Forward: September 2006

Stay focused

By Bob Gass

"Do not turn aside to the right or left. Walk in all the way that the
Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and
prolong your days in the land that you will possess." ( Deuteronomy
5:32 )

STAY FOCUSED

The way to kill a man with a great dream is to give him another
one! The devil's strategy is to get you spread out so thin that you
become mediocre in everything and excellent in nothing. Paul's
strategy for life can be summed up in one line, "I am bringing all my
energies to bear on this one thing" (Philippians 3:13). Did you know
that a dove has no peripheral vision? It cannot see right or left. --
only straight ahead. What a picture!

The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will
focus you on your purpose and aim you toward your destiny. Most things
in life fail for one reason -- broken focus! Don't let it happen to
you. Don't get distracted by lesser things no matter how loud or how
long they call to you. Isaiah said, "Therefore have I set my face
like a flint and I know I shall not be put to shame" (Isaiah 50:7)

One of Satan's favorite tricks is to get you to say "yes" to too
many things. Because something is good does not mean it is right for
you. There comes a time when your "plate is full", and you've got to
learn to say "no" to even the best of ideas.

Child of God, start learning to say no to lesser things so that
you can say yes to the things that matter most -- the things that God
has called you to do.

====================
From: jgat777@globelines.com.ph

When you wonder if God cares

BY Max Lucado, "He Still Moves Stones" (excerpts)

WHEN YOU WONDER IF GOD CARES

My eight-year old daughter Jenna sang a solo at an appreciation
banquet. I agreed to stay home with our other two daughters if my wife
would film the performance. When they came home, they had quite a
story to tell and quite a tape to show.

Jenna forgot her lines. As she stood on stage in front of a
large audience, her mind went blank. Since Denalyn was filming the
moment, I saw the crisis through her eyes, the eyes of a mum. You can
tell Denalyn is getting nervous the minute Jenna is getting forgetful
-- the camera begins to shake. "It's OK, it's OK," Denalyn's voice
assures. She begins singing the words so Jenna will remember. But it's
too late. Jenna says, "I'm sorry" to the audience, bursts into tears,
and bolts off the stage.

At this point Mom drops the camera and runs after Jenna. The
camera records the floor and Denalyn's voice saying, "Come here,
honey."

Why did Denalyn do that? Why did she drop everything and run
after her daughter? (By the way, Jenna recovered. Denalyn dried her
tears. The two rehearsed the lyrics. And Jenna sang and received a
loud ovation.)

Now, why did Denalyn go to all that trouble? In the great scheme
of things, does a social embarrassment matter that much? You know the
answer before I tell you. To an eight-year-old girl, it's crucial.
And because it was important to Jenna, it was important to Mum.

And because you are God's child, if it's important to you, it's
important to God.

Why did Jesus change the water into wine? To impress the crowd?
No.They didn't even know he did it. To get the wedding master's
attention? No. He thought the groom was being generous. Why did Jesus
do it? What motivated his miracle?

His friends were embarrassed. What bothered them bothered him.
If it hurts the child, it hurts the father.

So go ahead. Tell God what hurts. Talk to him. He won't turn you
away. He won't think it's silly. "For our high priest is able to
understand our weaknesses. When he lived on earth, he was tempted in
every way that we are. but he did not sin. Let us, then, feel very
sure that we can come before God's throne where there is grace (Heb.
4:15-16).

Does God care about the little things in our lives? You better believe it.

If it matters to you, it matters to him.

====================
From: jgat777@globelines.com.ph

The man who could love

By Robert J. Morgan, ""The Bat Out of Hell" (orig. title)
Book: From This Verse

"THE MAN WHO COULD LOVE"

Mitshuo Fuchida, commander of the Japanese Air Force, led the squadron
of 860 planes that attacked Pearl harbor on December 7, 1941.

American bomber Jacob DeSchazer was eager to strike back, and the
following April 18th, he flew his B-25 bomber, the "Bat Out of Hell,"
on a dangerous raid over Japan. After dropping his bombs on Nagoya,
DeShazer lost his way in heavy fog and bailed out as his plane ran
out of fuel. He was taken prisoner, tortured by the Japanese, and
threatened with imminent death. For almost two years, DeShazer
suffered hunger, cold, and dysentery.

In May of 1944, he was given a Bible. "You can keep it for three
weeks," said the guard. De Shazer grabbed it, clutched it to his
chest, and started reading in Genesis. Scarcely sleeping, he read the
Bible through several times, memorizing key passages. On June 8,
coming to Romans 10:9, Jacob prayed to receive Jesus Christ as his
Saviour.

