The Thirty Second Quiz

Don't bother getting a pen and paper... just read... if you can't
answer them, just keep going.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.

5. Name the last five Academy Award winners for Best Actor and Actress.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remembers the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They're the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Now here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. Name three teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worth while.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson?

The people who make a difference in your life aren't the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They're the ones who care.


(Wishing you a BEAUTIFUL day!)

An Hour With Charlie... by Maribeth Jordan

I printed this story last year... thought it was worth a re-print.

What do I think you should do today? Something different from your usual daily routine - it gets your blood pumping, mind thinking, and that's when life changes.

I tried that yesterday when I decided to take my kids to the lake (we never go to the lake). While there, I found a swing bench to sit and watch my kids from a far all the while admiring the beautiful lake, trees and flowers that were all so present around me. This is where I met a man who I will call "Charlie."

Charlie is an elderly man, walks with a cane and talks with a friendly, soft tone. "May I sit and swing with you?" he asks. Of course I replied with a friendly yes. I noticed Charlie seemed tired, he also seemed winded. I asked him if everything was ok. Charlie said everything was just fine now. Not knowing what he meant I continued a conversation with him about life, family and travels. Charlie had the most beautiful wife although he never really recognized it up until a year before she died. Charlie had two children who had both passed away in a car accident. He is a candid man who loved life and the people in it. As I was listening to all the stories; good, bad, funny and sad I couldn't help wondering what it must be like for him to have suffered such loss and still manage a sincere smile with a hearty laugh.

When it was time for Charlie to leave I asked if he comes here often and if I would ever see him again. Charlie replied no, he doesn't come to the lake often. This is where he used to come and sit with his wife about a year before she died. They grew closer than ever just sitting here, looking out over the lake and having some of the best conversations - something he never seemed to make time for in the earlier years. He stated he wanted to have one last memory of her here on earth because he would be seeing her soon. "What do you mean?" I said with a knot in my throat. "I'm dying, and soon," he said. Charlie didn't want to see me upset or feel sorry for him. "It's all part of life," he said. "Dying is something we will all do and that is one thing we all have in common." Charlie proceeded to tell me since his children and wife had passed that death didn't scare him, he actually looked forward to it and the day he would see them again. Charlie proceeded to tell me that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. He also said life is too short to waste and that God gave us five senses to make wise use of.. SEE the beauty and recognize it; HEAR the music and glorify in it, TASTE and appreciate the sweetness, TOUCH and feel the warmth and love, SMELL the flowers because it's a scent from God.

I hugged Charlie and thanked him for his time. "Time is the greatest gift we can give someone, and it's free." he said

In that short amount of time I changed a bit. On my way home I took notice of the blue sky, the smell of the freshly cut lawns and the icecream parlor on the side of the road. "Who wants icecream?" I asked, as if I really needed to! Watching the kids drip icecream courtesy of the hot sun was a pleasure.. I used to get annoyed by the mess but now I was just happy to be there "seeing" it. Thank you Charlie...

Rise and Hope: When God Says “No” . . . Pray

Rise and Hope: When God Says “No” . . . Pray: "When nobody is around and when we're able to be absolutely honest with ourselves before God, we entertain certain dreams and hopes. We want ..."

When God Says “No” . . . Pray

When nobody is around and when we're able to be absolutely honest with ourselves before God, we entertain certain dreams and hopes. We want very much by the end of our days to have _________________________ (fill in the blank). However, it may well be that we will die with that desire unfulfilled. Should that occur, it will be one of the hardest things in the world for us to face and accept. David heard the Lord's "no" and quietly accepted it without resentment. That's awfully hard to do. But we find in David's final recorded words a life-sized portrait of a man after God's own heart.
After four decades of service to Israel, King David, old and perhaps stooped by the years, looked for the last time into the faces of his trusted followers. Many of them represented distinct memories in the old man's mind. Those who would carry on his legacy surrounded him, waiting to receive his last words of wisdom and instruction. What would the seventy-year-old king say?
He began with the passion of his heart, pulling back the curtain to reveal his deepest desire—the dreams and plans for building a temple to the Lord (1 Chronicles 28:2). It was a dream that went unfulfilled in his lifetime. "God said to me," David told his people, "'You shall not build a house for My name because you are a man of war and have shed blood'" (28:3).
Dreams die hard. But in his parting words, David chose to focus on what God had allowed him to do—to reign as king over Israel, to establish his son Solomon over the kingdom, and to pass the dream on to him (28:4–8). Then, in a beautiful prayer, an extemporaneous expression of worship to the Lord God, David praised the greatness of God, thanking Him for His many blessings, and then interceded for the people of Israel and for their new king, Solomon. Take some extra time to read David's prayer slowly and thoughtfully. It's found in 1 Chronicles 29:10–19.
Rather than wallowing in self-pity or bitterness regarding his unfulfilled dream, David praised God with a grateful heart. Praise leaves humanity out of the picture and focuses fully on the exaltation of the living God. The magnifying glass of praise always looks up.

"Blessed are You, O LORD God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone." (29:10–12)

As David thought of the lavish grace of God that had given the people one good thing after another, his praise then turned to thanksgiving. "Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name" (29:13). David acknowledged there was nothing special about his people. Their history was one of wandering and tent-dwelling; their lives were like shifting shadows. Yet, because of God's great goodness they were able to supply all that was needed to build God a temple (29:14–16).
David was surrounded by limitless riches, yet all that wealth never captured his heart. He fought other battles within but never greed. David was not held hostage by materialism. He said, in effect, "Lord, everything we have is Yours—all these beautiful elements we offer for your temple, the place where I live, the throne room—all of it is Yours, everything." To David, God owned it all. Perhaps it was this attitude that allowed the monarch to cope with God's "no" in his life—he was confident that God was in control and that God's plans were best. David held everything loosely.
Next, David prayed for others. He interceded for the people he had ruled for forty years, asking the Lord to remember their offerings for the temple and to draw their hearts toward Him (29:17–18). David also prayed for Solomon: "give to my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies and Your statutes, and to do them all, and to build the temple, for which I have made provision" (29:19).
This magnificent prayer contained David's last recorded words; shortly after, he died "full of days, riches and honor" (29:28). What a fitting way to end a life! His death is a fitting reminder that when a man of God dies, nothing of God dies.
Though some dreams remain unfulfilled, a man or woman of God can respond to His "no" with praise, thanksgiving, and intercession . . . because when a dream dies, nothing of God's purposes die.


Article excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, David: A Man of Passion & Destiny (Dallas: Word, 1997), 285–88, 292–93. Copyright © 1997 Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Rise and Hope: Nasreddin's Flower Garden

Rise and Hope: Nasreddin's Flower Garden: "A young man named Nasreddin planted a flower garden, but when the flowers came up so did a great crop of dandelions among them. Wishing to e..."

Nasreddin's Flower Garden

A young man named Nasreddin planted a flower garden, but when the flowers came up so did a great crop of dandelions among them. Wishing to eliminate the unwanted guests, Nasreddin consulted with gardeners near and far, but none of their solutions worked.

Finally, Nasreddin traveled to the palace of the sheik to seek the wisdom of the royal gardener himself. But alas, Nasreddin had already tried all the methods the kind old man recommended to him for eradicating such troublesome weeds.

Silently they sat together for a good long time. At last, the royal gardener looked at Nasreddin and said, "Well, then, the only thing I can suggest is that you learn to love them."