CHILD TO PARENT Author Unknown

* Don't spoil me, I know quite well that I ought not to have all I ask for. I am only testing you.

* Don't be afraid to be firm with me. I prefer it. It makes me feel more secure.

* Don't let me form bad habits. I have to rely on you to detect them in the early stages.

* Don't make me feel smaller than I am. It only makes me behave stupidly "big."

* Don't correct me in front of people if you can avoid it. I'll take much more notice if you talk quietly with me in private.

* Don't protect me from consequences. I need to learn the painful way sometimes.

* Don't take too much notice of my small ailments. I am quite capable of trading on them.

* Don't nag. If you do, I shall have to protect myself by appearing deaf.

* Don't make rash promises. Remember that I feel badly let down when promises are broken.

* Don't forget that I cannot explain myself as well as I should like. That is why I am not always very accurate.

* Don't tax my honesty too much. I am easily frightened into telling lies.

* Don't be inconsistent. That completely confuses me and makes me lose faith in you.

* Don't put me off when I ask questions. If you do you will find I will stop asking and seek information elsewhere.

* Don't tell my fears are silly. They are terribly real, and you can do much to reassure me if you try to understand.

And please...

* Don't neglect me; I do not want to be a delinquent.

NO TIME TO BOTHER WITH RELIGION by Melodie Davis

One of the most inspiring thinkers of the 20th century is Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Actually, he was not just a theologian and writer--but a doer--so much of a doer that his work in the German resistance movement during World War II led him to be imprisoned and finally killed in a concentration camp. Born in Breslau, Germany in 1906, Bonhoeffer understood, even before Hitler came to power, the dangers of a political system that made an idol or god of a leader or a system.

He was a pastor and teacher, and eventually was involved with an underground plot against Hitler, even though some argued with him that it would be wiser to withdraw from the activities. Bonhoeffer responded that if persons claim to be persons of faith, there is no room for taking the easy way out.

He was arrested in 1943 and sent to prison and various concentration camps. In prison, he ministered to the sick and to his fellow prisoners, and it was reported that he was able to comfort the anxious and depressed in an amazing way. Ultimately, he was executed by special order at the concentration camp at Flossenburg on April 9,
1945, just a few days before it was liberated by the Allies. (From "Memoir," G. Leibholz, in Cost of Discipleship. )

I tend to pay attention to strong words written by someone who has given their life for what they believe. Bonehoeffer says: "None of us is so rushed that it would be impossible to allow for even ten minutes in the day in which arrangements could be made for silence, in order to place oneself in the presence of Eternity."

I also found this intriguing: "You do not have your belief once and for all. Your belief demands to be won anew tomorrow and the day after tomorrow; indeed, it demands to be won anew with every new day...

Either we receive faith anew every day or it decays... Every morning brings a new struggle to push through all the unbelief, through all the littleness of faith, through all the vagueness and confusion--to reach faith and wrest it from God." He reminds us: "If the [Bible] has become empty for me in my daily routine, if I no longer experience it, that proves I have not let it speak personally to me for a long time."

Countless persons have died for their faith throughout the ages. They paid the ultimate test. Too many of us claim we can't be bothered to even live what we believe.

Perhaps you started some good habits during Lent--including taking time for spiritual meditation. Don't let Easter be the end of it--let it be the beginning of a deeper and active commitment to your faith.

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON By Christopher Notes

If you ever wondered just how often "once in a blue moon" is, here's the answer: it happens about every thirty-two months.

A blue moon is the term for the second full moon in a given month. Since a full moon occurs every twenty-nine and a half days, a blue moon is possible in every month except February.

And, yes, when the weather conditions are just right, the moon really can look bluish.

Check an almanac or the weather page of your local newspaper to find out when the next one occurs. Then look up at the night sky. When you do look to the heavens there's a universe of wonder and beauty God has given us to appreciate.

Take a moment today to notice, to enjoy, and to say "thanks."

It is the moon that marks the changing seasons. ...From the moon comes the sign for festal days, a light that wanes when it completes its course. The new moon...renews itself; how marvelous is it in this change, a beacon to the hosts on high, shining in the vault of the heavens! (Sirach 43:6,7-8)

OUR COMFORTER Contributed by Melanie Schurr

Have you ever sometimes felt alone, overwhelmed by whatever situation is troubling you, and that no one truly understands the pain you feel?

Someone DOES understand: God.

"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Isaiah 53:3)

As the above Scripture reveals, the Son of God was a man of sorrows; one who was familiar with suffering. While Jesus was loved by many, there were also those individuals who despised Him, and did not see or appreciate Him for the special Being He is.

How wonderful it would be when we are feeling low to have someone who loves us, come to us and embrace us with such satisfying love and comfort that we can KNOW that no matter what comes our way, they will be there to see us through it. How sweet the words, "Do not worry. I am there with you, and we will get through this together," would be!

My dear friend, the comfort we all seek now and then is already here! It has been right there before us, yet not all of us partake!

His name is Christ Jesus, and He is a comfort to all who call upon Him in sincere repentance.

"Have I not 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

LIFE IN THE RIVER By Sally I. Kennedy

Enjoying a cup of coffee in the early morning quiet at our vacation condo, I was watching the activity of the river below. Due to a long drought, the water was way down. Rocks and boulders I'd never seen before were in full view. A small white piece of paper, or plastic, caught my eye. It was going 'round and 'round in a tiny area almost entirely closed off by small boulders. The whole time I watched, it never left the spot, just continued to spin around.

That night it rained cats and dogs. Next morning the river was noticeably higher. It sang a bit louder and ran a little faster. The white paper was no longer swirling in a circle. It was, instead, wedged up against a rock close to the river's edge. It was safely hugging the rock, just out of reach of the moving water. It seemed the
paper had no choice. It was stuck.

Sometimes I feel stuck in the river of life. Unlike the paper, however, I have a choice. A long time ago God made a choice that would bring people back to Him. Through Jesus we have a choice: accept His life sacrifice for us, get out of our own little whirlpool worlds and move downstream with Him, or stay stuck in our self centered world while we cling to some safe rock in the river.

I hope that daily I can remember to make the better choice, and keep moving with the current. Even if momentarily, or temporarily, I get caught in a holding pattern, I can choose to move out and onward with Him.