|
Users viewing this topic:
none
|
|
Login  | |
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/20/2008 10:06:54 AM
|
|
|
Smokymtnsanta
Posts: 13963
Joined: 6/13/2006
From: The North
Status: offline
|
Maxine says:
Most of the people you see in lingerie stores
you would not want to see in lingerie.
_____________________________
Visit www.smokymountainsanta.com
The place to stay in the Smokies: www.hiddenmountain.com
"Jesus Is The Reason For All Seasons"
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/20/2008 12:19:23 PM
|
|
|
Smokymtnsanta
Posts: 13963
Joined: 6/13/2006
From: The North
Status: offline
|
Faith In Spite of Your Feelings
“For we live by faith, not by sight” - 2 Corinthians 5:7
“Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway” - John Wayne (famous cowboy movie star)
Have you ever noticed how sometimes in your mind you are doing the right thing and obeying God, yet you don’t feel like it? Your feelings don’t always line up with your faith. That’s OK. That is called living by faith not by sight. I’m so glad Jesus did. There He was in the Garden of Gethsemane praying before going to the cross: “Father if you are willing, take this cup from me; not my will but YOURS be done.” The Bible says He was in such agony as He prayed that His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. How do you think He was feeling at that moment? He was living by faith in spite of his emotional trauma.
Trust Him today. He showed you the way to live by faith. God will honor that act of obedience in your life today. Even John Wayne figured that out!
Jerry "Bear" Hyder
Associate Pastor, Adult Ministries
First Baptist, Sevierville, Tn.
_____________________________
Visit www.smokymountainsanta.com
The place to stay in the Smokies: www.hiddenmountain.com
"Jesus Is The Reason For All Seasons"
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/20/2008 12:21:48 PM
|
|
|
sosing2me
Posts: 3908
Joined: 1/3/2008
From: Missouri
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: Smokymtnsanta
Faith In Spite of Your Feelings
“For we live by faith, not by sight” - 2 Corinthians 5:7
Oh Santa, thank you so much. I found just what I needed to hear today.
I hope you and Mrs C are having a wonderful day.
_____________________________
Blog “I Want To Tell You…”
Judyland
"Encourage one another and build each other up"
1 Thessalonians 5:11
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/20/2008 12:25:25 PM
|
|
|
Smokymtnsanta
Posts: 13963
Joined: 6/13/2006
From: The North
Status: offline
|
Thanks Judy. That had just came in an email a few minutes ago. God knows what we need at any given time.
We are doing ok. Going in to one of the theaters for a show this afternoon. Have not done that in a long time.
Hope you have a great day.
_____________________________
Visit www.smokymountainsanta.com
The place to stay in the Smokies: www.hiddenmountain.com
"Jesus Is The Reason For All Seasons"
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/23/2008 5:06:35 AM
|
|
|
Smokymtnsanta
Posts: 13963
Joined: 6/13/2006
From: The North
Status: offline
|
“The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want." - Psalm 23:1
Our Heavenly Father is the one that is completely sufficient to meet all of our needs. In 1999 Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, listed the following benefits of the attributes of our Father:
- Because God is a personal Spirit…I will seek intimate fellowship with
Him.
- Because He is all powerful…He can help me with anything.
- Because God is ever present…He is always with me.
- Because God knows everything…I will go to Him with all my questions
and concerns.
- Because God is sovereign…I will joyfully submit to His will.
- Because God is holy…I will devote myself to Him in purity, worship,
and service.
- Because God is absolute truth…I will believe what He says and live
accordingly.
- Because God is righteous…I will live by His standards.
- Because God is just…He will always treat me fairly.
- Because God is love…He is unconditionally committed to my
well-being.
- Because God is merciful…He forgives me of my sins when I sincerely
confess them.
- Because God is faithful…I will trust Him to always keep His promises.
- Because God never changes…my future is secure and eternal.
Randy C. Davis
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Church, Sevierville, Tn.
