LIFE Stories

"As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." – Proverbs 23:7. What the mind dwells on the body acts on. +++ Arnold Palmer, one of the greatest Golfer, has won hundreds of trophies, but he never flaunts them. In his office is only one trophy on display. It is a small cup he received at his first professional win at the Canadian Open in 1955. On his office wall is a lone framed plaque that reads: - If you think you are beaten, you are. - If you think you dare not, you don't. - If you'd like to win but think you can't, it's almost certain you won't. But sooner or later, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can. +++ Life's battles, challenges, successes and/or failures are all fought, won, or lost in the mind. King Saul thought Goliath was too big to fight but David thought Goliath was too big to miss. Sometimes God will put a Goliath in our lives to find David in us. There are 3 Lessons we can learn from David and Goliath: 1. A heart for God prepares us...

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment… Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." – 1 Peter 3:3-4. Hide yourself in God, so when a man wants to find you, he will have to go there first. +++ A pastor told about a young female soldier who wrote home to her parents about a young man she was attracted to. "Of course," she said, "since we are not allowed to wear makeup, he has no idea how I really look." Oh? It's incredible, at least in the Western world, how much value we place on physical beauty. But as we all know, outward beauty has little to do with the character of the person or whether they are real or not. In the wonderful children's story, "The Velveteen Rabbit," by Margery Williams, the Rabbit asked the old Skin Horse the baffling question, "What is real?" To the stuffed rabbit, according to the boasting of the o...

"Instead, we will lovingly follow the truth at all times – speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly – and so become more and more in every way like Christ who is the Head of his body, the church." – Ephesians 4:15-16. May God help us, no matter what situation, to always tell the truth so that we will never get tangled up in lies and thereby sacrifice our integrity. Because Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. +++ A boy who was a witness to a crime was on the witness stand in court. He was approached by the defense attorney who asked, "Did anyone tell you what to say in the court?" "Yes, Sir," the boy answered. "I thought so," said the attorney. "Who was it?" "My father, Sir," said the boy. "And what did he tell you?" the attorney asked accusingly. "He said that the lawyers would try to get me all tangled up, but if I stuck to the truth, everything would be all right." +++ Need we say more except to ...

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." – Galatians 6:2. +++ Two members in the San Clemente Presbyterian church, Gus and Hal are widowers. They become friends since their wives passed. It's getting harder for both of them to come to church on Sundays, but to be sure when they are there, they are there together. Hal is blind and Gus is an amputee confined to a wheelchair. When they come to church, Hal pushes Gus and Gus directs Hal. They make their way through the parking lot and the patio to their place together in the pew. And together, and only together, they come to church. A blind man who can't see giving energy to a man who can't walk. A lame man who can't move giving direction to a man who lacks vision. But together, they worship, take part in community and offer their gifts which is a tremendous inspiration to a lot of us. +++ Isn't this what Christianity is all about—supporting one another, caring for one another, and w...

"Have not I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." – Joshua 1:9. +++ When Helen Keller was only nineteen months of age, she suffered an illness that left her blind and deaf. Soon she was unable to speak. By the age of seven she was extremely frustrated because of her inability to communicate. Fortunately, her parents were able to hire a twenty-year-old teacher to come and live with them. The teacher, Anne Sullivan, was a very capable and loving individual and was able to help Helen by teaching her to communicate with the use of her fingers. Helen was greatly encouraged, learned to read by Braille, and then read everything she could lay her hands on. She desperately wanted to earn a university degree and, passing the entrance exams to Radcliffe, pleaded with officials to allow her to attend and bring Anne Sullivan with her to translate the lectures into her manual code. The f...

“…Love does not dishonour others…” – 1 Corinthians 13:5a. +++ In 1998, Disney introduced this generation to Hua Mulan, a legendary Chinese folk heroine who risks bringing dishonour upon her family by dressing up as a man and taking her ill and aging father's place in the army. During a time when young women brought honour to their families by marrying well, Mulan chose a path quite the opposite. Mulan's intentions were honourable – wanting to save her father by serving in his place, a place that could only be occupied by a male member of the family; Mulan risked her father's shame should she be discovered to be a woman. When Mulan is injured in battle, her secret is discovered, and dishonour does indeed threaten her family. However, Mulan's honour is restored when she saves the life of the Chinese Emperor, and she is rewarded with an offer to serve as an officer in the Imperial army. Mulan is able to return home to her family with their honour intact, but she had laid q...

“Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness.” Ephesians 6:14. Let us be aware of our human limitations while all the while appreciating God's unfathomable greatness, goodness, mercy and love and remember that honesty is the still and always the best policy. +++ A store Manager overheard a clerk saying to a customer, "No, ma'am, we haven't had any for some weeks now, and it doesn't look as if we'll be getting any soon." Alarmed by what was being said, the Manager rushed over to the customer who was walking out the door and said, "That isn't true, ma'am. Of course, we'll have some soon. In fact, we placed an order for it a couple of weeks ago." Then the Manager drew the clerk aside and growled, "Never, never, never, never say we don't have something. If we don't have it, say we ordered it and it's on its way. Anyway, now, what was it she wanted?" The...