HOW TO KNOW 100% FOR SURE YOU ARE GOING TO HEAVEN
Author Unknown
Jan 22 2009


In one minute, in the privacy of your home, it can be explained how
you can know for sure that you will receive the gift of Heaven.

"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the
Son of God; that you may know that ye have eternal life" 1 John 5:13

All you have to know are four things

1. God says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God." Romans 3:23

2. God says, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and
death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have
sinned." Romans 5:12

This is the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The price for
sin is death.

3. God says, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

God loves you very much. He doesn't want you to go to Hell. In fact,
He loves you so much tat He sent His Son Jesus to this earth. This is
why Christmas is celebrated. Jesus actually lifted the sins from you
and placed them upon Himself. When Jesus was on the cross His blood
cleansed your win. He paid the price for your sin, which is death.
They buried Jesus and He arose from the dead. he conquered death and
He conquered sin. This is why Easter is celebrated.

He offers you life.

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23

Eternal life is a present. You can't get baptized into Heaven; be good
to get into Heaven, pay money to get into Heaven; in fact, you can't
do anything to get into Heaven, except to accept God's gift and trust
Jesus as your only way into Heaven.

4. God says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that who so ever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life." John 3:16

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Romans 10:13

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons
of God..." John 1:12

"... but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord." Romans 6:23

HERE IS HOW YOU CALL UPON THE LORD

Dear Jesus,

Please forgive me of my sins and come into my heart. I trust you
today, Jesus, to lead me through my life. I trust you today, Jesus, to
take me to Heaven. Thank you for your sacrifice for me. Amen

Just as you were physically born to your parents, you are spiritually
born into the Kingdom of God when you call on Jesus.
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----

RUNNING IN THE RAIN by Ron Hutchcraft Ministries

Sister is a dog. I didn't say my sister was a dog, no she is my sister-in-law, and she's an angel! But my friend Curtis has a dog he named Sister, which leads to some fairly amusing sentences. When Curtis and Sister first arrived in our area, Sister lived in this big fenced in area outside the house. But Curtis got a nice doghouse for Sister, the dog, and went to work making it a nice winter home for her. He installed 2 inches of insulation, put in a new floor, he even put a waterbed heater under the floor and some zip-loc bags with water for the heater to heat. Sister basically has a warm home with her own waterbed. But for the first couple of weeks after her home was completed, she wouldn't go in it! Curtis was away for the weekend and asked a friend to check on Sister. Well, one of those days was a day a powerful northeastern storm hit our area - with drenching rain. And when Curtis' friend visited Sister, there was that dog running around outside the doghouse in the wind and the pouring rain, still refusing to go in the home that had been provided for her!

Curtis said, "It's been frustrating. Here I lovingly prepared a warm, safe place, but she insists on staying outside in the cold and the rain." That frustration is probably one Jesus knows very well.

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Luke 19:41, "As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, 'If you had only known on this day what would bring you peace, but now it is hidden from your eyes. You did not recognize the time of God's coming to you.' " This kind of grieving in the heart of Jesus is not limited to that one time and that one place. It happens every time another person keeps running in the rain when they could be living in the safety and warmth He has provided.

Jesus makes very clear what He wants to give us, what the result will be of our responding to Him. He talks "What would bring you peace?" And peace is what's at stake in what we do with Jesus, personal peace, peace with God, peace for all eternity. Jesus may actually have shed some tears over you, so many times, He has given you the opportunity to come into the wonderful peace of a personal relationship with Him, but you have refused to enter.

The result? You're alone out in the storm, feeling unnecessary loneliness because you're living outside His never-leaving love . . . unnecessary stress because you're trying to handle life without His peace . . . unnecessary pain because you're trying to carry the load without His great strength . . . unnecessary emptiness because you're trying to make life make sense without the One who gave you your life. And Jesus is saying, "If you only knew what I can do for you . . ."

The spiritual shelter Jesus invites you to has been very lovingly prepared for you . . . very expensively prepared for you. There was no way into a God-relationship as long as the death penalty for our sin stood between us and God. We are spiritual orphans in this world, separated from our Father, because of our sin. But the Bible says, speaking of the suffering and crucifixion of God's Son, "He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities." All that because of how much Jesus loves you. And the result of this incredible love - "The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him."

The peace that perhaps has eluded you your whole life can finally be yours when you give yourself to the One who gave His life for you on the cross. Jesus said of the people who missed Him, "You did not recognize the time of God's coming to you." That time for you may be this very day.