_____________________________
Visit www.smokymountainsanta.com
The place to stay in the Smokies: www.hiddenmountain.com
"Jesus Is The Reason For All Seasons"
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/23/2008 5:11:35 AM
|
|
|
Smokymtnsanta
Posts: 13963
Joined: 6/13/2006
From: The North
Status: offline
|
All stories copyright 2008 Bob Perks
Today's message:
"Caterpillar Dance"
By Bob Perks
"Daddy, look at that bug flying!" the child said with excitement.
Dad acknowledged the boy, but made little effort to take notice.
"Daddy, it's green and looks like a caterpillar. A flying caterpillar!"
he added.
I struggled to see what the child was all excited about. I watched
as he pointed and ran franticly back and forth.
"It's on a swing!" the child finally said. "Look, Daddy!"
"Uh, huh." the father replied.
The child stopped. Now pointing to his nose he began to say,
"Come on, land here! Come on!"
I walked a little closer trying not to intrude, but my curiosity
was getting me.
Suddenly, a glimmer in the sun caught my eye. There it was.
A long silky thread appearing out of nowhere. At its end to
the thrill and amazement of this child was a tiny green caterpillar.
I call them inch worms.
They remind me of the song "Inchworm" written by
Frank Loesser
"Inchworm, inchworm,
Measuring the marigolds,
You and your arithmetic,
You'll probably go far.
Inchworm, inchworm,
Measuring the marigolds
Seems to me you'd stop and see
How beautiful they are."
"Come on, let's go home," the father said.
Still fascinated by the "flying caterpillar" the young boy
waited until the final shout, "Come on, I said!" and hurried
on his way.
I, of course, having no parental authority to answer to,
felt compelled to investigate further.
I felt a slight breeze as I approached and took a dive as it
began to sway my way.
"Oh, come on. Don't toy with me," I said. "Let me get a
closer look at you."
Within seconds I found myself dancing the dance of the flying
insect and child. I ran to one side and then the other. I was
so taken by the challenge to get a closer look that I failed to
pay any attention to others walking by.
"How brave you are!" I shouted. "To be hanging from a tree
by a near invisible thread and not caring where you land."
It was then that I realized how much we were alike, this
caterpillar and I. I have been free falling since birth and
fearing little because I, too am tethered safely by a thread
called "faith" and I know Who holds the other end.
I stopped suddenly and looked around. It appeared I drew an
audience of three or four. One man shook his head as he
turned and walked away. A young couple just smiled. I am sure
they found my caterpillar dance quite amusing, but lacked the proof
that there even was a "flying caterpillar" to begin with.
"Did you see it?" I asked.
"Sure, we saw it," the girl replied. Then as they turned to leave I
heard him say, "He must be on something."
"I danced enough to appear a fool to any passerby.
But I didn't care who saw me.
I was watching a caterpillar fly."
It never did occur to me I simply took a chance
for how often can you find the time
to do the "Caterpillar Dance?"
"I believe in you!"
Bob
I encourage you to share my stories but I do ask that you
keep my name and contact information with my work.
If you would like to receive Bob's Inspirational
stories, please visit http://www.IWishYouEnough.com
and submit your email address.
_____________________________
Visit www.smokymountainsanta.com
The place to stay in the Smokies: www.hiddenmountain.com
"Jesus Is The Reason For All Seasons"
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/23/2008 5:21:40 AM
|
|
|
Smokymtnsanta
Posts: 13963
Joined: 6/13/2006
From: The North
Status: offline
|
It’s A God Thing
Being a parent is great! It is also challenging. It is precious when they are young and it is exciting when they are teenagers. It is rewarding when they are grown and able to be own their own. You hope that you have given them roots and wings - roots to know right from wrong, to make good decisions, to have character and to serve their fellow man whenever possible, and wings to come home and to have faith in God.