Immediately Mathew 5:44 became a critical text for DeShazer, as he
determined to treat his Japanese guards differently. His hostility
toward them evaporated, and every morning he greeted them warmly. He
prayed for them and sought to witness to them. He noticed their
attitude toward him also changed, and they would often slip him food
or supplies.

After the war, DeShazer returned to Japan as a missionary. Copies of
his testimony, "I Was a Prisoner of the Japanese," flooded the
country, and thousands wanted to see the man who could love and
forgive his enemies. DeShazer settled down to establish a church in
Nagoya. the city he had bombed.

One man in particular, deeply affected by DeShazer's testimony, was
led to Christ by Glenn Wagner of The Pocket Testament League. Shortly
afterward, the man paid a visit to Jacob DeShazer at his home, and the
two became dear friends and brothers. It was Mitshuo Fuchida, who had
led the Pearl harbor attack. As DeShazer served as a missionary in
Japan, Fuchida became a powerful evangelist, preaching throughout
Japan and around the world.

====================
From: jgat777@globelines.com.ph

The road of life

Author Unknown.
From by Robert & Lilian Choa-Yu

THE ROAD OF LIFE

At first, I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the
things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell
when I die. He was out there sort of like a president, I recognized
His picture when I saw it, but I really didn't know him. But later on
when I met Christ, it seemed as though life were rather like a bike
ride, but it was a tandem bike; and I noticed that Christ was in the
back helping me pedal. I don't know just when it was that He suggested
we change places, but life has not been the same since.

When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring, but
predictable. It was the shortest distance between two points. But
when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains and
through the rocky places at breakneck speeds. It was all I could do
to hang on! Even though it looked like madness, He said, "Pedal!" I
worried and was anxious and asked, "Where are you taking me?" He
laughed and didn't answer, and I started to learn to trust. I forgot
my boring life and entered into the adventure. And when I'd say, "I'm
scared," He'd lean back and touch my hand.

He took me to people with gifts that I needed, gifts of healing,
acceptance and joy. They gave me gifts to take on my journey, too, my
Lord's and mine. And we were off again. He said, "Give the gifts
away; they're extra baggage, too much weight." So I did, to the
people we met, and I found that in giving I received, and still our
burden was light.

I did not trust Him, at first, in control of my life. I thought He'd
wreck it; but He knows bike secrets, knows how to make it bend to take
sharp corners, knows how to jump to clear high rocks, knows how to fly
to shorten the scary passages. And I am learning to shut up and pedal
in the strangest places, and I'm beginning to enjoy the view and the
cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion, Jesus
Christ.

And when I'm sure I can't do anymore, He just smiles and says
..."Pedal."

====================
From: jgat777@globelines.com.ph

"I will move the rock"

From: Sheilah Manuel

"I WILL MOVE THE ROCK"

A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room
filled with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man he
had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his
cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock
with all his might.

This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun
up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive
surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each
night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that
his whole day had been spent in vain.

Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan
decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man's mind
such as: "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time,
and it hasn't budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never
going to move it."

Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and
that he was a failure, these thoughts discouraged and disheartened
the man even more. "Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll
just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort and that will be
good enough."

And that he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a
matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the God. "Lord,"
he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all
my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this
time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is
wrong? Why am I failing?"

To this the Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked
you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to
push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done.
Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it.
Your task was to push. And now you come to me, with your strength
spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look
at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewed and
brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs
have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown
much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet
you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and
to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you
have done.

"I, my friend, will move the rock," says the Lord.

At times when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own
intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is
just simple obedience and faith in Him...

"By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains; but it is
still God who moves the mountain."

====================
From: jgat777@globelines.com.ph

Friends, or admirers?

By Steve Brown, "Overcoming Setbacks
On Being Human (orig. title)
* Dennis J. De Haan

FRIENDS, OR ADMIRERS?

In a Charlie Brown cartoon, Charlie is eating a
peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, and as he eats he notices his hands
and becomes enamored with them. He holds them up and starts looking up
at them, then muses: "I like my hands. They are fascinating. They
really are. I have nice hands. They have a lot of character. Do you
realize that these two little hands may someday accomplish greater
things? These hands may someday do marvelous works...miracles. They
may build mighty bridges, or heal the sick, or hit home runs, or write
soul-stirring novels..." Lucy finally interrupts this grandiose musing
and puts it in perspective. "Charlie, your hands have jelly on them."

We need friends like that too -- friends who don't worship at our
altar. We're only human, not gods.

If you only have friends who think you're wonderful, they aren't
friends. They're admirers. And admirers won't hang around long once
they see the not-so-wonderful sides of your humanity. Lucy may
sometimes seem to Charlie Brown as the bane of his existence, but
she'll always shoot straight with him, and he --as well as you and I
-- need that.

