Friday, August 30, 2013

Beautiful Sunsets












2011

Thought for today...

Find the time to stop and smell the roses.
Today is a gift - open it and enjoy it to the fullest!
 
Lisa Beamer on Good Morning America - If you remember, she's the wife of Todd Beamer who said 'Let's Roll!' and helped take down the plane over Pennsylvania that was heading for Washington, DC on 9/11.

She said it's the little things that she misses most about Todd, such as hearing the garage door open as he came home, and her children running to meet him. She's now the Mom of a beautiful little girl, Mary.

Lisa recalled this story:

"I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband died suddenly of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insight with a classroom of students. As the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom windows and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on the edge of her desk and sat down there.

With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused and said, 'Class is over”.
“I would like to share with all of you a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is very important. Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment.

Perhaps this is God's way of telling us that we must make the most out of every single day. Her eyes, beginning to water, she went on, 'So I would like you all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice.

It doesn't have to be something you see, it could be a scent, perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of someone's house, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the morning light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the ground. Please look for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may sound trite to some, these things are the "stuff" of life. The little things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take for granted.

The class was completely quiet. We all picked up our books and filed out of the room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school than I had that whole semester. Every once in a while, I think of that teacher and remember what an impression she made on all of us, and I try to appreciate all of those things that sometimes we all overlook.

Take notice of something special you see on your lunch hour today. Go barefoot. Or walk on the beach at sunset. Of course we aren't going to do these things this time of the year but there is always something to notice in God's beautiful creation.

Stop off on the way home tonight to get a double dip ice cream cone. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn't do.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

HAVE A GREAT DAY!


April 2012

Quotes!

We now have, if I remember correctly, (heard reported a few days ago) about 7 million laws in this corporate government to rule and regulate us from cradle to grave.

"How strangely will the Tools of a Tyrant pervert the plain meaning of Words!"
           -- Samuel Adams



"The more laws, the less justice."
         -- Marcus Tullius Cicero


2012

Paul Harvey's Genius - Trust In God and America

If you don’t read the article below, at least click on the videos below and listen to “If I Were the Devil”.  It’s inspiration written just for our day! Then enjoy “So God Made a Farmer”.



 “If I Were the Devil”
 (sounds like today!)



"So God Made A Farmer"


PAUL HARVEY'S LEGENDARY VOICE LIVES ON
Celebrated newsman died on this day 4 years ago (Feb 28, 2009)

“Hello, Americans. This is Paul Harvey! Stand byyy for Newwws!”

A mainstay of American living rooms, kitchens and cars for more than half a century, Paul Harvey died on this day in 2009. His unmistakable, strong, folksy timbre, however, will not easily be forgotten, and his impact on the nation endures.

During the most recent Super Bowl, his 1978 “So God Made a Farmer” speech was the heart of a moving, two-minute advertisement that was voted one of the most popular of the nation’s most-watched event.

Born Paul Harvey Aurandt, Sept. 4, 1918, in Tulsa, Okla., his trademark “Good day!” greeting was heard on some 1,200 ABC Radio Networks stations across the nation and on 400 Armed Forces Radio stations around the world, reaching approximately 24 million listeners daily. ”Reaganomics,” ”guesstimate” and “skyjack” are among the words he coined over the years.

He broadcasted “News and Comment” on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments.

Paul Batura, author of the biography “Good Day! The Paul Harvey Story,” noted much of Harvey’s work provided more than the news.

“Paul Harvey loved strong opinions, but he was no shock jock. He might have been shocking to some – articulating his love of God and Jesus Christ, embracing the American miracle and touting our nation’s exceptionalism, not to mention regularly displaying an unfailing devotion to his wife,” Batura wrote.

WND Founder and CEO Joseph Farah wrote a tribute at the time of Harvey’s death.

“He was a giant in journalism. He was a giant in the news business. … Yes, he could tell a great story, as in ‘the rest of the story.’ But what I loved most about him was his ability to find those great little gems of news – stories that escaped the attention of so many of his colleagues,” Farah said.

Perhaps his most notable soliloquy was “If I Were the Devil,” broadcast for the first time April 3, 1965.

After citing a litany of problems that threaten the nation’s future, Harvey concluded that “if I were the devil, I’d just keep right on doing what he’s doing.”

In 2001, Harvey credited God with healing him after contracting a virus that left him voiceless for three months that year.

In a Thanksgiving weekend broadcast a little more than two months after the 9/11 attacks, Harvey said he believed God wanted him to broadcast to Americans an important message.

“Americans, this is the testing time, and we are at our virtuous best,” he said on his “News and Comment” program. “America is falling in love again with America.”

“We remember the Crash of ’29, and the Dustbowl of the ’30s and Hitler’s Holocaust and Dien Bien Phu and Saddam Hussein,” Harvey began his analysis.

“During each test, some Americans feared that our country was going to hell. Well, it did not. It went through a little hell, but it came out of the crucible a little heat-tempered and stronger than before.”

Harvey concluded by focusing on the brighter side of events, stressing that storms are part of life’s normal climate and that Americans need to learn to ride them.

“Don’t let noisy news distress you, don’t let the headline writers rain on your parade,” he said. “My goodness, there’s resiliency in this country we’ve not yet begun to use.”

Later, his frank assessment of Islam drew noise from some quarters.

As WND reported in 2003, the Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, called on Harvey to say he was sorry for asserting Islam encourages killing.

In a news item in which Harvey described the bloody nature of cockfight gambling in Iraq, he said: “Add to the thirst for blood a religion which encourages killing, and it is entirely understandable if Americans came to this bloody party unprepared.”