You don't need to run alone in the rain anymore . . . you know which way home is. Isn't it time you moved inside the safety and peace of the arms of Jesus Christ?

NOTHING AT ALL By Bob Perks

He sat there on the edge of the bed with his face nestled in his hands.

He was remembering a time when things were better.

"It seemed like such a short time ago when we were happy," he said as he lifted his head.

"If only I could turn back the clock," he moaned.

His life was supposed to be different.
His dreams were meant to come true.
But here he sat with nothing at all
Believing there's nothing more he could do.
He cried out to God "Please help me,
I think I lost my way!"
Then lowered his head to the pillow
Not wanting to face the day.

He didn't think God heard him
He thought he was completely alone
But his son was there in the doorway
Hearing his Daddy moan.

He ran to his room to find one
Then hurried back to his side
He said "Daddy, here. I turned back the clock."
Are you happy?" he asked and Dad cried.

The man on bed was speechless
You see, God had answered his plea
"Whenever you think you have nothing at all," God said.
Remember, my son, you have me!"


"I believe in You!"
Bob Perks
Bob@BobPerks.com

I encourage you to share my stories with your friends but, when copying I ask that you keep my name and contact information attached so that new readers can find their way here. Use of this story for commercial use is prohibited without direct permission from the author.

THE CARPENTER Author Unknown

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort.

Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized, we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity.

Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.

For More Information Contact: The Real Building Manual written and inspired by The Master Carpenter of Life! :-)

THE STORY OF SOUL Author Unknown

There once was a man named Soul who was walking in a garden. He was whistling a real sweet tune for he was saved and had the joy of the Lord, but he was a baby Christian. As Soul was walking, a beautiful and seductive woman came out from behind a tree. Soul was very startled. He said, "Hello, I'm Soul, what is your name?"

She replied, "I am Temptation, I have what you want."

"What do I want?" replied Soul.

"You want to do all things which are of the flesh," said Temptation.

Soul replied, "O.K., lead me."

So he and Temptation went off and fulfilled the desires of the flesh. When Soul returned to the garden, he met a man named Condemnation. Condemnation said, "Hey, I see you have met my friend, Temptation."

Soul said, "Yes, who are you?"

"I am Condemnation, I come after Temptation. We work hand-in-hand." Then Condemnation jumped on Soul's back and began to beat him. He hit him in the face and kicked him when he was down. This went on for several days.

On about the third day, a man named Mercy came running and said, "I command you, Condemnation, to stop beating Soul."

Condemnation snickered, "Make me."

So Mercy unsheathed his sword and cut Condemnation in two.

As Soul watched in astonished pain, he was overtaken by the power of Mercy. Mercy walked up to Soul and said, "I have dealt with Condemnation before. He should not show up around you anymore."

Soul replied, "How can I ever thank you?"

"Well," replied Mercy, "I was sent here by God and He told me to introduce you to a dear friend of mine. His name is Redemption."

Redemption walked up and said, "Hello Soul, I see that you are not doing well."

Soul replied, "Not until Mercy came along. It is a pleasure to meet you Redemption."

"Well", said Redemption," I am glad to meet you. Are you ready to accept me?"

"What do you mean?" asked Soul.

Redemption said, "Well, when you accepted Jesus and decided to walk with Him, then you chose to accept the things of Him and His love. I am a part of Jesus' love. I help you feel forgiven. You will never have to deal with Condemnation again. Temptation may come around, but I have someone I would like for you to meet who can help you with that. His name is Grace."

Grace walked up to Soul and said, "Hello Soul, I have been waiting for you. As a matter of fact all three of us have been waiting to meet you. I will help you take the way out of Temptation that God gives you as it comes up. The last person we want you to meet is Faith."

"Hi Soul, I am Faith, and I will help you stay strong and keep your beliefs strong," said Faith.

Soul began to cry. When he began to cry Redemption said, "This is what we were here for. Jesus redeemed you, saved you by Grace through Faith and gives you his Mercy. Jesus loves you Soul."

Soul said, "I love you, Jesus."

