LIFE Stories

“ Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." – Proverbs 3:5-6. +++ There is a story about a mountain guide who lived in the mountains of North Wales. One day, two mountain climbers came to his cabin and asked if they could stay with him as they climbed the hill and mountains. The guide said yea, and asked the men if they needed a guide. "There is no need," said the men, "We don't need a guide, we have our compasses, we have our charts, we have our maps that will bring us back here." "But," said the guide, "I know the mountain tracks like the back of my hand; I know where the dangerous pits are, I know where the tall cliffs are, I know how to guide you around those and through those difficult places." But the men just said again and again, "But all of that is on the map, we can make it." Then the old guide smiled and said, ...

But he [Jesus] answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" - Matthew 4:4. +++ Some years ago Bishop Fulton Sheen was scheduled to speak at the Town Hall in an unfamiliar city. He decided to walk and, on the way, got lost. He saw some boys so asked them, "Can you tell me how to get to the Town Hall." "What are you going to do there?" asked one of the boys. "I'm going to give a lecture," replied the bishop. "About what?" asked the boy. "Oh, on how to get to heaven. Would you care to come along?" "Are you kidding?" said the boy, "You don't even know how to get to Town Hall!" +++ Wherever we're going, it helps to know the way… especially if we want to get through life successfully and go to heaven. Clear directions are available. They're all in the Bible. "Dear God, help me to be sure I know the wa...

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" - Matthew 7:3. +++ Once a Priest told about a situation when a woman approached him to ask a question. As she drew closer to him, he tipped his head back to look through the bottom lenses of his bifocals to focus on her more clearly. 'There you go again!' the woman exploded. 'You stick your nose up in the air every time I talk to you! Who do you think you are? I'm sick of your arrogant attitude!' The Priest was taken aback by her outburst of anger. 'You don't understand,' he explained. 'I'm not sticking my nose up in the air at you. I just can't see you when you get near me. I'm tilting my head back so I can see you through the bottom half of my bifocals." +++ Sounds familiar, isn't it? Someone so rightly said, "We view things not only from different sides but with different eyes." Or to put i...

"So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law." - Galatians 5:1. +++ A female humpback whale had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighed down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, and a line tugging in her mouth. A fisherman spotted her and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around as if she was thanking them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful exper...

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9. +++ When William Montague Dyke was a child, he was blinded in an accident, but he never allowed this handicap to deter him. He graduated with high honors from an English university and, while a student, fell in love with the daughter of a high-ranking British naval officer whom he was to marry. Before the wedding he had an eye operation in the hopes that it would restore his eyesight. However, he didn't want the bandages removed from his eyes until his wedding day when he stood before his bride to be. If the surgery failed, he would remain blind for the rest of his life. If successful, the person he wanted to see first was to be his bride. The wedding day arrived. The dignitaries and guests waited in anticipation as the organ played the wedding march and the bride, accompanied by her father and the groom's surgeon, slowly walked the aisle to the ...

“Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.” – Jeremiah 29:12. +++ Tom, a little boy, was to begin schooling soon. When the day arrived, that was his first day at school, he was so excited that he got up very early although his school starts at 9:30 am. He brushed his teeth, packed his bag, his snack box and dressed up. Then he went and woke up his parents telling them, “Come on, reach me to school.” His parents were surprised and wondered why he was so excited. However, they reached him to school. Tom attended school but when he came back, surprisingly, that excited and happy mood was no more. There was something different about him. This went on for many days and the mother who noticed this change called Tom and asked, “Tom, every day when you are going to school you are so energized, cheerful and bright, but when you are back, I don’t see the same excited feelings. Why is it so?” Tom replied, “I love school but not my teacher.” His mother as...

It is important that we realize and always keep in mind that it is by the strength and power of Almighty God that we are successful in the things He has called us to do. If we depend on our own strength and will, then we will eventually burn out and fail. Spend time with the Lord and allow Him to refresh us. +++ A young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job. "That depends," replied the foreman. "Let's see you fell this tree." The young man stepped forward and skillfully felled a great tree. Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, "You can start Monday." Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday rolled by - and Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today." Startled, the young man replied, "I thought you paid on Friday." "Normally we do," said the foreman. "But we're letting you go today because you've fal...

