FRESH FISH

A fisherman set up a stall to sell fresh fish to tourists visiting a fishing harbour. In front of his new stall, he placed a large board displaying the words, ‘FRESH FISH SOLD HERE’ to attract prospective buyers. Several customers came to buy fish from his stall.

One of his customers made a suggestion, “The board is large and readable. But it is too long. The word ‘HERE’ is unnecessary as the board is quite close to the stall. It may be deleted to make the board short and sweet.” The seller found that the suggestion was logical. So he erased the last word. Now the board read, ‘FRESH FISH SOLD’.

Later another customer gave a novel suggestion: “The word, ‘SOLD’ is not needed on the board as fishes are displayed here for sale and not for exhibition.” The seller agreed and deleted the word, ‘sold.’ Now the board read ‘FRESH FISH.’

Some time later, a new customer examined the board and gave his opinion, “The word ‘FRESH’ need not be displayed publicly as you sell only fresh fish and not rotten fish. It is an insult to other sellers in this area.” The seller readily agreed and modified the board. It now had only one word, ‘FISH.’

Another person visited the stall after sunset. He said, “The smell of your fish can be felt all around this stall. I had no difficulty to locate it though your board was not clearly visible in the dim light. It is not essential to place the board, ‘FISH’ here.” The seller accepted the suggestion and removed the last letter from the board.

The next day, his business was dull. New customers could not identify the stall easily as the board was blank. They went to other stalls in the area. The fisherman’s fate was the result of responding to every suggestion from others. People are lavish in showering advices and critical comments. We must apply our wisdom to identify the relevant, reasonable and acceptable advices.

The Holy Bible is the Word of God. We can learn it by prayerful reading and by regular and systematic study. Authoritative books and qualified persons may be consulted to clear our doubts and gain more insight. False interpreters of the Bible are very common. They may visit us and misdirect our faith by misinterpreting the Word of God. They act as the messengers of Satan. We must have correct concepts and convictions about our Faith. Then nobody can mislead us.

St. Paul cautions us against false prophets who misinterpret the Holy Scriptures and try to misdirect the faithful believers, “I say this because there are some people who are upsetting you and and trying to change the Gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel that is different from the one we preached to you, may he be condemned to hell! We have said it before, and now I say it again: if anyone preaches to you a gospel that is different from the one you accepted, may he be condemned to hell!” {Galatians 1: 7-9}.

St. Paul advises us, “Put on all the armour that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil’s evil tricks” {Ephesians 6: 11}.

St. Peter warns us, “Be alert, be on the watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Be firm in your faith and resist him, because you know that your fellow- believers in all the world are going through the same kind of sufferings” {1 Peter 5: 8, 9}.

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LORD, HERE I AM.: PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE LORD!

LORD, HERE I AM.: PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE LORD!: "WISH YOU ALL A FRUITFUL AND BLESSED ADVENT SEASON GREETINGS. MAY THE CHILD JESUS BE BORN IN OUR HEARTS AND IN OUR HOME. GOD BLESS"

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TRICKY THIEVES

              A man received a lamb as a gift from a friend. He was happily carrying it home. Three thieves watched his journey. They planned a plot to play a trick on the man and steal his lamb. They moved to different positions on his way.

The first thief, pretending to be a traveller, came near the man and asked, “Where are you going, pulling this dog along with you?”

The man replied innocently, “You are mistaken. This is not a dog. It is a lamb. I got it as a gift. I am taking it home.” He lifted the lamb affectionately and continued the journey, carrying the lamb on his shoulders.

A little later, the second thief came along the road. He asked the man, “Hello, why are you carrying this dog on your shoulders?”

The man asserted that it was a lamb and not a dog. But the repeated question raised a little doubt in his mind. He examined the lamb carefully and continued to carry it.

After a while, the third thief appeared as another traveller. He asked the man, “Hey, why do you carry a worthless dog on your shoulders?”

The man was now in deep confusion. He thought that the unanimous opinion of three different persons cannot be wrong. He was convinced that he had been carrying a dog so long. He cursed the friend who gifted the animal and left the lamb on the road. He walked home happily, relieved of the burden.

The two thieves who met him earlier were silently following him. They joined the third thief and caught the lamb. They were happy that they could easily deceive the simple traveller. They killed the lamb, cooked it and enjoyed a lavish dinner with their friends.

