Greater Love

The violent grinding of brakes suddenly applied, and the harsh creaking of skidding wheels gradually died away as the big car came to a stop. Eddie quickly picked himself up from the dusty pavement where he had been thrown, and looked around wildly.
      Agnes! Where was his little sister he had been holding by the hand when they had started to cross the street? The next moment he saw her under the big car that had run them down, her eyes closed, a dark stain slowly spreading on her white face.
      With one bound the boy was under the car, trying to lift the child.
      "You'd better not try, son," said a man gently. "Someone has gone to       telephone for an ambulance."
      "She's not...dead, is she, Mister?" Eddie begged in a husky voice.
      The man stooped and felt the limp little pulse. "No, my boy," he said slowly.
      A policeman came up, dispersed the collecting crowd, and carried the unconscious girl into a nearby drug-store. Eddie's folded coat made a pillow for her head until the ambulance arrived. He was permitted to ride in the conveyance with her to the hospital. Something about the sturdy, shabbily dressed boy, who could not be more than ten years old, and his devotion to his little sister, strangely touched the hearts of the hardened hospital apprentices.
      "We must operate at once," said the surgeon after a brief preliminary examination. "She has been injured internally, and has lost a great deal of blood." He turned to Eddie who, inarticulate with grief, stood dumbly by. "Where do you live?"
      Eddie told him that their father was dead, and that his mother did day work--he did not know where.
      "We can't wait to find her," said the surgeon, "Because by that time it might be too late."
      Eddie waited in the sitting-room while the surgeons worked over Agnes.
      After what seemed an eternity a nurse sought him out.
      "Eddie," she said kindly, "Your sister is very bad, and the doctor wants to make a transfusion. Do you know what that is?" Eddie shook his head.
      "She has lost so much blood she cannot live unless someone gives her his.  Will you do it for her?"
      Eddie's wan face grew paler, and he gripped the knobs of the chair so hard that his knuckles became white. For a moment he hesitated; then gulping back his tears, he nodded his head and stood up.
      "That's a good lad," said the nurse. She patted his head, and led the way to the elevator which whisked them to the operating room-- a very clean but evil-smelling room, with pale green walls and innumerable shiny instruments in glass cases. No one spoke to Eddie except the nurse who directed him in a low voice how to prepare for the ordeal. The boy bit his quivering lip and silently obeyed.
      "Are you ready?" asked a man swathed in white from head to foot, turning  from the table over which he had been bending. For the first time Eddie      noticed who it was lying there so still. Little Agnes! And he was going to       make her well. He stepped forward quickly.
      Two hours later the surgeon looked up with a smile into the faces of the young interns and nurses who were engrossed in watching the great man's  work.  "Fine," he said, "I think she'll pull through."
      After the transfusion Eddie had been told to lie quietly on a cot in the       corner of the room. In the excitement of the delicate operation he had been entirely forgotten.      "It was wonderful, Doctor!" exclaimed one of the young interns. "A       miracle!" Nothing, he felt in his enthusiastic recognition of the marvels       of surgery, could be greater than the miracles of science.
      "I am well satisfied," said the surgeon with conscious pride.
      There was a tug at the sleeve, but he did not notice. In a little while      there was another tug--this time more peremptory--and the great surgeon       glanced down to see a ragged, pale faced boy looking steadily up into his       face.
      "Say, Doctor," said a husky voice, "When do I die?"
      The interns laughed and the great surgeon smiled. "Why, what do you mean, my boy?" he asked kindly.
      "I thought...when they took a guy's blood...he died," muttered Eddie.
      The smiles faded from the lips of doctors and nurses, and the young intern  who had thought there was nothing greater than the miracle of science,  caught his breath suddenly.
      GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT HE LAY DOWN HIS LIFE!
      This ragged lad had climbed to the very height of nobility and sacrifice,    and showed them a glimpse of the greatest miracle of all--a selfless LOVE!  But Eddie must never know this. The lesson was too poignantly beautiful to be wasted. The great surgeon motioned the others for silence. "I think after all you will get well, Eddie," he said gruffly. "You and little Agnes."