I am so proud of my daughter. Over the past few weeks, she has had the privilege of stretching her wings and coming face to face with what our family has always classified as a “God thing.” A “God thing” is one of those moments in your life when something happens and there is no other explanation other than it was something that only God could accomplish.
A few weeks ago, my daughter had a neighbor that came to her who was being physically abused by her boyfriend. With the help of a friend, she was able to get her to a shelter. She knew that her neighbor needed some money. Not knowing what she would do with the money she reluctantly gave her some because she just felt like it was the right thing to do.
A few days later, a friend tragically drowned on a camping trip. That friend had been behind on some medical bills and had to pawn some of her belongings to pay her medical expenses. She had been a talented musician and had sold some of her instruments. With a group of friends, my daughter and her friends pooled their money and were able to redeem the instrument that was most precious to her.
A puppy that had been abused and neglected appeared on my daughter’s porch. After some considerable vet bills to get him well, he is now happy, healthy, and hers.
Not long after all of these events and expenses my daughter received a check from the daughter of a lady that she had been sitting with at a nursing home. She wanted to pay my daughter for taking time to sit with her mother. To my daughter’s surprise, the check was made out for the exact amount she had spent on the neighbor, the redeemed instrument, and the puppy expenses. She told me, “Dad, it is what you call a "God thing."
Have you ever experienced a “God thing?” The Bible is full of things like this. Moses experienced it when at the Red Sea, Paul spotted it at the burning bush, Mary and Martha discovered it at the empty tomb. Thomas believed it when he touched the nail scarred hands. In addition, millions have experienced it through the Blessed Hope who changes lives and brings eternal peace to your heart and soul. It’s a “God thing!”
David Goode
Associate Pastor, Administration
First Baptist, Sevierville, Tn.
_____________________________
Visit www.smokymountainsanta.com
The place to stay in the Smokies: www.hiddenmountain.com
"Jesus Is The Reason For All Seasons"
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/24/2008 4:45:17 AM
|
|
|
Smokymtnsanta
Posts: 13963
Joined: 6/13/2006
From: The North
Status: offline
|
I AM THANKFUL:
FOR THE WIFE
WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT,
BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME,
AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.
FOR THE HUSBAND
WHO IS ON THE SOFA
BEING A COUCH POTATO,
BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME
AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.
FOR THE TEENAGER
WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES
BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME,
NOT ON THE STREETS.
FOR THE TAXES I PAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I AM EMPLOYED .
FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE
BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.
FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.
FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE
FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING,
WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING,
AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME
FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING
I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT
BECAUSE IT MEANS
WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH. .
FOR THE PARKING SPOT
I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING
AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION .
FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I AM WARM.
FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH
WHO SINGS OFF KEY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I CAN HEAR.
FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.
FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES
AT THE END OF THE DAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN
CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.
FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF
IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.
AND FINALLY, FOR TOO MUCH E-MAIL
BECAUSE ? IT MEANS
I HAVE FRIENDS WHO ARE THINKING OF ME.
Live well, Laugh often, & Love with all of your heart!
_____________________________
Visit www.smokymountainsanta.com
The place to stay in the Smokies: www.hiddenmountain.com
"Jesus Is The Reason For All Seasons"
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/24/2008 10:11:02 AM
|
|
|
GVfan
Posts: 16041
Joined: 3/28/2006
From: The Peach State
Status: offline
|
AMEN, Santa!
_____________________________
Donna Hefner
Acworth, Ga.
<--- Diana and Donna with Greater Vision, Jacob, Rodney and Gerald!
Come visit me at http://www.myspace.com/donnashappenings
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/24/2008 10:41:19 AM
|
|
|
Qtman
Posts: 10824
Joined: 3/21/2006
From: Crimson Tide Country
Status: offline
|
Santa I don't post here often to say I enjoy this thread. But I do read it every day and always receive a blessing from it.
_____________________________
Everybody has Eternal Life. But only two Addresses to chose from.