We believe in the principles and practices of our parent Church. We believe that they are based on the Sacred Scriptures and holy traditions gifted to us by God. Like the three thieves in the story, persons disguised as scholars and advisers may meet us and try to confuse us with their eloquent words. They may try their best to misinterpret the Scriptures and argue that our faith and rituals are wrong and against the words of God. We should be aware of their tricks. We must love our Church and learn the Scriptures and the doctrines of the Church systematically. Then false prophets cannot mislead us from the path of truth.

Jesus warned us, “Be on your guard against false prophets; they come to you looking like sheep on the outside, but on the inside they are really like wild wolves. You will know them by what they do. Thorn bushes do not bear grapes, and briars do not bear figs” {Matthew 7: 15, 16}.

Jesus advised us, “Be on your guard, and do not let anyone deceive you. Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, “I am the Messiah!” and they will deceive many people” {Matthew 24: 4,5}. “For false Messiahs and false prophets will appear; they will perform great miracles and wonders in order to deceive even God’s chosen people, if possible” {Matthew 24: 24}.

St. Paul preaches, “There are some people who are upsetting you and trying to change the Gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel that is different from the one we preached to you, may he be condemned to hell!” {Galatians 1: 7-9}.

St. Peter predicts, “False teachers will appear among you. They will bring in destructive, untrue doctrines, and will deny the Master who redeemed them, and so will bring upon themselves sudden destruction” {2 Peter 2:1}.

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A BOAT IN BONDS

A gang of drunkards was rowing a country-boat along a lake. On the way they saw a shop where liquor (toddy) was being served. It was getting dark and all of them were tired. They decided to have a halt and resume the row after relishing a drink. They got out of the boat and tied the boat safely with a rope to a tree on the bank of the lake. Then they entered the liquor shop and ordered drinks. They filled their bellies to the full with the liquor and returned to the boat with unsteady steps. They got into the boat and rowed hard, happily singing a fond melody in the ecstasy of intoxication. Hours rolled on. At sunrise, when they came back to their senses, they were surprised to find that they were still stationed near the liquor shop. They examined the boat and found that it was still bound to the tree. In the intoxicated state, they forgot to untie the boat. It could not move though they rowed hard for a full night!

A prayer group had a senior leader. He used to repeat this request in every prayer, “Lord, clean all the cobwebs entangling my life.” One day, tired of hearing this repeated request, one smart member who was to pray next, prayed aloud, “Lord, our leader has been praying every day to get his cobwebs removed. Kindly grant him the strength to kill the spider that is causing this constant trouble!” The members greeted the prayer with great applause.

Man has an inherent inclination to sin. Satan skilfully exploits this tendency to draw us towards sin again and again. Bondage to certain people, places, ideas, attitudes or articles may be the driving force that leads us to a sin repeatedly. The courage and determination to remove the root cause of the sin is the best way to escape from a temptation. Killing of the spider is the surest way to avoid cobwebs. Rowing can move a boat only if the bond to the tree is broken.

A gifted preacher finished his sermon on sin. He had narrated his own sinful past and the story of his successful transformation. There was a question from the audience, “What were you before repentance? He answered, “A sinner.” The next question was, “Then, what are you now?” The preacher repeated, “A sinner.” “Then what is the difference?” the person inquired. The preacher replied, “Earlier, I was a sinner, running after sin. But now I am a sinner running away from sin!”

Sir James Young Simpson (1811-1870) who discovered the use of chloroform as an anaesthetic, was asked to list his greatest discoveries. He said that his greatest discovery was that he was a sinner in the sight of God and that his second greatest discovery was that Jesus died for a sinner like him.

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us. But if we confess our sins to God, He will keep His promise and do what is right: He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing” {1 John 1: 8, 9}.

Prophet Isaiah foretold the severe sufferings of our Saviour who saved us from our sins: “Because of our sins He was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment He suffered, made whole by the blows He received” {Isaiah 53:5}.

St. Paul consoles us, “But now you have been set free from sin and are the slaves of God. Your gain is a life fully dedicated to Him, and the result is eternal life. {Romans 6: 22}.

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A Gift From Zenit, the most trusted News Letter for free

Dear reader:

As this Christmas season nears, the ZENIT team has a gift idea for you. An unbeatable offer: a gift of great value that costs absolutely nothing. Why not give your friends the gift of ZENIT?

