THE VALUE OF A SOUL

"What is the value of a soul?" I asked the Lord one day.
"What is its worth upon the earth? How much does one soul weigh?"
Then He showed me a set of scales, in perfect balance, there. Ans as I watched, he filled one side, with wealth beyond compare.

There was silver, gold and jewels, so beautiful and rare. The different treasures of the world, he quietly placed them there. My heart began to tremble as I watched His nail-scarred hands, for on the other side of that great scale, I saw one single man.

'Who is that man?" I asked Him, "that he should have such worth? He surely must be famous and the greatest man on earth."
"Step closer, now, and take a look," Jesus said to me. As I drew near, I recognized a man I'd often seen.

His clothes were old and ragged, in his hand he held a glass. He was our city's poorest drunk, a man of lower class. "Lord, you don't know that man," I said. "He's lived his life in vain. He'll bring disgrace into the church and reproach upon your name."

"I'd like to know him," Jesus said, "but he does not know me. But, if you'll help me reach him, then what a change you'll see. I'll take that wretched, sinful life and cleanse it with my blood. And when he gives his heart to me, I'll fill it with my love."

"His soul cannot be purchased with the wealth you've seen today. But I was sent to die for him; my blood has paid the way. He's my lost sheep," the Savior said, "And I love you both the same, but if you think he's worthless, then I surely died in vain."

"So when you look upon someone whose life is wrecked by sin, if you'll just have compassion, then you'll share your brother's pain. You must not look upon his past or what he seems to be, but look beyond his many faults and know, I'll set him free."

"Don't look at him as just a man and only see his shame, but see him as a precious soul that I have died to save. This earthly wealth," the Savior said, "cannot draw men to me, but I paid a price upon the cross to set this whole world free."

YOU ARE THE GREATEST MIRACLE IN THE WORLD.

-end-
-author unknown-

A 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 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 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.

Years later, that 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 saver her life. From that day, he gave special attention to the 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 to 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 the 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 abroad through human hearts and hands."

-end-
-author unknown-

*Photo by: http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ece4ZjwP7ZMRPM:http://unclevinny.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/glass-of-milk.jpg

Imelda Joke

After Imelda completed 10 years of being the first lady of the Philippines, she wanted a special postage stamp issued with her picture on it.
President Marcos, wanting to please his wife, instructed the Postmaster General to make it happen stressing that it should be of international quality.
The stamps were duly released, and Imelda was pleased; however, very shortly after the release of the stamp, she began hearing complaints that the stamp was not sticking properly.
She became furious and complained to her husband. President Marcos called Gen. Ver and ordered him to investigate the matter.
Gen. Ver checked several post offices and then reported back to the president.
He said, "Sir, the stamp is really of international quality. The problem is, our citizens are spitting

-end-
-AUTHOR UNKNOWN

*photo by: http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:xT-YbE2Lm_GKKM:http://www.iomoon.com/philippines1086.jpg

20 Dollars

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.
"Daddy, may I ask you a question?"
"Yeah, sure, what is it?" replied the man.
" Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"
"That's none of your business, why do you ask such a thing?" the man said angrily.
"I just want to know, please tell me, how much do you make an hour?" pleaded the little boy.
"If you must know, I make $20 an hour."
"Oh," the little boy replied, with his head down. Looking up, he said, "Daddy, may I please borrow $10?"
The father was furious, "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy some silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work long hard hours everyday and don't have time for such this childish behavior."
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.
The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think he may have been a little hard on his son. Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10 and he really didn't ask for money very often.
The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.
"Are you asleep, son?" he asked.
"No, daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy.
"I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier," said the man, "it's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $10 you asked for."
The little boy sat straight up, smiling. "Oh, thank you, Daddy!" he yelled.
Then, reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some crumpled up bills.
The man, seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at his father.
'Why do you want more money if you already have some?" the father grumbled.
"Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied.
"Daddy, I have $20 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."

-end-
-author unknown-


*Photo by: http://images.publicradio.org/content/2008/02/28/20080228_money_33.jpg

The Butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day, a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.

Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that at any moment the wings would enlarge to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been, and we could never fly.

-end-
-author unknown-

*Photo by: http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:iYYD7LZwCvE36M:http://www.geocities.com/kishan_nie/photos/butterfly1.jpg

Around the Corner

* got this from some old e-mails printed out by my dad; i couldn't find out who made this poem.