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. ” –  John 14:27. +++ Ramchand and Premchand were neighbors. Ramchand was a poor farmer. Premchand was a landlord. Ramchand used to be very relaxed and happy. He never bothered to close the doors and windows of his house at night. He had a deep sound sleep. Although he had no money he was peaceful. Premchand used to be very tense. He was very keen to close the doors and windows of his house at night. He could not sleep well. He was always bothered that someone might break open his safes and steal away his money. He envied the peaceful Ramchand. One day, Premchand called Ramchand and gave him a boxful of cash saying, “Look, my dear friend. I am blessed with plenty of wealth. I find you in poverty. So, take this cash and live in prosperity.” Ramchand was overwhelmingly happy. He was joyful throughout the day. Night came. R...

“He makes all things beautiful in His time…” – Ecclesiastes 3:11. +++ To: You Date: Today From: GOD Ref: LIFE This is GOD. Today I will be handling all of your problems for you. I do not need your help. So, have a nice day. I love you! P.S.  And remember... If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it yourself!  Kindly put it in the SFGTD (Something For God To Do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now. - If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard-of privilege.  - Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years. - Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never kno...

 Delayed Obedience is Disobedience... "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." – Jeremiah 29:13. +++ A boy told his father, "Dad, if three frogs were sitting on a limb that hung over a pool, and one frog decided to jump off into the pool, how many frogs would be left on the limb?" "No," the son replied. "There's three frogs and one decides to jump, how many are left?" The dad said, "Oh, I get it, if one decides to jump, the others would too. So there are none left." The boy said, "No dad, the answer is three. The frog only DECIDED to jump." +++ Sound familiar? We are great at making inspiring decisions, but oftentimes we only decide, and months later we are still on the same limb doing-nothing. In Luke 9:57-62 we read a similar example of people only deciding: “A man said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has n...

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” – Galatians 6:7. Your future consequences are inevitably shaped by your present actions. +++ A woman has a dream where she wanders into a shop at the mall and finds Jesus behind the counter. Jesus says, 'You can have anything your heart desires.' Astounded but pleased, she asks for Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Self-control, Freedom of Fear. Then she adds, 'Not just for me, but for the whole earth.' Jesus smiles and says, 'I think you misunderstand me. We don't sell fruits, only seeds.' +++ It is true…what we sow is what we reap. - If we sow seeds of bitterness, we will reap bitterness. - If we sow seeds of disharmony, we will reap disharmony. - If we sow seeds of joy, we will reap joy. - If we sow seeds of love, we will reap love. So whatever you do, be sure to plant the seeds of whatever it is you want to reap. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, f...

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." – John 13:34. +++ Relationships are truly the spice of life. When we get to the end of our life who wants to be the richest man in the cemetery? Not me, but I do want to be rich in loving relationships. I have no idea who the author is, but I have read the following commandments for getting along with people: 1. Speak to people – There is nothing as nice as a cheerful word of greeting. 2. Smile at people – It takes seventy-two muscles to frown and only fourteen to smile. 3. Call people by name – The sweetest music to anyone's ears is the sound of his or her name. 4. Be friendly and helpful – if you have friends, be friendly. 5. Be cordial – Speak and act as if everything you do is a genuine pleasure, but…make sure that it is. 6. Be genuinely interested in people – You can find something interesting about every person. 7. Be generous with praise… and cautious with criticism. 8. Be c...

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." – Philippians 4:8. +++ William James, the father of American psychology, stated that, "the greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitude of mind [your thinking]." He also said, "If you change your mind, you can change your life." Think of Temptation for instance: First comes a thought; if we entertain it, it hooks our feelings, and the stronger we feel about it, the more we keep thinking about it, and the more we rationalize about doing it … and unless we nip that thinking in the bud, we give in to the temptation and act it out. +++ While what William James said is true, this truth wasn't discovered by his generation. Two thousand years ago God's word pointed out the importance of right thi...

“Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” – Matthew 25:23. +++ Ben, a priest, was once filling the pulpit at a small church, when he was asked to conduct a funeral of an 80-year-old parishioner, Albert. Something he had never done before and was scared “half to death.” Since Ben had never met the deceased man and knew nothing about him, he asked members of the congregation in attendance at the funeral if they would speak a kind word or two about Ben. Silence. Nobody said a word. So Ben said, "Many of you knew Albert for a long time. Isn't there someone who can say something nice?" After a long pause a voice from the back of the room said, "Well, his brother was worse." +++ Hmmm … not a very nice way to be remembered. Have you ever given any thought as to what people would be saying about you at your funeral, or be written on your tombstone? I wou...

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17. +++ This is a true story of one of the church members, an attorney, who after reading and meditating on several scriptures, decided to cancel the debts of all his clients that had owed him money for more than 6 months. He drafted a letter explaining his decision and its Biblical basis and sent 17 debt cancelling letters via certified mail. One by one, the letters began to return, unsigned and undelivered. Perhaps a couple people had moved away though not likely. 16 of the 17 letters came back to him because the clients refused to sign for and open the envelopes fearing that this attorney was suing them for their debts. +++ How profound! We owe a debt for our sin and God is willing to cancel it but too many people will not even open the letter that explains that. Are you guilty of n...

 *HAPPY PENTECOST SUNDAY!*  Sisters and brothers, today we celebrate the feast of Pentecost, the feast of the Holy Spirit, the birth of the Church. Before Jesus could leave the earth He promised that He was going to send us an Advocate that is the Holy Spirit who will help us, guide us and teach us. +++ Once a Dad took his young son out into the backyard of their garden and he showed his son a huge boulder. He told his son, “I want you to move this boulder from this end of the garden to the other end and I want you to use everything within your capacity to push this boulder. The son was very confident, very enthusiastic and he said, “Yes Dad, I am going to do it.” The son pushed and pushed but it never moved even an inch. So he tried all the more harder. He used all his strength and kept pushing but nothing happened, it did not move an inch. Finally, after about an hour the son was totally tired, sweating and exhausted. He says, “Dad, I give up.” Then the dad asked him, “Son, ...

"Around mid-afternoon [from the cross] Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly … 'My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?'" – Matthew 27:46. +++ Once a young father wrote about the following experience: “My Nine-Year-old daughter Jennifer was looking forward to our family's mini-vacation, but when our vacation arrived, she became ill, and a long-anticipated day at Sea World was replaced by an all-night series of CAT scans, X-rays, and blood work at a hospital. As morning approached, the doctors told my exhausted little girl that she needed to have one more test, a spinal tap. The procedure would be painful, they said. I was in the room not wanting to leave Jennifer alone during her ordeal. The doctor gently asked Jennifer to remove all her clothing and then they had her curl into a tiny ball. I buried my face in hers and hugged her. Jennifer cried as the needle went in. As the searing pain increased, she sobbingly repeated, "Daddy, Daddy,...

"Then Jesus said to them, 'Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.'" – Luke 12:15. +++ Saul DeVries was a billionaire who made his fortune during the great depression. Born of immigrant parents, he grew up in poverty. But as a young adult he had an idea, a vision of how he might become a rich man. Realizing that in the depression years, people were unable to buy new appliances or to remodel their kitchen and bathrooms, Saul decided what was needed was a single product that would clean appliances and keep things sparkling. So, Saul invented an all-purpose cleaner, the 1st of its kind, called Spic and Span®. It sold well throughout the depression years and continues to do so today. He made billions from his vision and literally cleaned up!" When Saul died, in accordance with his will his body was cremated and the ashes were poured down his kitchen sink. Although he was a billionaire, because he d...

"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron." – 1 Timothy 4:1-2. +++ Some time ago I read about a man who bought a car that had replaced warning lights with spoken instructions from a woman. In a soft voice, his little woman, as he called her, would say, "Your door isn't closed properly." "Your key is still in the ignition." "Your seatbelt isn't fastened properly." On one occasion, he recalled how the voice of his little woman said, "Your fuel level is getting low." The driver thanked her and, figuring he had sufficient fuel to take him fifty more miles, ignored the voice and kept driving. Soon his little woman repeated, "Your fuel level is low." The longer he drove, the more his little woman repeated her warning. Getting frustrated,...