If we work together

By Billy Newman, Daily Guideposts (excerpt)
* jgat

IF WE WORK TOGETHER

During my sophomore year in college, I was appointed photo editor of
the student newspaper. With a staff of five part-time photographers,
it was my job to ensure that there were plenty of photos for our
eight-page daily. I was proud of my new position, and I eagerly took
command, changing procedures and issuing orders. I supervised every
single assignment and approved every single print. The paper had
always had excellent photography, and I felt I was doing a good job.

Then one day Kim, one of our photographers, was late coming back from
an away basketball game and a full afternoon of photo assignments. An
hour before the deadline, she dashed into the darkroom to process and
print all of her exposed film in her hand. We had no photos for the
front page, and I was furious. I slammed a notebook on the table as
Kim just stood there, her tears falling.

John, the night editor, was the only other person there. He gave Kim
a big hug and consoled her. Then, together they proceeded to the
problem of the front page. In the photo file they found a shot of a
large pig lying in a pile of hay. John ran the photo five columns
wide across the top of the page with the caption, "Hog day afternoon."

The next morning, our student readers were surprised and delighted by
this unusual front page. That day, and for months afterward, people
asked me if I was responsible for it, and each time I had to admit
that I was not.

Kim graduated, and I went on to photography school. But I've never
forgotten the lesson that she and John taught me that night: No
matter how hard the job looks, we can get done -- if we work together.

* DEAR GOD, grant me the gift of patience and the ability to work
harmoniously with others. Remind me that I need never work alone. Let
me be quick to ask for Your help..With You beside me, there's nothing
we can't handle together.

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From: JoeGatuslao@smartwifi.com.ph

My compliments

Sent by Lisa San Juan
* The Philippine Star 02/02/2006

* MY COMPLIMENTS

We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ,...since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your
love -- Colossians 1:3-4

When I receive a compliment, it gives me a warm, inner glow. At
times I have felt guilty for enjoying a commendation. After all,
isn't that a form of pride? But I have concluded that it is not
wrong to feel good when we receive a sincere compliment because of
something we have done.

By finding pleasure in being commended, we allow others to exercise
their gift of encouragement. Their words can lift our spirits.

We also show that pride hasn't gained the upper hand in our lives
when we praise others. A proud person is so preoccupied with himself
that he doesn't notice what others do and has no desire to compliment
them.

Paul freely commended his friends in Colossae because he knew it
would encourage them. And we should do likewise.

Give people a pat on the back when they deserve it. Compliment the
child who does something well. Commend the single mother who
regularly brings her children to church. Encourage the man who keeps
helping others even though he receives little appreciation from them.
Keep trying to please God and the people around you.

No need to feel guilty about feeling good when someone compliments
you. -- Herbert Vander Lugt

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From: JoeGatuslao@smartwifi.com.ph

The joy of second chances

By Shari Smyth, Guideposts copyright 2001

THE JOY OF SECOND CHANCES

Whitney and I had been separated for eight months. Now we were on a
first date, tentatively, fearfully moving toward reconciliation. We
were at the Billy Graham Crusade in Nashville's Adelphia Stadium,
waiting for the program to start. Side by side, we sat in silence on
a hard bench, feeling the pain of our fractured marriage. Daylight
thinned to dusk.The lights popped on over the football field, shining
on the distant platform under the gigantic scoreboard. Empty folding
chairs waited for the legendary evangelist and his team.

A memory bright as the lights flooded my mind. I was sixteen, my
whole life stretching out ahead of me, sitting in a stadium in
Philadelphia listening to Billy Graham. His message has stirred my
devout teenage heart: I would serve God always and never stray, I
vowed. And, at the end, when hundreds streamed forward to the
strains of "Just As I Am," I was filled with happiness for them and
for me.

Now as a silver-haired, slightly stooped Billy Graham rose to speak,
my marriage lay broken.Though I'd served God, I'd also strayed at
times. Instead of the years stretching lightly ahead of me, I felt
weighted by the passage of time.

The sermon ended. The crowd of thousands shifted in their seats to
pray. The choir began singing "Just As I Am," and tears ran down my
cheeks. How I wished I could go back and do it over! Whitney reached
for my hand, his grip strong and reassuring.