Who's Your Daddy?

A number of years ago a seminary professor was vacationing with
his wife in Gatlinburg, Tennessee where they were eating
breakfast at a little restaurant, hoping to enjoy a quiet family
meal.
While they were waiting for their food, they noticed a
distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to
table visiting with the guests.  The professor leaned over and
whispered to his wife:
"I hope he doesn't come over here."  But sure enough, the man
did come over to their table.
"Where are you folks from?" he asked in a friendly voice.
"Oklahoma," they answered.
"Great to have you here in Tennessee," the stranger said.
"What do you do for a living?"
"I teach at a seminary," he replied.
"Oh, you teach preachers how to preach?  Well, I've got a really
great story for you."  And with that, the gentleman pulled up a
chair and sat down at the table with the couple.
"See that mountain over there?" (pointing out the restaurant
window).  Not far from the base of that mountain, there was a
boy born to an unwed mother.  He had a hard time growing up,
because every place he went, he was always asked the same
question:
'Hey boy, Who's your daddy?'
Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store,
people would ask the same question, "Who's your daddy?"
He would hide at recess and lunchtime from other students.
He would avoid going into stores because that question hurt him
so bad.
When he was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his
church.  He would always go in late and slip out early to avoid
hearing the question, "Who's your daddy?"  But one day, the
new preacher said the benediction so fast he got caught and
had to walk out with the crowd.
Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher
not knowing anything about him, put his hand on his shoulder and
asked him,
"Son, who's your daddy?"
The whole church got deathly quiet.  He could feel every eye in
the church looking at him.  By now, everyone knew the answer to
the question, 'Who's your daddy?'
This new preacher, though, sensed the situation around him and
using discernment that only the Holy Spirit could give, said the
following to that scared little boy...
'Wait a minute!' he said, 'I know who you are.  I see the family
resemblance now.  You are a child of God.'
With that he patted the boy on his shoulder and said:
'Boy, you've got a great inheritance.  Go and claim it.'
With that, the boy smiled for the first time in a long time
and walked out the door a changed person.  He was never the same
again.  Whenever anybody asked him, 'Who's your Daddy?' he'd
just tell them,
'I'm a Child of God.'
The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said,
"Isn't that a great story?"
The professor responded that it really was a great story!
As the man turned to leave, he said,
"You know, if that new preacher hadn't told me that I was one of
God's children, I probably never would have amounted to
anything!"  And he walked away.
The seminary professor and his wife were stunned.
He called the waitress over and asked her,
"Do you know who that man was who just left who was sitting at
our table?"  The waitress grinned and said,
"Of course.  Everybody here knows him.  That's Ben Hooper.
He's the former governor of Tennessee!"
by Dr. Fred Craddock
Seminary professor of homiletics at Emory University in Atlanta
"If Children Live"
If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn and be
judgmental.
If children live with hostility, they learn to be angry and fight.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to be shy and withdrawn.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty
If children live with tolerance, they learn to be patient.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with praise, they learn to appreciate.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with acceptance and friendship, they learn to find
love in the world.
         --Dorothy Knolte
You can't be all things to all  people.
You can't do all things at once.
You can't do all things equally  well.
You can't do all things better than everyone else.
Your humanity is  showing just like everyone else's.
So...
You have to find out who  you are, and be that.
You have to decide what comes first , and do  that.
You have to discover your strengths, and use them.
You have to learn  not to compete with others,
Because no one else is in the contest of "being  you".
Then...
You will have learned to accept your own  uniqueness.
You will have learned to set priorities and make  decisions.
You will have learned to live with your limitations.
You will  have learned to give yourself the respect
that is due,
And you'll be a being that's vitally alive.
Dare To  Believe...
That you are a wonderful, unique person.
That you are a  once-in-all-history event.
That it's more than a right, it's your duty, to be
who you are.
That life is not a problem to solve, but a gift
to cherish.
And you'll be able to stay one up on what used
to get you down.
Author Unknown

The Football Player

Bob Richards, the former pole-vault champion, shares a moving story
about a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart. Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size of the other boys, he got absolutely nowhere. At all the games, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever played.

This teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a
very special relationship. Even though the son was always on the
bench, his father was always in the stands cheering.
He never missed a game. This young man was still the smallest of the
class when he entered high school. His father continued to encourage
him but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if
he didn't want to. But the young man loved football and decided to hang
in there. He was determined to try his best at every practice, and
perhaps he'd get to play when he became a senior. All through high school he never missed a practice nor a game but remained a bench-warmer all
four years.
His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of
encouragement for him. When the young man went to college, he decided
to try out for the football team as a "walk-on." Everyone was sure he
could never make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept
him on the roster because he always puts his heart and soul to every
practice, and at the same time, provided the other members with the
spirit and hustle they badly needed.
The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he
rushed to the nearest phone and called his father. His father shared
his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games.
This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four
years at college, but he never got to play in a game. It was the end
of his senior football season, and as he trotted onto the practice field
shortly before the big playoff game, the coach met him with a
telegram.
The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent.
Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?"
The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the
rest of the week off, son. And don't even plan to come back to the
game on Saturday." Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In
the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young
man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football
gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were
astounded to see their faithful teammate back so soon.
"Coach, please let me play. I've just got to play today," said the
young man.

The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in this close playoff game. But the young man persisted,
and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. "All right,"
he said. "You can go in."
Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could
not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played
before was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he passed, blocked, and tackled like a star. His team began to
triumph.
The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid
intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. The
fans broke loose. His teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders.
Such cheering you never heard.
Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and
left the locker room, the coach noticed that this young man was
sitting quietly in the corner all alone The coach came to him and said, "Kid,
I can't believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How
did you do it?" He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said,
"Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?"
The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, "Dad came to all my
games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!"
Like the athlete's father, God is always there cheering for us. Our
loving God is always reminding us to go on, offering us a hand, knowing what is best, giving us what we need and not simply what we want. God has never missed a single game. What a joy to know that life is meaningful if lived for the Highest. Live for the Creator, who is watching us in the game of life!

God and the barber

A man went to a barber shop to have his hair cut as usual. He started to have a good conversation with the barber who was cutting his hair. They talked about many things and various subjects. Suddenly, they touched the subject of God.   The barber said, "Look man, I don't believe that God exists!" "Why do you say that?" asked the man. "Well, it's so easy, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God does not exist. Tell me, if God existed, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be no suffering nor pain? I can't think of loving a God who permits all of these things." The man thought for the moment, but he didn't want to respond so as to cause an argument. The barber finished his job and the man went out of the shop. Just after heleft the barber shop he saw a man in the street with long hair and beard. It seemed that it had been a long time since he had his hair cut and he looked so untidy.  Then the first man again entered the barber shop and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist!" "How can you say they don't exist?" asked the barber. I am here and I am a barber."  "No!" the man exclaimed. "You don't exist because if you did there would be no people with long hair and beard like that man who walks the streets." "But, I do exist, and that is what happens when people do not come to me." "Exactly!" - affirmed the man. "That's the point. God does exist, and see what happens when so many people don't go to Him and do not look for Him? That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

GLASS OF MILK

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.
He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.
Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"
"You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."
He said ... "Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit..
Many year's later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.
Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.
Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.
Dressed in his doctor 's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.
He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to her case.
After a long struggle, the battle was won.
Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent t o her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words .. "Paid in full with one glass of milk"
(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.
Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You God, that Your love has spread broad through human hearts and hands."
There's a saying which goes something like this: Bread cast on the waters comes back to you. The good deed you do today may benefit yo u or someone you love at the least expected time. If you never see the deed again at least you will have made the world a better place - And, after all, isn't that what life is all about?!
Now you have two choices.
1. You can send this page on and spread a positive message.
2. Or ignore it and pretend it never touched your heart
The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which -- To burn