We are kicking off our "Give ZENIT as a Gift Campaign."

Your friends and family can receive the daily ZENIT e-mail dispatch for free, and thanks to you, stay close to the Church and aware of its activities around the world.

Gifts are rarely so unique and useful! And it's completely free, both for you and your friends.

If you appreciate ZENIT, be sure that you will be doing us a favor by sending a gift subscription to friends, family, coworkers, people from your parish, your parish priest in this Year for Priests -- or anyone you know who could benefit from ZENIT.

Thanks in advance!

And, as in the past, those who give the most ZENIT subscriptions will be rewarded ... in a few days, we'll be announcing this year's prizes.

To send ZENIT gift subscriptions, go to:

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Greeting from Zenit. the Rome's news letter

Dear readers,

We at ZENIT are continuing to contribute to mankind's search for truth, justice and beauty, and we thank you for your interest in our work.

As you well know, Catholic journalism today faces great challenges.

There's no doubt we live in difficult times: Pro-abortion politicians have taken hold in many nations. Now two U.S. states allow euthanasia, and the abortion battle in that nation promises to have tough times ahead. In Great Britain, tiny human embryos face all sorts of manipulation with a variety of pretexts. Australia's abortion battle has also seen recent setbacks. And this is just the issue of life at its beginning and end. Our times are also filled with the drama of Christian persecution in nations such as India, Iraq and China. Violence and war continue to plague so many parts of the planet, especially on the continent of Africa. And the issue of same-sex unions and governments' attempts to redefine marriage is always making headlines.

In the midst of this scenario, the Catholic Church continues to raise her voice and proclaim the truth of the human person and the solutions to our problems! Benedict XVI continues to enlighten the minds and hearts of believers and nonbelievers alike.

Meanwhile, the secular press lives to sell news, meaning they generally follow the rule: "If it bleeds, it leads." That explains why there is plenty of space on the front page for the horrific, scandalous and worldly, whereas the stories of everyday heroic men and women are, at best, relegated to the back corners.

How many times have we been asked, or asked ourselves, what can be done to make the voice of truth and beauty heard? How can this truly good news make it into people's hearts and homes?

Well, we have one answer to these questions:

ZENIT currently has 150,000 subscribers to its English edition. If each of these readers gives the gift of ZENIT to three more people, we would have more than 450,000 readers of the English edition!

Make the Catholic voice heard! Give the gift of good news. Give the gift of ZENIT!

ZENIT's voice is also yours!

This is the season for gift-giving. Consider which of your friends and loved ones could receive the gift of ZENIT. Then go to this link:

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Thanks for your help,

Happy Thanksgiving!

Warm greetings from the entire ZENIT team

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THE DEVIL'S DIRECTION

            Lucifer convened a convention of devils. The topic of discussion was the modernisation of methodology to move more men away from God and heaven. The chairman invited suggestions from the audience.

One shrewd devil suggested, “Let us tell people that there is no heaven or hell and so they may enjoy life to the full.”

“People will not be convinced; think of better ideas,” ruled Lucifer.

Another devil, shrewder than the first, made a different suggestion: “We will tell them that there is a heaven of happiness, but no hell. Hence they will assume that their salvation is assured. Then they will live as they please and reach hell.”

“But only a few will accept your suggestion,” said Lucifer.

Then the shrewdest of the devils stood up and suggested that they should tell the people, “Both heaven and hell are real, but there is plenty of time to transform your life-style before death. There is no hurry. So you need not worry and can be merry. Death is a distant event!”

Lucifer and all the assembled devils agreed that this was the best direction to draw people to sin. The devils are popularising this proposal now. Postponement or procrastination of transformation is the Devil’s trickiest temptation. Thus ‘tomorrow’ becomes the busiest day in our life as we postpone to tomorrow, many things to be done today.

We read in the Gospel about the reactions of persons when Jesus called them to follow Him. One wanted time to bury his father Another wanted to say good-bye to his family. Jesus condemned procrastination by His words, “Anyone who starts to plough and then keeps looking back is of no use to the kingdom of God” {Luke 9:57-62}.

Jesus taught the ‘Parable of the Great Feast’: Guests were invited to attend a party arranged by a man. When it was time for the feast, he sent his servant to personally invite the guests. But each made an excuse and did not come. The furious man filled his hall with poor, invalid and strange people from all around.He announced in anger, “I tell you all that none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner” {Luke 14: 16-24}.