As I watched the hundreds streaming forward, something stronger than
happiness lifted my burden: It was the joy of second chances, the joy
of a sinner saved by grace -- again and again and again.
-------------------------------------------------------
"Just As I Am"

Just as ! am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

(lyrics from a song by Kristina Bubar)
---------------------------------------------------------

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From: JoeGatuslao@smartwifi.com.ph

Perfect shells and broken pieces

By Susan Titus Osborn, Reststops for Single Moms

PERFECT SHELLS AND BROKEN PIECES

I walked along the beach one autumn morning, hoping to find shells
for my collection. The summer tourists had gone home, and the kids
had returned to school. The beach was deserted except for an elderly
couple walking hand in hand and a man scavenging with a metal
detector. I seemed to be the only person searching for shells.

However, all I could find were broken pieces. I kicked at the sand in
frustration. The broken shells reminded me of the fragmented pieces
of my own life since the breakup of my marriage.

Then the wind whipped my hair and sent a chill down by back. I pulled
my sweatshirt around me and kept walking. Somehow, I hoped my brisk
pace would help me leave my problems behind to be swept out with the
tide. Instead, the waves kept bringing in more and more broken shells.

Then, I paused and cried out, "Where are you, Lord? What plan do You
have for the broken pieces of my life?"

I resumed walking, trying to gain perspective on my situation. What
had happened to my perfect little family of four? Like the shells, my
hopes and dreams for the future had been dashed on the rocks.

God seemed silent. Yet, I sensed the fault was mine, not His. I
wasn't seeking His guidance so much as I was venting my anger by
shouting. Another wave surged on the shore, and I continued my
search. To my surprise, this one brought in a beautiful whole shell.
Scooping it up in my hand, I turned it over and noticed how perfectly
God had formed it. In the midst of all this brokenness was wholeness.

Perhaps God would make me whole too. However, I needed to do my
part. Instead of dwelling on my problems and unmet expectations, I
needed to plan for the future. I no longer had a husband, but I did
have two wonderful teenage boys. The three of us were still a family.

We could build on what we did have. We could love and encourage each
other. We could laugh and plan inexpensive outings together. We could
look to the future, knowing God would guide our path if we allowed
Him.

Perhaps, if I stopped shouting at God, I would be able to hear Him
speak. I looked at the perfect shell in my hand and smiled. Had God
already spoken?

====================
From: JoeGatuslao@smartwifi.com.ph

Keeping the peace

Tyndale House, "Life Lessons from Bible People"
* jgat

KEEPING THE PEACE

"[Isaac] moved on from there and dug another well, and no one
quarreled over it." (Genesis 26:22)

Isaac was generally a quiet man who kept to himself. But he
was capable of resolute action when it was needed. His jealous
neighbors, the Philistines, once crafted a malicious plot against
him. In an area where water was as precious as gold, Isaac's hostile
neighbors plugged up his wells two separate times and threatened to
drive him away. Even though plugging another landowner's well was a
serious crime, Isaac refused to let the incident provoke him to rash
action. Instead, he and his men simply dug another well. Finally,
there was enough room for everyone, and the dispute settled down.
Isaac's willingness to compromise for the sake of peace headed off a
bloody showdown.

Would you be willing to forsake an important position or
valuable possession to keep the peace? In some situations, you may
heave a good reason to be angry. But are your rights the only issue
at stake? You may face conflict with your friends, family, or
coworkers this week. Ask God for the wisdom to know when to withdraw
and when to stand your ground.

Keeping the peace sometimes means forfeiting your right to be angry.

* DEAR LORD, cleanse our hearts of any selfishness because where
self-seeking exist, confusion and greed abide. It can hurt many --
our friends, our family, our community. Remind us that more than
protecting our "rights" is doing the "right thing." Please soften
our hearts without breaking our spirit as we struggle keeping the
peace. Lord, grant us the peace that You alone can give.

