Inspiration Shared By Lady Braids

Inspiration on 01/29/10

Josephine Ligon tells of a family in the town where she grew up
who preached and practiced forgiveness. Their name was Parsons.
On one occasion, Mr. Parsons watched young Josephine get swatted
by the broom of a mean old lady in town who didn't like the
neighborhood children getting too close to her property. He
stopped Josephine and told her, "Go back and tell Mrs. Brink that
you forgive her for hitting you."

"Say, 'I forgive you' to Mrs. Brink?"

Mr. Parsons smiled. "Forgiveness comes in many forms," he said.
"You don't actually have to say, 'I forgive you.' A simple smile
will do. You might just tell her that her daffodils are pretty."

It seemed dumb to young Josephine, but in those days children did
what their elders told them to do. So, she went back and mumbled
something to Mrs. Brink about her daffodils being pretty. Mrs.
Brink looked shocked, but it was the last time Josephine ever
felt her broom.

On another occasion Josephine and several of her third grade
friends put a handful of pencil shavings into the Parsons girl's
sandwich, just to be mean and to make her mad. But she didn't
get mad. Instead, the next day, without any sign of repentance
from her persecutors, the Parsons girl brought everyone in the
class a large, beautiful, delicious, hand-decorated cookie which
said, "Jesus loves you." Years later Josephine Ligon still
remembers that demonstration of forgiveness more than any sermon.

Forgiveness is more than words; it's action!

  -- From: Christianity Today, March 2, 1979, p. 18

Inspiration On 01/28/10

Ralph Waldo Emerson has accurately said, "One of the illusions
of life is that the present hour is not the critical, decisive hour.
Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year."

Today is an important day. That problem you solve, that decision
you make, that time you enjoy can shape your whole life. The way
you and I ap­proach today, and each day, is crucial. Our lives are
built by a series of days like today.

I discovered an affirmation that can help in living each day fully:

Today I will live through the next 24 hours and not try to tackle
all of life's problems at once.

Today I will improve myself , body, mind and spirit.

Today I will refuse to spend time worrying about what might
happen if...

Today I will not imagine what I would do if things were
different. They are not dif­ferent. I will do my best with what
material I have.

Today I will find the grace to let go of resentments of others and
self-condemnation over past mistakes.

Today I will not try to change, or improve, anybody but me.

Today I will act toward others as though this will be my last day
on earth.

Today I will be unafraid. I will enjoy what is beauti­ful, and I
will be­lieve that as I give to the world, the world will give to
me.

Whether these are the best of times or the worst of times, these
are the only times we've got. Live each day fully and you will look
back on a life that made a difference.

  -- From Joy Along The Way by Steve Goodier

Inspiration On 01/26/10

18 Things We Can Learn from a Dog

1. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
2. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be
    pure ecstasy.
3. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
4. When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.
5. Let others know when they've invaded your territory.
6. Take naps, and stretch before rising.
7. Run, romp, and play daily.
8. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
9. Be loyal.
10. Never pretend to be something you're not.
11. If what you want is buried, dig until you find it.
12. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by,
      and nuzzle him or her gently.
13. Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
14. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
15. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
16. When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
17. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
18. No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt
      thing and pout... run right back and make friends.

  -- Author Unknown

Inspiration On 01/20/10

5 Fingers of Prayer

1. Your thumb is nearest to you.
So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you.
They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones
is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."

2. The next finger is the pointing finger.
Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers,
doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing
others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger.
It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in
business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our
nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger.
Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger;
as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for
those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers
day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5. And lastly comes our little finger; the smallest finger of all.
Which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and
others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you."
Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you
have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put
into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more
effectively.

God Bless You!

  -- Author Unknown

Inspiration On 01/19/10

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly
advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms
along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the
ocean, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer inter-
viewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer.
"Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him.

"Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired
him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to
dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of
bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired
hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up!
A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!"

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I
can sleep when the wind blows."

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on
the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To
his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been
covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens
were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were
tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away.

The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he
returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

Moral: When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically,
you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows
through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep
because he had secured the farm against the storm.

We with faith secure ourselves against the storms of life by
putting our trust in the God. We don't need to understand, we
just need to hold His hand to be secure in the midst of the storms.

Sleep well!

 -- Author Unknown

Inspiration On 01/18/10

The Tongue

It is a helpful tool
That is used as a dangerous weapon

It is so light
Yet we fail to hold it

Instead of using it as a magic wand
To tap a bit of encouragement upon one's heart
Or a smile upon one's face
We use it as a sword to cut people down
Leaving their hearts broken
And their self-esteem low

Instead of using it
To turn ourselves into little angels
Placing blessings upon one's life
We use it to turn ourselves
Into fire-breathing dragons
Who insists on one's life being taken

We use it to curse others
Not realizing we are really cursing ourselves
We must learn to hold this dangerous weapon
Before we kill others as well as ourselves

We must learn to watch the words
That we allow to roll off of it

We must allow it to be known
As a piece of gold from heaven
Instead of the flames from hell

  -- A MountainWings Original by Christina Bronner, Age 17
      www.mountainwings.com

Inspiration On 01/15/10

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn
to not 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 right,
because they had each seen but 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 up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your
spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall. Don't
let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Enjoy the
little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they
were the big things.

