The word of the Father by whom all time was created was made flesh and born in time for us. He without whose divine permission no day completes its course, wished to have one of those days for His human birth. In the bosom of His Father He existed before all the cycles of the ages. Born of an earthly mother, He entered on the course of the years on that very day. The maker of man became man that He ruler of the stars might be nourished at the breast, that He the bread might be hungry, that He the fountain might thirst, that He the light might sleep, that He the way might be wearied in the journey, that He the truth might be accused by false witnesses, that He the judge of the living and the dead might be brought to trial by a mortal judge, that He justice itself might be condemned by the unjust, that He discipline personified might be scourged with a whip, that He the foundation might be suspended on a cross, that He courage incarnate might be weak, and He security itself might be wounded, and He life itself might die.
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Daddys Chair

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#1 · October 31, 2003, 12:45 pm

Posted by: bigguyhereagain <bigguyhereagain@...>

 
<>< Daddys Chair ><> 

A man's daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. 
When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up
 on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the
 old fellow had been informed of his visit. "I guess you were expecting me", he said.

"No, who are you?", said the father.

"I'm the new minister at your church", he replied. "When I saw the empty chair, 
I just figured you knew I was going to show up".

"Oh yeah, the chair", said the bedridden man. "Would you mind closing the door?"

Puzzled, the minister shut the door.

"I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter", said the man. "But all my
 life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk 
about prayer, but it went right over my head." "I abandoned any attempt at 
prayer," the old man continued, "until one day about four years ago my best 
friend said to me, "Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation 
with Jesus. Here is what I suggest. Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in 
front of you, and in faith SEE Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he 
promised, "I'll be with you always". Then just speak to him and listen in the same
 way you're doing with me right now.' "So I tried it and I've liked it so much that I
 do it a couple of hours everyday. I'm careful though. If my daughter saw me talking 
to an empty chair, She'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the 
funny farm."

The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old guy to continue 
on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the
 church.

Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died 
that afternoon. "Did he die in peace?" he asked.

She answered, "Yes, when I left the house about two o'clock, he called me over to his 
bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the 
store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange about his death. 
Apparently, just before daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair 
beside the bed. What do you make of that?"

The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said," I wish we all could go like that."

We walk by faith, not by sight. 
2 Corinthians 5:7

 
 

<>< Soar With The Eagles ><>
 
            
 
"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Isaiah 40:31, NIV).
 
Did you know that an eagle knows when the storm is approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.¹
 
When the storms of life come upon us— and all of us experience them—it may not be easy but with God's help we can rise above them. The storms do not have to overcome us. By faith we can allow God's power to lift us above them. He enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring tragedy, failure and disappointment in our lives. Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, but rather, how we handle them. 

 
 
Have a Blessed Day
Dave and Barbara
 
 
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