Forwarded Messages

by Steve Ridgell I was helping clean up my sister-in-law’s yard after a recent wind storm when it happened. The neighbor’s dog got me. I knew he was not happy with the chain saw, the activity, and the work going on. After all, he kept barking at us. I was carrying a load of wood to the back gate, walking about one foot inside the fence. All of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of this dog trying to jump over the fence. As I jumped sideways, he managed to extend his head over the fence and catch my arm. There was not any lasting damage. My arm was swollen and stayed bruised for a couple of weeks. The dog was as surprised as I was. My father-in-law worried about whether the dog should have gotten shots. Ha, ha. The neighbors were apologetic. The yard got cleaned up, and we all stayed several feet away from the fence. And I thought about how much like life this was.

     Abilities are like tax deductions ---   we either use them, or we lose them.   Imagine receiving a gift from wealthy person who is renowned for his taste in selecting perfect and valuable presents for everyone on his list. Wouldn't this be a gift you would be eager to open? Sadly, many people have been given gifts from the perfect Giver, but they never bother to open them or use them for their intended purpose. God has given each of us abilities. And He never makes a mistake. His gifts are never the wrong size or style or inappropriate in any way. No one has ever needed to return a gift from God. If we open these heaven-sent gifts, we can use them in a way that will benefit others and bring glory to our Creator. Do you know what your true gift are? Are you using them? Or are they lying dormant, gathering dust? If so, it;s time to tear into that aging wrapper paper. Putting your God-given talents to work is one of the most satisfying things you can do. As you do what God

In a country church, an altar boy was serving the priest at Sunday mass. When he accidentally dropped the cruet of wine, the village priest slapped the boy and shouted, "Leave the church and don't come back!" That boy became Tito, the Communist leader.   In the cathedral of a large, inner city church, the altar boy accidentally dropped the cruet of wine.   With a twinkle in his eye, the Bishop told the boy, "One day you will be a priest."   That boy grew up to be Archbishop Fulton Sheen. -- "Don't use your mouth to tell lies; don't ever say things that are not true." Proverbs 4: 24 (NCV) To avoid the pits of life, we must guard our words.   Words are power tools!  In the right hands and used correctly, words can create.  In the wrong hands and used incorrectly, words can destroy.  The truth of Proverbs 13:3 is a haunting one, "Whoever controls his mouth protects his own life. Whoever has a big mouth comes to ruin." (GWT)   If we

 

Our world loves " bigness ."  Large , economy-sized boxes of detergent. Supersized meals. Big screen TVs. Vehicles with extra leg room, extra head room and vast storage space. The bigger -is-better phenomenon affects the workpalce too. Associates vie for the biggest office, the heftiest raise, the longest service record. About the only thing we want small is our lap top computers - but even then, we want them to have large memory capacity and multitude of special features. Our God is certainly capable of big feats . He partted the Red Sea. He created the universe in less than a week. But it's better not to measure our business success by how much money we earn. God isn't interested in the size of your salary. He's interested in your life and the small but faithful steps you take toward Him. Remember, a little obedience and faithfulness makes a big difference to God. In the end, it's not the size of your paycheck that matters - it's the