  -- Antonio Smith

Inspiration On 01/14/10

The Pictures on the Wall

I heard a young woman tell a story that I would like to share with
you. It had a great impact on her life. This young lady was relating
an experience that she had in a seminary class with her teacher I'll
call Brother Smith.

She said that Brother Smith was known for his elaborate objective
lessons. This particular day when Sally walked into seminary she
could tell they were in for another fun day.

There was a big target on the wall and a table full of darts. Brother
Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that they
disliked or someone who had made them angry and he would let them
throw some darts at the picture. Sally's girlfriend on the right, drew
a picture of the girl who had stolen her boyfriend. Her friend, on
her left side, drew a picture of his little brother. Sally decided
to draw a picture of Brother Smith. She really put a lot of detail
into her drawing, even to the extent of drawing pimples on his face.
She was really pleased at the overall effect she had achieved.

The class lined up and were really getting into the dart throwing,
with much laughter and a lot of hilarity involved. Some of the darts
were thrown with such force that the pictures were ripped. Sally was
toward the back of the line, and filled with disappointment when Brother
Smith, because of time limits, asked the students to return to their
seats.

Sally was thinking how mad she was that she hadn't been able to throw
darts at her picture of Brother Smith. The classroom had been quite
chaotic during the dart throwing.

Then Brother Smith removed the target from the wall and revealed the
picture of the Savior that had been directly underneath the target. A
complete hush fell over the room as the students viewed the torn
picture, the eyes pierced out, and marks and holes all over the Savior.
Brother Smith said only these words, "In as much as ye have done it
unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Nothing else was necessary as the tear-filled eyes of the students were
riveted on the picture of Christ. The students remained in their seats
even after the bell had rung, then slowly trickled out of the classroom.

  -- Author Unknown

Inspiration On 01/12/10

Who's Packing Your Parachute?

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat
missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile.
Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured
and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived
the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience!

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a
man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet
fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were
shot down!"

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped in
surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said,
"I guess it worked !"

Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I
wouldn't be here today."

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb
said, "I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform:
a white hat; a bib in the back; and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder
how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good
morning, how are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a
fighter pilot and he was just a sailor." Plumb thought of the many
hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of
the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each
chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he
didn't know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?"
Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it
through the day. He also points out that he needed many kinds
of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy
territory -- he needed his physical parachute, his mental
parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute.
He called on all these supports before reaching safety.

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what
is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you,
congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened
to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason.
As you go through this week, this month this year, recognize people
who pack your parachutes.

I am sending you this as my way of thanking you for your part in
packing my parachute. And I hope you will send it on to those who
have helped pack yours.

  -- This is Rex Barker C.S. (Cruising the Skies)
      wishing you sunny skies and a light breeze.

Inspiration On 01/11/10

The Lord's Baseball Team

Bob and the Lord stood by to observe a baseball game. The Lord's
team was playing Satan's team. The Lord's team was at bat, the
score was tied zero to zero. It was the bottom of the ninth inning
with two outs.

They continued to watch as a batter stepped up to the plate whose
name was Love. Love swung at the first pitch and hit a single,
because Love never fails. The next batter was named Faith, who
also got a single, because Faith works with Love. The next batter
up was named Godly Wisdom. Satan wound up and threw the first pitch.
Godly Wisdom looked it over and let it pass; Ball one. Three more
pitches and Godly Wisdom walked, because Godly Wisdom never swings
at what Satan throws. The bases were now loaded.

The Lord turned to Bob and told him He was now going to bring in
His star player. Up to the plate stepped Grace. Bob said, "He sure
doesn't look like much!"

Satan's whole team relaxed when they saw Grace. Thinking he had won
the game, Satan wound up and fired his first pitch. To the shock of
everyone, Grace hit the ball harder than anyone had ever seen. But
Satan wasn't worried; his center fielder let very few fly by. He
went up for the ball, but it went right through his glove, hit him
on the head and sent him crashing on the ground; then it continued
over the fence for a home run!

The Lord's team won. The Lord then asked Bob if he knew why Love,
Faith, and Godly Wisdom could get on base but could not win the
game. Bob answered that he didn't know why.

God explained, "If your love, faith, and wisdom had won the game
you would think you had done it by yourself. Love, faith, and wisdom
will get you on base, but only My Grace can get you home."

  -- Author Unknown