Qtman's Musings
Avatar Help
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/25/2008 3:10:37 AM
|
|
|
Smokymtnsanta
Posts: 13963
Joined: 6/13/2006
From: The North
Status: offline
|
Thanks Donna and Sam. Enjoy doing this and sometimes think I am just spinning my wheels doing it, and then get a post or a PM from y'all telling how much you like the "Inspirations".
God Bless.
_____________________________
Visit www.smokymountainsanta.com
The place to stay in the Smokies: www.hiddenmountain.com
"Jesus Is The Reason For All Seasons"
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/25/2008 4:28:53 AM
|
|
|
BeckeyZ
Posts: 5986
Joined: 4/18/2005
From: the sunny side of the street
Status: offline
|
I love it too!!!
_____________________________
more coffee please.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/25/2008 4:37:15 AM
|
|
|
Smokymtnsanta
Posts: 13963
Joined: 6/13/2006
From: The North
Status: offline
|
Thanks Becky. Appreciate the kind words.
_____________________________
Visit www.smokymountainsanta.com
The place to stay in the Smokies: www.hiddenmountain.com
"Jesus Is The Reason For All Seasons"
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/25/2008 4:46:05 AM
|
|
|
Smokymtnsanta
Posts: 13963
Joined: 6/13/2006
From: The North
Status: offline
|
About those Church Hymns
A minister decided to do something a little different one Sunday morning. He said "Today, in church, I am going to say a single word and you are going to help me preach.
Whatever single word I say, I want you to sing whatever hymn that comes to your mind."
The pastor shouted out "CROSS."
Immediately the congregation started singing in unison, "THE OLD RUGGED CROSS."
The pastor hollered out "GRACE." The congregation began to sing "AMAZING GRACE, how sweet the sound."
The pastor said "POWER." The congregation sang "THERE IS POWER IN THE BLOOD."
The Pastor said "SEX" The congregation fell into total silence.
Everyone was in shock. They all nervously began to look around at each other afraid to say anything.
Then all of a sudden, way from in the back of the church, a little old 87 year old grandmother stood up and began to sing "PRECIOUS MEMORIES."
Gotta Love Little Old Ladies.
Laugh... it burns calories.
_____________________________
Visit www.smokymountainsanta.com
The place to stay in the Smokies: www.hiddenmountain.com
"Jesus Is The Reason For All Seasons"
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/25/2008 10:23:47 AM
|
|
|
BelovedHandMaiden
Posts: 3945
Joined: 3/17/2007
From: Tennessee
Status: offline
|
I like this -- we should ALL watch out for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
The Blind Horse
Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it.
From a distance, each looks like every other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing.
Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him. This alone is amazing.
If nearby and listening, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to her halter is a small bell. It lets her blind friend know where she is, so he can follow her.
As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see how she is always checking on him, and that he will listen for her bell and then slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she will not lead him astray. When she returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, she stops occasionally and looks back, making sure her friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.
Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need. Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others see.
Good friends are like this. You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.
Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours.
"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle"
Author Unknown
_____________________________
Sign on Church: The Rapture - True separation of church and state.
<--- My beloved Piwacket.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/25/2008 10:26:57 AM
|
|
|
BelovedHandMaiden
Posts: 3945
Joined: 3/17/2007
From: Tennessee
Status: offline
|
A Penny
You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about.
Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house.
The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants.
Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband.
He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment. Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.
He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?
Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She causally mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.
A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?
"Look at it." He said. "Read what it says." She read the words "United States of America." "No, not that; read further."
"One cent?" "No, keep reading."
"In God we Trust?" "Yes!" "And?"
"And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin.
Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold.. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful.
When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, "In God We Trust," and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message.
It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful!
And, God is patient...
_____________________________
Sign on Church: The Rapture - True separation of church and state.