Jesus advises us not to worry about material things which may delay our response to God. “Instead be concerned above everything else with the kingdom of God and with what He requires of you, and He will provide you with all these other things” {Matthew 6: 33}.

Cornelius {Acts 10:33} and the jailer {Acts 16:33} responded quickly to God’s call and became successful.

King David sings about his devotion to the Law of the Lord, “Without delay I hurry to obey your command” {Psalms 119: 60}.

“Listen! This is the hour to receive God’s favour; today is the day to be saved!” {2 Corinthians 6: 2}.

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INNOCENCE AND INTELLIGENCE

A young novice in a convent was walking to her college on a rainy day. Suddenly there was a heavy storm and rain. She opened her umbrella and held it as a shield against the storm. In the process one of its rods broke into two pieces. She was very sad. In the evening she reported the matter to the Mother superior, “Mother, one of the rods in my umbrella is broken. It needs repair.”

The Mother was angry at the novice’s complaint. She told the young novice, “You should never use the term, ‘my umbrella’. In a convent every article is common for the congregation. Hereafter you must say, ‘the umbrella I use’ instead of ‘my umbrella’. This applies to every article you use. The novice begged the Mother’s pardon and promised to obey her orders in future.

The next day the novice developed a severe headache. She met the superior and reported respectfully, “Mother, there is a severe pain in the head I use.” The Mother could not control her laughter hearing the young novice’s innocent comment.

An old man heard a loud quarrel between his only son and his wife, soon after their marriage. As the guardian, he interfered and inquired about the cause of the conflict. They informed that they were planning their honeymoon. “I suggested that we would go to the beautiful beaches of Goa”, complained the furious husband. “But I hate the beaches. I prefer to go to the cool hill station at Ooty”, argued the arrogant wife. The old man was illiterate and did not understand the term, ‘honeymoon’. He advised them, “Children, do not quarrel for such silly things. I will solve your problem easily. Son, you go to Goa and let her go to Ooty. Both of you should return soon after the honeymoon.”

These incidents indicate how innocent actions done with good intentions lead to unexpected and unfortunate consequences. That is the result of innocence without ‘sense’. Proper understanding, analysis and judgment are essential before every action.

Jesus wanted His followers to be both innocent and intelligent. He used the doves and the snakes as examples to illustrate this instruction. Doves are gentle, innocent, mild, pure and harmless. Snakes are cautious, intelligent, shrewd, wise and prudent. Jesus wants us to possess the positive qualities of doves and snakes. While sending the Apostles as missionaries, He instructed, “Listen, I am sending you out just like sheep to a pack of wolves. You must be as cautious as snakes and as gentle as doves” {Matthew 10: 16}.

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SIGN OF THE CROSS

We believe that when we make the SIGN OF THE CROSS we are Catholic. Why is it like that?  Because, what our parents and catechists taught us to do in the church or before and after prayer and meals?

There is a proper answer if we say it’s the sign of catholic, it’s quite right but it doesn’t reveal all the truth in it. We do it because we are the follower of Christ who obeys his commands such as “love the Lord with all your heart with all your soul, and love your neighbor as yourself.” And we do it, because of our faith in him. They called it faith reflection. We remember him when we do the SIGN OF THE CROSS as he died for our sins 2000 years ago.

Even in the WW-I sign of the cross was a great symbol among the soldiers. There was an event said that A British soldier was ferrying troops across the Rhine preceding the allied march into Germany.

 One Sunday morning he came upon a tiny church. Fully armed as he was, he entered the door just as the aged priest came down from the altar to begin mass. The church was very small and the movement at the back caught the eyes of the priest. He stood perfectly still, looking with a questioning fear at the soldier. For a moment the lad was at the loss what to do; then he made big sign of the cross. The priest with a relief flashing in his eyes, turned around and began the mass.

Sincerely, I often shy to do SIGN OF THE CROSS before others. I must not deny him as I am aspiring a place in heaven to be with him. I am waiting for your comment good or bad, I promise you try my best to carry the Word of the Lord. If there is any defect, I am sorry for my imperfection. One thing true is that Everyone needs prayers and those who pray for him/her.

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Revealed Self.....