Are your friends true friends or just admirers? Do they tell you what
you need to hear or just what you want to hear? What kind of a friend
are you? Are you willing to risk a friendship by telling the truth
with gentleness rather than by hiding it out of selfishness?
-----------------------------------------------------
A friend accepts us as we are
Yet helps us to be what we can be;
A friend affirms us when we're weak--
A friend gives strength to set us free.*
-----------------------------------------------------

====================
From: jgat777@globelines.com.ph

Get Your Attitude Right

Earlier this year, I went through a time of great frustration in my
job. It was partly due to fatigue, I think. We'd had some deaths in
my family, which left me worn down. And then I went through a patch
where nothing I did seemed right. I proposed projects which got shot
down, and when I wrote on assignment, editors scraped away at my
prose until only scraps were left. That's normal, part of the
process, but I felt frustrated and unappreciated.

I had to go back and relearn the right attitudes.

I need the right attitude to work hour to hour and long term.

Hour by hour, it's simple: do the work. I had to stick my rear in my
chair and not get up until I had finished a major chunk of work. That
meant resisting distractions from phone calls and emails and news
reports.

If you don't stick to it hour to hour, your discouragement will
build. But if you work hard in the short term, you'll accomplish
something. You'll find the work itself meaningful and there's a
good possibility your failures will turn around. That happened to me.

Long term, I had to remember why I was working in the first place. I
had to believe in my vocation all over again. In the deepest sense, I
needed to know that I do the work because God wants me to do it.

Why are you in your job? Maybe you're there to fulfill a special
gift. Maybe you're there to make a living for your family. Maybe
you're there because the work needs to be done for the good of
society. To overcome discouragement, you need an attitude that takes
the focus off your sense of frustration. You need to remember why
your work is valid. You need to remember that God is behind it.

Both these attitudes, long term and short term, reflect what Paul
wrote to the Philippians: "Your attitude should be the same as that
of Christ Jesus." He goes on to describe how Jesus became a humble
servant, obedient even to the point of death (Phil. 2:5-8).

Hour by hour, a servant's focus is very limited. Servants listen for
directions, and they do exactly what their boss expects. In the
longer term, servants know why they are working: because they have a
master who has called them to service.

We are meant to be servants of God.

Listen to your Boss, he'll tell you what to do. Believe in your
vocation because you know who called you to it. And do your work
because God is behind it.

==
Get Your Attitude Right, by Tim Stafford
Copyright (c) 2001 - 2006 H. E. Butt Foundation. All rights reserved.
Faith in the Workplace

====================
From: jgat777@globelines.com.ph

Indecent proposal

A famous author found himself seated beside an attractive young woman
in a dinner tendered in his honor. He couldn't take his eyes off that
seductive-looking woman. When they were left alone, he looked at the
woman straight in the eyes and said, "Would you like to go to bed
with me if I were to give you $100,000?" The woman initially felt
insulted, but after a moment, said, "I guess I would." Silence.

Breaking the pregnant pause, the man fired his second question, "Then
would you go to bed with me if I were to give you $10?" This time the
woman really got mad. She stood and said, "Just what do you think I
am?" To which the author replied cooly, "But, my dear, we have
already established what you are, I am simply negotiating for the
price."

It has been said that all of us has a price. And looking at the things
we assign premium value to, it just might be true.

Sometime ago I was introduced to a foreign businessman who wanted to
sell his products locally. He gave the right to me, and with that
resolved, the deal was on.

But a few days later, I found out the same products sold to
practically all my competitors. The foreigner vehemently denied this.
After I gathered all the necessary physical evidences, I flew to visit
this foreigner in his country.

I gathered that this well-dressed, smooth-talking businessman was not
honest in his dealings with me, so I decided to cancel my orders

I set up an appointment for dinner to formalize the cancellation. A
long Mercedes Benz limousine was sent to pick me up from my hotel and
be brought to an elegant Italian restaurant. The dinner was expensive
but the gift he gave during the meal was even more expensive -- an
antique collector's watch.

He was insistent that I accept the watch so, for fear of being
poisoned to death, I accepted it. "Isn't this the price in exchange
for a few signatures on the order sheets?" I thought to myself.

I can't seem to understand why because bribery is not the style of
business in this country. Later on, it became clear to me that the
problem is not his country; but rather, mine. Many of our businessmen
accept gifts from him; those whom he can buy with the "right" price.

Finally, after a night of prayer, I returned the watch together with
the cancelled orders to this businessman with a note, "Please accept
my apologies, but I cannot receive your gift, for I view it as a form
of bribery. I just would like to let you know that not everyone from
our country could be brought for a price."