<--- My beloved Piwacket.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/25/2008 10:30:56 AM
|
|
|
BelovedHandMaiden
Posts: 3945
Joined: 3/17/2007
From: Tennessee
Status: offline
|
HANKY ALERT!!! This is a little long, but please read!
The Garden of Angels
I didn’t know why this particular child was touching me so deeply. Finally, I asked God what he wanted me to do
Debi Faris had one eye on dinner and the other on the five o’clock news the night she heard the story that changed her life. Someone had abandoned a baby several miles from her hometown of Yucaipa, California, and the televised account of the tragedy left her immobile, too horrified to walk across the kitchen floor to silence the report’s graphic details. She could do nothing but stand there and absorb the painful description of a newborn boy who had been stuffed into a duffel bag and tossed from a window of a car speeding down a freeway.
"I couldn’t move," she says. "I kept thinking, ‘How can this be? How have we become a society that throws away its children as if they are nothing?’"
Four days later, the story still haunted her. Somehow she had to find out what happens to a child’s body that no one claims. Is the baby given a name? Does he have some kind of funeral? Does anyone say a prayer over his grave? She thought about contacting somebody, but she didn’t know what to say or how to explain her growing obsession with the little boy. "I didn’t know why this particular child was touching me so deeply," she says. "Finally, I asked God what he wanted me to do, and I felt him saying, ‘Debi, pick up the phone and make the call for me.’"
An Act of Love
The information she gathered did little to relieve her anguish. The investigator in the coroner’s office was kind, but the procedure that she described seemed routine and uncaring. The bodies of abandoned babies—and the county tallied as many as 15 a year—were assigned numbers, were eventually cremated, and the ashes were stored until enough had accumulated to justify the opening of a common grave. Debi thought about the newborn. "I just can’t have that for this child," she said.
With the blessing of her husband and three children, she asked that the authorities release the baby to her for burial. She secured permission, and in her conversations with Gilda--the coroner’s investigator--she learned of another unidentified newborn awaiting cremation. Could she care for him, too? she asked Gilda.
While she waited for the answer, her search for two burial places took her to Desert Lawn Cemetery in Calimesa, where an attendant pointed out an available plot in one area and another in a different section. "Somehow I knew we would be caring for more babies than these two," says Debi, "and I wanted a special place where they could all be together." She asked if there was a larger open area, and soon settled on what has become "a cemetery within a cemetery." Her premonition proved right; more babies were in her future.
"Gilda called me one morning and said that the two little boys were ready for release and that I could come pick them up. Then she hesitated and told me that they also had the body of a little girl, about age two, who had washed up on a beach in Malibu some time ago.
The coroner had been given the order to cremate the child’s body. Gilda asked, "Debi, would you be willing to take care of her, too?" Overwhelmed, Debi told Gilda she needed time to think, but she never doubted her response.
"I knew when I hung up the phone that we would be taking three caskets to the cemetery, but first I needed time alone with God. I remember praying, ‘I don’t think I can do this, God. I don’t think I have the courage.’ I stayed quiet for a while until I sensed that what we were doing was right. It was an act of love, and at that moment I made a commitment to offer it to any child who needed it."
A Gift From God
Of the 41 babies she has helped bury since that August in 1996, Debi has given names to five of them herself (she has enlisted help from others to name the other babies). The gesture is symbolic rather than official since the law prevents a stranger from naming a baby. The first three, Matthew, Nathan and Dora, were easy to bestow. Each name means "a gift from God," and she believes all children are just that.
As a way of offering healing to the police officers who investigate the deaths of abandoned children, Debi invites them to name the babies and participate in the services that honor the children. "They’re the ones who have to remove the babies from the trash cans, the dumpsters, and the roadways," she says, "I thought it might help for them to be part of something loving that was planned for these children." The police often accept her offer, arriving at the cemetery in full dress uniform and carrying stuffed animals to tuck into the small caskets. "Sometimes they even bring their pastors with them, or they buy the blankets to wrap around the children, or they read poems and release doves as part of the services," says Debi.