Stories revealing myself

When I continued reading the book which I like so much, I found something different from other stories. I read it without stop, but when the class started I closed the book reluctantly. But, after awhile when it is finished I started to read again. This book was written by a Divine word society priest, who has been writing for long ago. His words are really good for the thirsting Soul; he shows with the truth answers.

For today is a special day because it’s Friday, on which the Lord chose to die on the cross. I think it’s suitable to present the two stories as a combination as they are almost the same in the meaning. Let us throw away our stupidity and start new cleansed individuals.

The first one is named as:

WINNERS AND LOSERS

The winner- is always part of the answer.

The loser – is always a par t of the problem.

The winner- always has a program.

The loser- always has an excuse.

The winner –says: “let me do it for you”.

The loser-says: “it’s not my job”.

The winner-sees: an answer for every problem.

The loser-sees a problem in every answer.

The winner- sees a green near every sand trap.

The loser- sees two or three sand traps near every green.

The winner-says, it may be difficult but it’s possible.

The loser-say, it may be possible but it’s too difficult.

Another one is also named like the first one, but its name is,

WINNER AND LOSER

A winner says, let’s find out.”

A loser says, “Nobody knows.”

When a winner makes a mistake, he says, “I was wrong.”

When a loser makes a mistake, he says, “It was not my fault.”

A winner goes through a problem.

A loser goes around it, and never gets past it.

A winner says, “I’m good, but not as good as I ought to be.”

A loser says, “I’m not as bad as a lot of people are.”

A winner tries to learn from those who are superior to him.

A loser tries to tear down those who are superior to him.

A winner says. “There ought to be a better way to do it.”

A loser says, “That’s the way it’s always been done there.”

In these two stories, where is my place, in the place of a winner or a loser? Most of the words from side of loser(s) are often spoken by my very mouth. It’s clear that I am a loser. But I still have chance to cure stains on my soul. It will not be late if I start right now. 

thanks a lot for reading.....

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Light

            In the first hour of the day by the power of light we could sense and enjoy and accomplish all the things around us.

            Undeniably, sometimes we fail to thank God who created light at the beginning of his creation of this universe. By light we see our loved-ones, by it we can see the beauty and of nature. From its light shed on our way we see clearly what way we travel. Can we travel without light at night? Can we do something important in the darkness? At least we create something to brighten around us.

             Our ancient fathers discovered fire to protect them, give warmth and light at the time of darkness reigns. Since then, we human developed something which gives more light in our time, likewise bulbs, fluorescent tubes and LED’s etc….

            In the light we learn new things by our senses and memory. Some will argue that we still learn at night time (darkness). But mostly we would like to stay at the place where there is light. 

                               

            We’ve got light for our physical world, and then what else do we need? We need much light for our Soul (spiritual). Spirit that drives us to reach to our personal destinations, Mother Theresa of Calcutta, who worked for the poor by her spirit of zeal and love of God. She gave God all her capacity to be used as an instrument of Him. So she did this wonderful task under the light of God. She overcame many obstacles, criticism and attacks. How could she know that there were attacks, if she were not under the light? When her spirit is under the light, there is nothing hidden. Holy Spirit is sometimes signified as light or fire. That means Holy Spirit is within her heart.

            We students need much to pray Holy Spirit in order to have energy to study. When we think sincerely we really need help, most of the challenges we cannot solve alone. There are much prayer formula to help us as guide, and also we can invent personal one. The most important thing is Concentration in prayer. The more we concentrate, the more we receive grace to enhance our capabilities.

             Because there is no human who can do everything, we are limited but we can broaden our narrow boundaries by approaching to the Almighty Lord, mercifully waiting for us to give us his infinite blessings.   Thanks, May God bless You all!

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MY PLACE

            One day, a man went to visit a church. He arrived early, parked his car, and got out. Another car pulled up near him, and the driver told him, "I always park there. You took my place!"

The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat, and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my place!"

The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing.
 
         After Sunday School, the visitor went into the church sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit. You took my place!"

The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still said nothing.

Later, as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood, and his appearance began to change.
Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet.
Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?"

The visitor replied, "I took your place."

May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let His presence settle into our bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, and to bask in the sun. It is there for each and every one of you.

Author Unknown
Contributed by Anne Brophy

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Misfortune

              One day a child was playing, making a house of sand the 

seashore.   He has finished the outside walls, and bit by bit, the 

 building was beginning of to take shape. the bedrooms, the kitchen, 

the dinning room- everything in its proper place. nothing was 

missing; there was even a garage and chimney. 

