor.html