BEFORE I WAS A MOM Author Uknown

Before I was a Mom - I made and ate hot meals. I had unstained clothing. I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom - I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom - I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom - I had never been puked on, wet on, spit on, chewed on, or pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom - I had complete control over my thoughts, my body, my mind. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom - I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests, or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom - I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I could not stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom - I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a Mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom - I had never gotten up every ten minutes, in the middle of the night, to make sure that all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderfulness, or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

WHY SUFFERING? By Dennis J. Prutow

There is a lot of suffering in the world. It tugs at our heart strings most when we see a young mother with cancer or a youngster with leukemia. Then there are the problems of the elderly. Some old folks are abandoned in so called rest homes and just left there to die. And need we mention the wars, famine, persecution, and injustice in the world which all contribute to suffering? It makes you ask, "Why? Why all the suffering?"

From God's perspective, there are several reasons for suffering. God gives us one of those reasons in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. The Bible speaks of the "God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we are comforted by God."

Here is a profound reason for your suffering. Out of it all you can learn about the comfort only God can give. Once you have really learned the lesson of God's comfort, you can direct others to that ultimate source of comfort. Jesus Christ is our chief example. Jesus Christ was perfected through sufferings (Hebrews 2:10). This was so "that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God" (Hebrews 2:17). Now Jesus Christ is in heaven with the same body in which He suffered praying for you and me.

Yes, God is the "Father of mercies and the God of all comfort." Turn to God, not just halfheartedly or with bitterness about your troubles; but turn to God and beg for His mercy. Ask Him for comfort!

FIRST COMES LOVE By Sally I Kennedy

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37-40

The treats were cold, creamy, and delicious. We wiped up the melts and drips from the ice cream and piled back in the car. Traffic was heavy, requiring my full attention. My grandson began pestering his sister, who was trying in the nicest way to ignore him. That didn’t work so he upped the teasing, and starting tapping her knee. She asked him once, twice, a third time to “Stopppp it!” He was getting the better of her, but she knew how to get him. She began softly chanting, “…. sittin’ in a tree, k-I-s-s-I-n-g; first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes with the baby carriage.” I remembered the rhyme; as kids, we used to recite it jumping rope. When my grandson’s face began to turn red, his sister knew she had him.

First comes love. This morning the scripture verse on my calendar was:
“The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, and peace”. I thought, “LOVE, joy, and peace.” First is love. That is the most important. Without it, can we have the others?

I was mulling this over. Surely, all of these; indeed everything, flows from the fountain of Love. Love is the prerequisite to the others. There is no joy without love, no peace without love.

The 13th chapter of Corinthians is the great ‘Love chapter’ quoted often at weddings (“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”). And 1st John, chapter 4, is loaded with LOVE stuff, especially 7-12 and 16-18.

Yes, the evidence (fruit) in believers’ lives is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22) And first comes Love.

We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19

THE STARFISH Author Unknown

Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down
to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?"

The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish in the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"

"The sun is up, and the tide is going out, and if I don't throw them in they'll die."

"But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach, and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said, "It made a difference for that one."

-- Story based on a poem titled "The Difference He Made" by Randy Poole

BROWNIE CRUMBS Author Unknown

Mrs. Baughman was my 6th grade Sunday School teacher. One morning, she brought a pan of brownies to our class. As the goodies sat over by her chair, she gave each child a slip of paper marked with a household expense: house payment, utility bill, phone bill, entertainment, etc.

My slip had a car payment. Before long, Mrs. Baughman picked up the tray of brownies and began naming the expenses written on the papers. As we gave her our expenses, she redeemed each one for a brownie.

"Car payment" she announced. I jumped up to get my brownie from the pan. Finally the last brownie had disappeared.

But one boy named Donald still held his unredeemed slip. "God!" called Mrs. Baughman. Donald came forward hoping the teacher had one more brownie hidden some where.

With a knife Mrs. Baughman scraped the crumbs from the bottom of the pan into Donald's napkin. He got a pretty raw deal, I thought - just crumbs.

"The brownies represent your money", the teacher explained to us. "If you don't give God his share right away, He probably won't get anything except maybe the crumbs."

I never forgot that illustration. The day my friend Donald got only the brownie crumbs, even as a child I learned that God should have the first right to everything I have.

In the years since Mrs. Baughman class I have struggled with giving and priorities, But whenever I recall the "Crummy Sunday School Lesson", I know who should and must always come first in my life!

ALIVE ON THE OUTSIDE By Sally I. Kennedy

In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37

From a distance, it looked like a victim of last year’s hurricane. My friend Sarah, pointed. “Look at that!”, she exclaimed. I followed her finger, and saw the huge tree where half of it had been ripped off. Literally. The jagged place showed just where the wind force lopped off a giant part of the tree.