The Bigger Picture
Word of Debi’s ministry has spread, and volunteers have rallied to help with details that range from making pillows to tuck under the babies’ heads to tending the flowers that decorate the Garden of Angels. She has recruited a group of pastors to conduct the services, and her dad makes the white crosses that serve as markers.
"Preparing the babies for [for burial] is the hardest thing I do. Yet it’s also the most blessed thing I do. I think it’s an honor to put my arms around these children, love them, and pray for them."
Until recently, she handled all of the arrangements from a spare room in her home. Thanks to an anonymous gift, she has moved this year to an office in the center of Yucaipa, where she spends more and more of her time overseeing efforts to lobby government in favor of a "safe abandonment" law. Under a safe abandonment law (which several other states are also in the process of developing), a mother could bring her unwanted baby to a safe place, such as a hospital emergency room or a police station, with the assurance that she won’t be prosecuted. The legislation is controversial because opponents believe it allows parents to duck their responsibility and casually dispose of a child whose arrival is inconvenient.
By lobbying for legislation and investigating programs like Safe Arms, Debi hopes to reduce—better yet, eliminate—the need for her Garden of Angels cemetery. Until then, she tends the garden and honors its babies by telling their stories to service clubs, church groups, and middle-school students. "It will always be our mission to try and keep children from coming to the Garden of Angels," she tells her audiences. "Until then, by sharing the stories of the children who rest there, we have become their voices."
By Holly G. Miller
_____________________________
Sign on Church: The Rapture - True separation of church and state.
<--- My beloved Piwacket.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/25/2008 10:52:31 AM
|
|
|
BelovedHandMaiden
Posts: 3945
Joined: 3/17/2007
From: Tennessee
Status: offline
|
Is your quilt Holy?
Facing Your Maker
As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along
with all the other souls. Before each of us laid our lives like the
squares of a quilt in many piles. An Angel sat before each of us sewing
our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life. But as my
angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and
empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each
square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the
challenges and temptations I was faced with in everyday life. I saw
hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all. I glanced
around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and
there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright
hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened.
My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth
together, threadbare and empty, like binding air.
Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the
light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose, each in turn, holding up
their tapestries. So filled their lives had been. My angel looked upon
me, and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I
hadn't had all the earthly fortunes..... I had love in my life, and
laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, and death, and
false accusations that took from me my world as I knew it. I had to
start over many times, I often struggled with the temptation to quit,
only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I spent
many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my
life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully,
each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt
within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged
me. Now, I had to face the truth.
My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was. I rose
and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light.
A gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me
with wide eyes. Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light
flooded the many holes, creating an image, the face of Christ.
Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He
said," Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My
hardships, and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you
stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than
there was of you.
May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine
through.
_____________________________
Sign on Church: The Rapture - True separation of church and state.
<--- My beloved Piwacket.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/25/2008 10:56:13 AM
|
|
|
GVfan
Posts: 16041
Joined: 3/28/2006
From: The Peach State
Status: offline
|
Brenda, thanks for posting those wonderful stories. Every one is inspiring in a different way. But they all have one thing in common! God is watching over all of our situations!
< Message edited by GVfan -- 6/25/2008 11:02:24 AM >
_____________________________
Donna Hefner
Acworth, Ga.
<--- Diana and Donna with Greater Vision, Jacob, Rodney and Gerald!
Come visit me at http://www.myspace.com/donnashappenings
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Inspirations From Santa - 6/25/2008 10:57:24 AM
|
|
|
BelovedHandMaiden
Posts: 3945
Joined: 3/17/2007
From: Tennessee
Status: offline
|
Thank you, Donna. Its nice to feel that someone appreciates something you do once in awhile.
_____________________________
Sign on Church: The Rapture - True separation of church and state.
<--- My beloved Piwacket.
|
|
|
|
|
Forum Tools
Printable Version