          
             But while he was so m completely taken in his important  

project,he failed to notice that the late afternoon tides were 

beginning  to rise, coming close. 

              Soon one wave stronger than the rest swept beyond his and 

house and as it flowed back tot he sea,it destroyed the hole project 

in a single moment. 

         What was the child to do? full of disappointment, he ran as 

fast as his little legs could carry him, back to his mother's arms-she  

had been sitting a few feet away engrossed in her knitting. He threw 

himself in to her arms and wanted never to leave them.

       The wave made him rediscover the joy of his mother's embrace.

Had it not been for the destructive wave, the child would have had 

 to be coaxed to obey his mother and turn  away form his 

interesting pastime, that he would have gone back home

unwillingly. But the wave solved everything....
     


           Way back home to the heavenly father, who welcomes us..............
         Have a NICE Day with JESUS......

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Death wish cured

 An old man, stooped by age and hard work, 

               was gathering sticks in the forest.

As he hobbled painfully along, he thought of his troubles and

began to feel very sorry for himself.

          With a hopeless gesture he threw his bundle of sticks 

    upon the ground and groaned,"life is too hard. I cannot bear it any longer.

If only Death would come and take me!"

        Even as the words were out of his mouth,

Death in the form of a skeleton in a black robe, stood before him.

       "I heard you called me, sir," he said, " what can i do for you?"

           The old man took one look and replied,

   "Could you please help me to put this bundle of sticks on my shoulder again?"

       As we think of this small story, it touches one's heart. Everyone old and child alike
always complain. We should try not to complain as much as we can.
Complaints can be many if there are many who complains.
                But one things is that who does not complain?
        If Heaven says "those who not complain will be accepted here?"
Who will be there in heaven. everyone should try one's best to stop
complaining and stop looking only on bad things.
       If we see only bad things that means our mind is not healthy rather it's rotten.
            To see good is the most necessary things in one's life.
            thanks for readin'
                     i hope i will have chance to post some articles related to patience and christian life...



         
    

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THE THIRD FALL

THE THIRD FALL

A man woke up early in order to have his morning devotion (prayer) in the Lord's house (church). He got dressed, set on his way to the Lord's house.

On his way to the church, the man fell and his clothes got dirty. He got up, brushed himself up, and headed home. At home, he changed his clothes, and was, again, on his way to the Lord's house.

On his way to the church, he fell again and at the same spot! He, again, got up, brushed himself off and headed home. At home he, once again, changed his clothes and was on his way to the Lord's house.

On his way to the church, he met a man holding a lamp. He asked the man of his identity and the man replied 'I saw you fall twice on your way to the church, so I brought a lamp so I can light your way.

The first man thanked him profusely and the two went on their way to the church.. Once at the church, the first man asked the man with the lamp to come in and pray with him. The second man refused.

The first man asked him a couple more times and, again, the answer was the same. The first man asked him why he did not wish to come in and pray. The man replied, 'I am Satan'. The man was shocked at this reply.
Satan went on to explain, 'I saw you on your way to the Church and it was I who made you fall. When you went home, cleaned yourself and went back on our way to the church, God forgave all of your sins. I made you fall a second time, and even that did not encourage you to stay home, but rather, you went back on your way to Church. Because of that, God forgave all the sins of the people of your household. I was afraid if I made you fall one more time, then God will forgive the sins of the people of your village, so I made sure that you reached the house of God (Church) safely.'

Do not put off the good you intended to do as you never know how much reward you might receive from the hardships you encounter while trying to achieve that good. For your righteousness can save your family and nation at large. Do this and see the victory of the Lord.

Wish you all Grace filled Lent Season.

Praise be to God in the highest.

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What Do I Do

Doll for sister, White Rose for Mother....

Hello, as I found this touching story coming round in my e-mail, I thought of sharing it with you.
You might have read this article earlier. Nevertheless, Spend some time to read this! decide how you can help to spread the message.

I was walking around in a Big Bazar store making shopping,
when I saw a Cashier talking to a boy couldn't have been more than 5 or 6
years old.

The Cashier said, 'I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money to buy this doll.
Then the little boy turned to me and asked: ''Uncle, are you sure I don't have enough money?''
I counted his cash and replied: ''You know that you don't have enough money
to buy the doll, my dear...'' The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.

Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who he wished to give this doll to.
'It's the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much. I wanted to Gift her for her BIRTHDAY. I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to
my sister when she goes there.'

His eyes were so sad while saying this. 'My Sister has gone to be with God.
Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister.

'' My heart nearly stopped.. The little boy looked up at me and said:
'I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet.. I need her to wait until I come
back from the mall.'

Then he showed me a very nice photo of him where he was laughing.
He then told me 'I want mommy to take my picture with her so my sister
won't forget me.' 'I love my mommy and I wish she doesn't have to leave me,
but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister. '
Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly.

I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy.
'Suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll?'' 'OK' he said, I hope I do have enough.'
I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started to count it.
There was enough for the doll and even some spare money.

The little boy said: 'Thank you God for giving me enough money! '
Then he looked at me and added, 'I asked last night before I went to
sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll,
so that mommy could give It to my sister. He heard me!'' 'I also wanted
to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask
God for too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose.

My mommy loves white roses.'
I finished my shopping in a totally different state from when I started...
I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind.. Then I remembered a local news
paper article two days ago, which mentioned a drunk man in a truck, who
hit a car occupied by a young woman and a little girl. The little girl died right
away, and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether
to pull the plug on the life-sustaining machine, because the young woman would
not be able to recover from the coma. Was this the family of the little boy?

Two days after this encounter with the little boy, I read in the newspaper that the young woman had passed away.. I couldn't stop myself as I bought a bunch
of white roses and I went to the funeral home where the body of the young
woman was exposed for people to see and make last wishes before her burial.

She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the
photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest.
I left the place, teary-eyed, feeling that my life had been changed for ever.

The love that the little boy had for his mother and his sister is still,
to this day, hard to imagine. And in a fraction of a second, a drunk
driver had taken all this away from him.

PLEASE DO NOT DRINK & DRIVE.

Now you have 2 choices:
Forward this message & spread awareness
OR
Ignore it as if it never touched your heart.

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I Refuseeeeeeeeeeeeee..........

I REFUSE....

I refuse to be discouraged,
To be sad, or to cry;
I refuse to be downhearted,
and here's the reason why:

I have a God who's mighty,
Who's sovereign and supreme;
I have a God who loves me,
and I am on His team.

He is all-wise and powerful.
God is His name;
Though everything is changeable,
My God remains the same.

My God knows all that's happening;
Beginning to the end;
His presence is my comfort;
He is my dearest Friend.

When sickness comes to weaken me,
To bring my head down low,
I call upon my mighty God;
Into His arms I go.

When circumstances threaten
to rob me of my peace;
He draws me close unto His breast,
Where all my striving cease.

When my heart melts within me,
and weakness takes control;
He gathers me into His arms,
He soothes my heart and soul.

The great "I AM" is with me.
My life is in His hand;
The "Son of the Lord" is my hope,
It's in His strength I stand.

I refuse to be defeated,
My eyes are on my God;
He has promised to be with me,
as through this life I trod.

I'm looking past all my circumstances,
To Heaven's throne above;
My prayers have reached the heart of God
I'm resting in His love.

I give God thanks in everything.
My eyes are on His face;
The battle's His, the victory mine;
He'll help me win the race.

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GOD SAID NO!

GOD SAID NO!

You may know this... but worth reading it again.

I hope that you can get the effects on your computers! The words are great, but the movements of the faces add a lot....:-)
I asked God to take away my habi
God said, No. 
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up. 

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. 
God said, No. 
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary 
I asked God to grant me patience. 
God said, No.Patience is a byproduct of tribulations;
It isn't granted, it is learned.
I asked God to give me happiness. 
God said, No.I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.
I asked God to spare me pain. 
God said, No.Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares
And brings you closer to me. 

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.You must grow on your own! ,
But I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things. 

I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me. 
God said..Ahhhh, finally you have the idea. 

If you love God, send this to ten people and
Back to the person that sent it. 

THIS DAY IS YOURS DON'T THROW IT AWAY 

May God Bless You, 

"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you just might be the world"

"May the Lord Bless you and keep you, 
May the Lord Make his face shine upon you,
And give you Peace.....Forever" 
"Good friends are like stars...You don't always see them, 
But you know they are always there

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