Around a corner I have a friend
In this great city that has no end
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on
And before I know it, a year is gone
And I never see my old friend's face
For life is a swift and terrible race
He knows I like him just as well
As in days when i rang his bell
And he rang mine.

We were younger then
And now we are busy, tired men
Tired of playing a foolish game
Tired of trying to make a name
"Tomorrow," I say, "I will call on Jim"
"Just to show that I'm thinking of him"
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,
And distance between us grows and grows
Around the corner yet miles away
"Here's a telegram, sir - "
"Jim died today."

And that's what we get and deserve in the end
Around the corner, a vanished friend.

-end-
-author unknown-

How Much Does a Miracle Cost?

Tess was a precocious eight year old when she heard her Mom and Dad talking about her little brother, Andrew. All she knew was that he was very sick and they were completely out of money.

They were moving to an apartment complex next month because Daddy didn't have the money for the doctor's bills and our house. Only a very costly surgery could save him now and it was looking like there was no one to loan them the money. She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother with whispered desperation, "Only a miracle can save him now."

Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change, put on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.

She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally, she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it! "And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. "I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages," he said, without waiting for a reply to his question.

"Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. "He's really, really sick... and I want to buy a miracle."
"I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist.
"His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So, how much does a miracle cost?"
"We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you," the pharmacist said, softening a little.
"Listen, I have money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs."
The pharmacist's brother was a well-dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, "What kind of miracle does your brother need?"
"I don't know," Tess replied with her eyes wailing up.
"I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation.
But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money."
"How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago.
"One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered barely audibly.
"And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to."
"Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents - the exact price of a miracle for little brothers."
He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said, "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need."
That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed without charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well. Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place.
"That surgery," her Mom whispered, "was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?"

Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost...one dollar and eleven cents...plus the faith of a little child.

-end-
-author unknown-

*Photo by: http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:RvjJyJwqqgG4GM:http://youhavetoknow.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/coins.jpg

The Power of Holding Hands

by Rabbi Harold Kushner

I was sitting on a beach one summer day, watching two children, a boy and a girl, playing in the sand.
They were hard at work building an elaborate sandcastle by the water's edge, with gates and towers and moats and internal passages.
Just when they had nearly finished their project, a big wave came along and knocked it down, reducing it to a heap of wet sand.
I expected the children to burst into tears, devastated by what had happened to all their hard work.
But they surprised me..
Instead, they ran up the shore away from the water, laughing and holding hands, and sat down to build another castle.

I realized that they had taught me an important lesson.
All the things in our lives, all the complicated structures we spent so much time and energy creating, are built on sand.
Only our relationships to other people endure. Sooner or later, the wave will come along and knock down what we have worked so hard to build up.
When that happens, only the person who has somebody's hand to hold will be able to laugh.

-end-

*Photo by: http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:1SVNNV89arCsnM:http://www.great-inspirational-quotes.com/images/505428_holding_hands.jpg

The Paradox of our Age

We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers;
wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints;
we spend more, but have less;
we buy more, but enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families;
more conveniences, but less time;
we have more degrees, but less sense;
more knowledge, but less judgment, ;
more experts, but more problems;
more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much;
spend too recklessly, laugh too little;
drive too fast, get angry too quickly;
stay up too late, get up too tired;
read too seldom, watch tv too much;
and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values;
we talk too much, love too seldom, and lie too often;
we've learned how to make a living, but not a life;
we've added years to life, not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back,
but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.

We've conquered outer space, but not inner space;
we've done larger things, but not better things;
we've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul;
we've split the atom, but not the prejudice;
we write more, but learn less;
plan more, but accomplish less.

We've learned to rush, but not to wait;
we have higher incomes, but lower morals;
more food but less appeasement;
more acquaintances, but fewer friends;
more effort, but less success.

We build more computers to hold more information,
to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication;
we've become long on quantity, but short on quality.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion;
tall men and short character;
steep profits and shallow relationships.

These are the times of world peace but domestic warfares;
more leisure and less fun;
more kinds of food but less nutrition.

These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce;
of fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are the days of quick trips, disposable diapers,
throw-away morality, one-night stand, overweight bodies,
and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill...

It is a time where there is much in the show window...and nothing in the stockroom.

Indeed, it's all true.

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-author unknown-