====================
From: JoeGatuslao@smartwifi.com.ph

Despite our own carelessness

By Msgr. Socrates B. Villegas, Jesus in My Heart
Excerpted from "Carelessness" (orig. title)

DESPITE OUR OWN CARELESSNESS

A little boy celebrated his eighteenth birthday. When I asked
him what he remembers of his birthday last year, he answered: "Last
year, I received my first pair of long pants." According to him,
this new pair of pants was about six inches longer than his usual
size. So he asked his mother to cut it short for him. His mother
refused, saying: "Keep it that way. In no time it will fit you as you
grow so fast." Wanting to really have his pants cut short, he
approached his elder sister and grandmother with the same request .
Both offered some excuse not to do it for him.

With a heavy heart, he went to sleep, resigned with the fact
that he will have to wear his pants longer than usual. As he was
asleep, his mother saw his pants by his bed. Feeling guilty at having
turned down the boy's earlier request, she cut off six inches from it
to fit his size. After which, she returned the pants by the bed.
Then, his elder sister also happened to pass by. She saw the pants
and felt guilty also so she cut off six inches from it as the boy had
requested. The grandmother came in next and did the same thing as
his mother and elder sister. The next day, on his birthday, he had a
new pair of short pants! On that day also his mother, elder sister
and grandmother felt even more guilty. Why? They knew that what
they did for the boy was an effort that they did not think about. It
was a careless effort.

We all do the same thing ourselves. We do things without much
thought. We say things we do not mean. We make promises that we
could hardly keep.

Peter and Paul were like that. We know how Peter said to the
Lord: "Lord, I will never leave you." And to that remark the Lord
could only say: "Tomorrow, before the cock crows three times, you
will deny Me three times." And Paul? Paul was a dedicated Pharisee.
He thought that in killing the first Christian he was doing God's
will.

...We do not celebrate Peter and Paul's faults and careless
efforts. We celebrate the fact that despite our own carelessness and
faults, God gives us new opportunities. Peter made a mistake. Paul
committed the same. But God gave them another chance.

You may have committed so many sins. You may have made broken
promises. You may have done things without reflecting. But there is
always second chance for you. I invite you to begin again and become
great yourself.

====================
From: JoeGatuslao@smartwifi.com.ph

Seasons Promise & Lessons

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to
judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to
go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third
in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to
describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.

The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that
smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful
thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and
drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all correct, because
they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one
season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy,
and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end,
when all the seasons are lived.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your
spring, the beauty of your summer, the fulfillment of your fall.

Moral lessons:

Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Never judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the
difficult patches and better times are sure to come to you.

====================
From: dbryting@yahoo.com

The last "i love you"

Author: Debbi Smoot

THE LAST "I LOVE YOU"

Carol's husband was killed in an accident last year. Jim, only
52, was driving home from work. The other driver was a teener with a
very high blood-alcohol level. Jim died instantly. The teenager was
in the emergency room for less than two hours.

There were other ironic twists: It was Carol's fiftieth
birthday, and Jim had two plane tickets to Hawaii in his pocket. He
was going to surprise her. Instead, he was killed by a drunk driver.

"How have you survived this?" I finally asked Carol a year later.

Her eyes welled up with tears. I thought I had said the wrong
thing, but she gently took my hand and said, "It's all right, I want
to tell you. The day I married Jim, I promised I would never let him
leave the house in the morning without telling him I loved him. He
made the same promise. It got to be a joke between us, and as babies
came along it got to be a hard promise to keep. I remember running
down the driveway, saying 'I love you' through teeth clenched when I
was mad, or driving to the office to put a note in his car. It was a
funny challenge.

"We made a lot of memories trying to say 'I love you' before
noon every day of our married life.

"The morning Jim died, he left a birthday card in the kitchen
and slipped out to the car. I heard the engine starting. Oh no, you
don't buster, I thought. I raced out and banged on the car window
until he rolled it down. 'Here on my fiftieth birthday, Mr. James E.
Garret, I, Carol Garret, want to go on record as saying I love you!'

"That's how I survived. Knowing that the last words I said to
Jim were, 'I LOVE YOU!'"

--------------------------------------------------
SAY IT NOW

If you have a tender message
Or a loving word to say,
Don't wait till you forget it,
But whisper it today!

The tender words unspoken,
The letter never sent,
The long forgotten messages,
The wealth of love unspent.

For these some hearts are breaking,
For these some loved ones wait,
Then give them what they are needing,
Before it is too late!

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From: JoeGatuslao@smartwifi.com.ph