2012

Layman's 10 Commandments


Layman's 10 Commandments -
Number 1
Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout the journey.

Number 2
So why is a Car's WINDSHIELD so large and the Rear View Mirror so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, Look Ahead and Move on.

Number 3
Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes a few minutes to burn, but it takes years to write.

Number 4
All things in life are temporary.  If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever.  If going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either.

Number 5
Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!

Number 6
Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!

Number 7
When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.

Number 8
A blind person asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"

Number 9
When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

Number 10
WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES, it takes away today's PEACE.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

2011

Dept of Agriculture Wisdom

The food stamp program, part of the Department of Agriculture, is pleased to be distributing the greatest amount of food stamps ever.

Meanwhile, the National Park Service, also part of the Department of Agriculture, asks us to "please do not feed the animals" because the animals may grow dependent and not learn to take care of themselves.



Hmmmmm.......


2012

Age and Cunning

You're going to laugh at this one.

Age and cunning will overcome youth and technology anytime.
  
A lawyer and a senior citizen are sitting next to each other on a long flight.

The lawyer is thinking that seniors are so dumb that he could get one over on them easily.

So, the lawyer asks if the senior would like to play a fun game.

The senior is tired and just wants to take a nap, so he politely declines and tries to catch a few winks.

The lawyer persists, saying that the game is a lot of fun...."I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay me only $5.00. Then you ask me one, and if I don't know the answer, I will pay you $500.00," he says.

This catches the senior's attention and, to keep the lawyer quiet, he agrees to play the game.

The lawyer asks the first question. "What's the distance from the Earth to the Moon?"

The senior doesn't say a word, but reaches into his pocket, pulls out a five-dollar bill, and hands it to the lawyer.

Now, it's the senior's turn. He asks the lawyer, "What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?"

The lawyer uses his laptop to search all references he can find on the Net.

He sends E-mails to all the smart friends he knows; all to no avail. After an hour of searching, he finally gives up.

He wakes the senior and hands him $500.00. The senior pockets the $500.00 and goes right back to sleep.

The lawyer is going nuts not knowing the answer. He wakes the senior up and asks, "Well, so what goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four?"

The senior reaches into his pocket, hands the lawyer $5.00, and goes back to sleep


2012

PAM'S STORY

In a recent email I read about a woman named Pam, who knows the pain of considering abortion.

More than 24 years ago, she and her husband Bob were serving as missionaries in the Philippines and praying for a fifth child. Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite found in contaminated food or drink. She went into a coma and was treated with strong antibiotics before they discovered she was pregnant.          

Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety and told her that the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her baby. She refused the abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for her hope that her son would be born without the devastating disabilities physicians predicted. Pam said the doctors didn't think of it as a life, they thought of it as a mass of fetal tissue.          

While pregnant, Pam nearly lost their baby four times but refused to consider abortion.  She recalled making a pledge to God with her husband:

If you will give us a son, we’ll name him Timothy and we’ll make him a preacher.          

Pam ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed and eventually gave birth to a healthy baby boy August 14, 1987. Pam’s youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in prisons, makes hospital visits, and serves with his father’s ministry in the Philippines. He also plays football. Pam’s son is Tim Tebow.          

The University of Florida’s star quarterback became the first sophomore in history to win college football’s highest award, the Heisman Trophy. His current role as quarterback of the Denver Broncos has provided an incredible platform for Christian witness. As a result, he is being called The Mile-High Messiah.          

Tim’s notoriety and the family’s inspiring story have given Pam numerous opportunities to speak on behalf of women’s centers across the country. Pam Tebow believes that every little baby you save matters. I pray her tribe will increase!          

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always!          

Dr. Gerald B. (Jerry) Kieschnick          
President Emeritus, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod          
Presidential Ambassador for Mission Advancement, Concordia University Texas

January 2012

Wisdom and Advice

This has been going around with the following labels – all appropriate:

Prayers of Our People
Love Letter From God
Faith and Wisdom
Nuggets of Gold – Beautiful Words of Wisdom
The Second Ten Commandments

Someone wrote these beautiful words.
Must read and try to understand the deep meaning of it.

1] Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout.

2] So why is a Car's WINDSHIELD so large & the Rear view Mirror so small?
Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE.
So, Look Ahead and Move on.

3] Friendship is like a BOOK.
It takes a few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.

4] All things in life are temporary.
If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever.
If going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either.

5] Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond!
If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold!
Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!

6] Often when we lose hope and think this is the end,
GOD smiles from above and says, 

"Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!

7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities;  when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.

8] A blind person asked God: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?"
He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"

9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them,
and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES,
it takes away today's PEACE.

 2012

An AWWWWWWWW Moment































December 2011

WHAT AN ARTIST OUR CREATOR IS!

 Low clouds over a volcano.



 The world going to sleep.  



  Very interesting patterns.



  The world wakes up.  



 I want to live here.   



 Water at work.



 Niagara Falls at night.



 Ahhhhh...one most westerners are familiar with.



 Bryce  Canyon - How Majestic! It looks even better in the summer.



 How austere!



 Hope you remembered to fill the tank!



 Winter in the Smokies.



 Safety note: Never go swimming alone!



 Slippery when wet!



 Even on your darkest day, there is a silver lining!





 Now, that's a shower!



 A dandelion covered with dew.



 Just WOW!



 I'm not exactly sure why people 
are so into climbing these things!




  What a Beautiful World God made for His Children !!  
Can you even imagine what HE 
must have in store for us in 
HEAVEN if He did THIS on earth?



November 2011