We walked closer to it and noticed a dark area in the trunk. Upon closer examination, we found, what appeared to be, the heart of the tree all blackened and dead looking. How could the tree be alive if it were dead on the inside?

I thought of Rita. Radiation treatments had claimed her dark, curly hair. On the outside, her body was failing. On the inside, her spirit was more vibrant than ever. While we were visiting, her sunken eyes were closed, breathing shallow. But oh my, the peaceful expression on her face said it all. Talk about shekinah; the glory of the Lord shone from within her. Her spirit was very much alive, even though, on the outside, her body was wracked by disease

Last week I was at the home of a neighbor. Terry looked great on the
outside, acted fine too. She welcomed us, chatted animatedly, graciously offered a snack her husband had laid out on the kitchen table. We were there to pray with Terry, whose diagnosis was stage 4 metastasized cancer. She was thin, and her body clearly showed signs of battling a disease. On the inside, though, her spirit was vigorous, as was clearly evident as we prayed together.

Looks are deceiving, and things are not always what they seem. Some people are alive on the outside, yet dead on the inside, in their spirit. Still others look sick on the outside, yet are very much alive in their soul, on the inside.

At Terry’s home, I found this note taped to the bathroom mirror, which her son kindly let me copy :

Cancer is so limited.
It cannot
Cripple love
Shatter hope
Corrode faith
Destroy peace
Kill friendship
Suppress memories
Silence courage
Invade the soul
Steal eternal life
It cannot
Conquer the Spirit.

The bible tells us we are “more than conquerors through Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:37).

That is very good news.

ROOM CHECK By Sally I. Kennedy

Make room .. in your hearts. 2 Corinthians 7:2

Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. Luke 2: 19

I was away, out of town, and went to a local church to worship. Towards the beginning of the service, a family came up. It was explained they had a tradition there of lighting an advent candle each week before Christmas, as a reminder to check and make sure that Christ has a place in our heart.

The little boy stood by his dad, who lit a long match and handed it to his wife, who lit the advent candle. She lit it once, and the flame went out. She lit it again, and once more it went out. The third time she lit it, the flame flickered but did not go out.

It was a good reminder to me to do a room check. Am I am making a place for Christ in my heart?

I would have to admit that I do have room in my heart, however sometimes I have other things in that room- especially now at this busy season of the year. The room gets crowded. It gets to be time to re-evaluate my priorities.

Whenever I see candles burning this season – or anytime of the year - I hope I'm once again reminded to check and make sure there is room in my heart for Christ.

THE UNEXPECTED by Kathleen Szmit

This evening I diverted from my regular walking route. There is a gated path along the road on which I walk, and tonight I went behind the gate. I wanted to see what was down the path behind that gate.

After winding my way through the soft, sandy terrain, I stumbled into a large sand pit. Large rock outcroppings sat in the midst of soft, sandy cliffs. It was stunning and a little daunting.

Like a child, I scrambled among the rocks and sand, loving the feel of freedom. Then I continued walking down a side path. What I found baffles me still.

I live near the ocean, several miles from the beach. Where I was walking was nowhere near the water; no shoreline in sight. Nonetheless, as I ambled up a slight hill, I found myself looking upon thousands of seashells strewn across the landscape. Some were crushed or broken, but many were whole and had only begun to become bleached by the sun.

I looked intently at my surroundings, trying to discern exactly how these objects of the sea had come to be in this random location so far from the sea. Where they came from wasn't the mystery. How they had come to be there in such vast quantities completely stymied me.

To me, the seashells in the middle of nowhere symbolized the vast power of God's Love. When you least expect to find it, there it is. In the end, it doesn't matter how it got there. What matters is that it's there.

THE LESSON OF THE COFFEE BEAN Author Unknown

A daughter complained to her father about how hard things were for her. "As soon as I solve one problem," she said, "another one comes up. I'm tired of struggling."

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen where he filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second, eggs, and in the last, ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

The daughter impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After a while, he went over and turned off the burners. He fished out the carrots and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them a bowl. He poured the coffee into a bowl. Turning to her he asked, "Darling, what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled, as she tasted its rich flavor.

She asked, "What does it mean, Father?" He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity -- boiling water -- but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg was fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. By being in the boiling water, they changed the water.