Exodus 23:8 says, "And you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds
the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just."

I went home that day fulfilled. And by the way, I never enjoyed that
expensive dinner. Who cares if it's Italian?"

* By Francis J. Kong, "Only the Real Matters"

====================
From: jgat777@globelines.com.ph

"God, I cannot do this alone"

By Stan Stoler, "God Has Never Failed Me,
But He's Sure Scared Me To Death A Few Times"
* by Fitzhugh

"GOD, I CANNOT DO THIS ALONE"

Three years ago, my wife and I sat in her hospital room waiting
for Dr. Michael Santi, her physician, to visit with us. She had been
diagnosed with colon cancer and was scheduled for surgery the next
day.

He entered Linda's room with his usual smile, sat down on the
edge of her bed and proceeded to explain what would take place in the
operating room the following morning. Frankly, we were scared to
death! But when he finished explaining the surgery, recovery time,
etc., he calmly took Linda by the hands and held them heavenward.

"Linda," he said, "tomorrow our hands will be in His hands."
Then he prayed the most magnificent prayer for my wife. "God, I
cannot do this alone. I need your help," he said.

This was our first indication that Dr. Santi was a believer.
What a God! In the midst of our frightening experience, God gave us
a Christian doctor!

As I write this, I am seated in a waiting room of the same
hospital. Linda has just had her annual check-up. It has been exactly
three years since she had colon cancer surgery. Dr. Santi smiles as
he enters the room.

"I have good news for you. Your wife is doing great---no sign
of cancer or polyps anywhere!"

Yes, through the hands of a skilled surgeon, the prayers of
God's people and the encouragement of loved ones, my wife has been
healed.

In retrospect, I can testify that we were "changed" through
this event. While cancer is truly a cruel disease, God is greater
than any health problem we may encounter. You can trust him with your
troubles...

As a result of the "cancer crisis" in our home, I have reached
the conclusion that all good things come from God's hands. Our home,
children, food, flowers, music, sunsets, rain, snow, and most of all
LIFE, reflect His unconditional love.

"During our times of deepest sorrow,
When in the depths we're sinking low,
If we look up to our faithful Father,
Love and compassion to us will flow." *

====================
From: jgat777@globelines.com.ph

Memories: "I love you, Grandpa"

By Clare DeLong, Compiled by Alice Gray, from "I Love you Grandpa"

MEMORIES: "I LOVE YOU, GRANDPA"

Some years ago my husband Wally and I decided that we would
like to invite his father to come and live with us. The boys were
both young---Brian, eleven, and Jeffrey, three. We thought they would
benefit from his stay. Grandpa Marshall accepted our invitation, and
the following September we traveled to upstate New York to bring him
home. There were adjustments to be made from the beginning. Some were
easy, some were not, but because of the love that existed between us,
we seemed to muddle through.

One special thing we have always done every night was to tell
each other that we loved each other. Our big old farm house would
ring with "Good night, I love you," from one person to the next, each
taking their turn. We happily added Grandpa Marshall to our list. In
the beginning it must have seemed strange for him. For some reason
those words were so very hard for him to say. He would tell each of
us good night, but stopped there.

With Brian in school all day, Jeff and grandpa Marshall were
soon devoting much of their time to one another. A close relationship
began to grow. I can remember walking into the living room one day to
find Grandpa sitting quietly in his rocking chair---upon closer
inspection I found out why. Jeff had him tied up, sitting at his feet
with a grin on his face saying, "Look, Mom, we are playing cowboys
and Indians."

I will never forget the night that became more special than
any other. As usual we were saying our good nights. Brian and Jeffrey
were climbing the stairs, each telling Grandpa "I love you," until
finally disappearing around the turn, only to peek back to say it
again one final time. It was then that I heard those words ring out
as clear as a bell. It was Grandpa, he answered back not only good
night but had added "I love you, too." My heart skipped a beat; it
was those two boys, Brian and Jeff, who had touched his heart with
love, and he had responded. From that moment on Grandpa never seemed
to mind saying those words. We could tell it became easier for him
with the passing of time.

Wally's father lived with us for about a year. In that time
we all developed a closeness with a very dear man. As I look back, I
smile and am so grateful for us having had the chance to get to know
him better during this special year of his life. When he returned to
New York all of our visits and phone calls ended with those three
words.

Grandpa Marshall died at 4:30 on a Sunday morning. As Wally
held his hand, his final words to his son were "I love you."

-----------
LORD, we know that life is made up of bundles of lasting
memories. Help us to think back over the sweet remembrances of life
and honor our dear ones, still living or gone. Inspire us to take
time remembering them in our hearts. We love them, Lord, please take
care of them.

====================
From: jgat777@globelines.com.ph