iCandles

So as I sitting alone in the dark, I lit my candles, and I see them burn. I'm leaving it all behind.

Unlike Me

Unlike Me - Kate Havnevik

I had a couple of words with my father. Unlike me. I know. I told him things I would never say myself. I spoilt his day. Heck, I need to tell him how my days are spoilt as well.

"I don't want new clothes."

"I don't want Japanese Food."

"I don't want a PSP."

He thinks I'm harder to satisfy than a spoilt son of a Sultan. I beg to differ. I simply know my priorities. I refuse that which he unilaterally offers. Unlike me? I never wanted it from the first place. That new-found sudden outburst of courage? Unlike me.

Lore or Foreshadow ?

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm.

The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, our Heavenly Father is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

Lack

Ambassadors of the High King never lack. Why do I find myself miserably in want?

Today has been okay...

Nick: If everything is okay, why do you need to go see a therapist?

Alex : Coz okay means its not exceptionally good.
Coz okay is a nicer word
Coz okay is less devastating to the ear
Coz okay means I inwardly need help.

Soccer

A and B watched a game of soccer on national television

A: I bet I can kick that ball better
B: You'd better kick yourself in the butt. You just lost a son

The Back Talks

Some people aren't so wise. Why? Let me illustrate.

Greg is a junior. Montgomery and Foster are both in sophomore year. Montgomery and Forster both intend to make their last year in high school a memorable one. Montgomery is in the same musical division as Greg while Forster is a long friend of Greg. Coincidentally, all three happen to be involved in their local philantrophic music society, to which Forster was a very fresh member. Greg and Forster both felt in their own ways that they should develope a certain bond and space to share significant last words before they part ways. Forster became Greg's mentor.

Due to a certain fold in chronology, the philantrophic society felt that a mentor-mentee system should be implemented for the benefit of the younger generation. While Greg and Forster was already engaged in such a system before it even came into official existence, Montgomery, unaware of this, asked if he could be Greg's mentor.

Greg in response said that he was already being mentored by Forster, to which Montgomery replied that Forster is not a suitable mentor as he was new in the society, and he is a better candidate. The scene was rather a tense one as Greg never intends to make Montgomery his mentor while Montgomery was rather persistent in it.

Greg later told Forster everything that went on in that meet-up.
Lesson? Be careful when you speak. What comes out of the mouth reflects what is in the heart.

Audacious Act

Key Bible Verse: Now he loved them to the very end… . he began to wash the disciples' feet (John 13:1,5). Bonus Reading: John 13:1-5, 12-17

In Portland, Oregon, the homeless gather under the Burnside Bridge. For more than three years, carloads of Christians from Bridgetown Ministries have shown up on Friday nights to serve these needy men and women. In addition to providing hot meals, shaves, and haircuts, some of the volunteers wash the homeless people's feet. Tom Krattenmaker, a writer for USA Today, was stunned by the display, calling it "one of the most audacious acts of compassion and humility I've witnessed."

These outcasts of society had their bare feet immersed in warm water, scrubbed, dried, powdered, and placed in clean socks. One man reported with a smile, "I can't find the words to describe how good that felt."

"Washing someone's feet is an act best performed while kneeling,'" Krattenmaker commented. "Given the washer's position, and the unpleasant appearance and odor of a homeless person's feet, it's hard to imagine an act more humbling."

In preparation for their outreach, the leader of Bridgetown Ministries said, "When you go out there tonight, I want you to look for Jesus. You might see him in the eyes of a drunk person, a homeless person … we're just out there to love on people."

—John Beukema in PreachingToday.com

My Response: How might I "look for Jesus" in my community?

Thought to Apply: Christianity demands a level of caring that transcends human inclinations. —Erwin Lutzer (pastor)

Royal Treatment

The first time I met the pastor of Parkway Hills Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, was at a prearranged lunch discussion. I soon realized that this man had a magnetic personality that made people just want to be around him. As we entered the restaurant together, we were greeted by the maitre d', a man who spoke with a heavy foreign accent.

In the blink of an eye, Pastor Dennis was placing his hand on this man's shoulder and saying, "Sir, I don't believe I've had the opportunity to meet you. My name is Sam Dennis. This is the fourth time I've been here, and I want to tell you how impressed I am with how you treat everyone who walks in your doors. You always greet them with a smile and a word of kindness. I think the owner of this place should give you a big raise, and if he's here, I'll tell him so myself."

Talk about making someone's day! The maitre d' was smiling like he'd just won the lottery. I was completely dumbfounded as I watched this unfold.

"And by the way," Sam added, "I'm the pastor of a church down the street, and we'd love to have you be our special guest. If you'll come, I'd be honored to have you and your family sit with me and my family."

Today's article was taken from Men of Integrity