He asked his daughter, "When adversity knocks on your door, which are you?"

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT By Sally I. Kennedy

"We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one (Jesus, the Son of God) who has been tempted in every way, just as we are." - Hebrews 4:15

This afternoon I was waving my arm back and forth underwater, hoping the weightlessness and buoyancy of the pool would help heal the tendonitis. In the past, my husband has suffered with arthritic problems in his shoulders and elbows. He would wince when turning a certain way, even in his sleep. I believed him, that it really hurt. I couldn’t understand it though.

I can no longer say that, thanks to the trimming of the banana tree. The dead leaves kept getting droopier, so one morning I got out the long-handled clippers. Intrepidly, I tackled my project. Somehow I forgot about banana leaves being made of incredibly strong, fibrous material not unlike nylon. I had a good grip, twisted my forearm, and pop! I could feel the burning sensation.

It is true, you can’t understand a person until you’ve walked in his shoes. Nor can you, I think, truly trust him unless he’s ‘been there, done that’. In the Bible, it says Jesus understands everything about us. Everything. If that is so, then he has experienced all that we have. As I pondered this, the thought crossed my mind, “ I don’t think so. He lived a long time ago and there’s no way he’s gone through what I have.”

Then different stories from the bible came to mind. I thought how Jesus was shunned and rejected by not only strangers, but also by people he knew well. He was misunderstood continually, and misrepresented. He felt sadness, sorrow, and he grieved. He hurt and he got angry. He loved his mom, family, parties, his buddies. He was, at times, tempted to do wrong, perhaps even confused and unsure. And often he talked things over with his Father.

If each time there’s a twinge of pain, my memory is jogged to recall that we have a Saviour who’s “been there, done that” and I can trust.

Sally I. Kennedy is the author of Irish Thursdays: More Little Parables, Words from the Heart, and 52 Little Parables from Ireland . She lives in south Florida, with her husband Ben. Please visit her website at this address: http://www.sallyikennedy.com

A SIMPLE LESSON Author Unknown

AM I MY BROTHER'S KEEPER?...THE HAND YOU PULL UP, MAY BE THE HAND THAT SAVES YOU!

A SIMPLE LESSON:

A rat looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. What food might it contain? He was aghast to discover that it was a rat trap. Retreating to the farmyard the rat proclaimed the warning; "There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Rat, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The rat turned to the pig and told him, "There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!"

"I am so very sorry Mr. Rat," sympathized the pig, "but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured that you are in my prayers."

The rat turned to the cow. She said, "Like wow, Mr. Rat. A rat trap. I am in grave danger. Duh?"

So the rat returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's rat trap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a rat trap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife.

The farmer rushed her to the hospital. She returned home with a fever. Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

His wife's sickness continued so that friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well. She died, and so many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for all of them to eat.

So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it does not concern you, remember that when there is a rat trap in the house, the whole farmyard is at risk.

"Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9d)

WRINKLES By Marion Smith

I was ironing my husband’s shirts the other day, a chore that is not glamorous nor one which I seek with great anticipation. It is one, however, I do with love, for him. He does not care for the finish which comes on shirts taken to the laundry , so I spend a little time each week ironing. If I sprinkle the shirts, roll them up and place them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator overnight, they press very well. But if I am lazy, and just use the steam iron, the result is not quite as satisfactory.

I thought about my life, and how I have tried to iron out problems that have cropped up over the years. I thought about the way I like to have a plan- ironing out any foreseeable wrinkle that may appear. I thought about grief I have experienced, and how unable I was to iron out the deep creases of sadness they left in my heart. I remembered my many moments of fear- for my family and myself, and how I was unable to iron out fear from entering my mind.

There is a master iron-er, however, who never leaves creases of fear, grief, problems or preplanning in our lives. He can iron out every one of them to perfection, and He steps up to the job with a smile on His face. He picks up His iron of love and begins to work on the wrinkles of our lives. He does so with great compassion, as His love strokes go back and forth across the material of our lives. His name is Jesus, and He is not content to just give us the “steam iron” treatment. He will work us out into perfection, for it says in the Bible that “ he who has begun a good work in you will not quit till the day of completion.” He just keeps ironing and ironing- working those wrinkles of helpless and hopelessness out of our lives.

I am thankful I have turned my wrinkled self over to Him---for I know he can get the job done…and done perfectly!

Marion Smith noles65@aol.com
comments and feedback welcome