Forwarded Email - Three Trees

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, 'Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty.'

Then the second tree said, 'Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take Kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.'

Finally the third tree said, 'I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest Tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me.'

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, 'This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter, 'and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree the woodsman said, 'This looks like a strong tree. I should be able to sell it to the shipyard.' The second tree was happy Because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, 'I don't need anything special from my tree, I'll take this one,' and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.

The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.

The third tree was cut into large pieces, and left alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said 'Peace' and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, God will give you great gifts.

Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined.

We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His Ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

May your New Year be blessed, and until we meet again, may God cradle you in the palm of His hand.

Shallow Thoughts for the Day.....

* Nothing ticks you off more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
* I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
* There is a great need for a sarcasm font.
* I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
* I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
* I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
* How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?
* I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!
* Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
* Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
* I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
* Bad decisions make good stories
* You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.
* Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.
* There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
* I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my thirty page insurance policy that I swear I did not make any changes to.
* While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA . No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don't win, they are executed.
* I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
* I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
* Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...
* Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
* I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
* Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.
* I wonder if cops ever get ticked off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.
* I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
* I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with liquor than with "Kay".

Cowboy Commandments and a Christmas message

Something I saw today that I thought I would share. It is the Ten Commandments...translated by a cowboy.

1. Just One God
2. Honor you Ma & Pa
3. No telling tales or gossipin'
4. Git yourself to Sunday meeting
5. Put nothin' before God
6. No foolin' around with another fellow's gal
7. No killin'
8. Watch yer mouth
9. Don't take what ain't yers
10. Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff

I guess one reason I was inspired to share this is because it is funny and worth sharing, but also because this time of year tends to make people stop and appreciate things like this. Honestly, it shouldn't matter what time of year, and I try to keep that in mind year round.

I hope that this Christmas gives everyone that moment to pause and appreciate the little things in life. The old cliche is true that in life we need to stop and smell the roses. This applies to everyone. Take that moment so you can step back and appreciate what is good in your life.

Now even if you can't find the time to slow down and think about the little things, I know that it is possible for each and every one of us to focus on what Christmas is truly about. Remember why we celebrate Christmas. We DO NOT celebrate Christmas for the presents. We DO NOT celebrate Christmas so we compete with our neighbors on who has the brightest or biggest light show in their yard.

We celebrate Christmas to honor the birth of Jesus Christ. Even if you have no gifts, no tree, no decorations, or anything of the sort, that does not matter. What does matter is that you take a moment to thank GOD for sending His SON to Earth. This is the first chapter of the life of Christ. It culminates in the sacrifice Jesus makes in dying for us.

I wish everyone out there a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. Enjoy your time with your family and friends. And please take at least a moment in your busy holiday to truly remember what Christmas is all about.

What a great imagination to put this together!

Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I never
noticed this....

The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over
the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes.

The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly
folded, and was placed separate from the grave clothes.

Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the
tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.

She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus
loved. She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I
don't know where they have put him!'

Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see... The other disciple
outran Peter and got there first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen
cloth lying there, but he didn't go in.

Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen
wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was
folded up and lying to the side...

Was that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes!
In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to
understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded
napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this
tradition.

When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it
was exactly the way the master wanted it..

The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out
of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not
dare touch that table, until the master was finished.

Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his
fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and
toss it onto the table...

The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the
wadded napkin meant, 'I'm done'.

But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it
beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table,
because..........

The folded napkin meant, 'I'm coming back!'

He is Coming Back!

In God We Trust!!!

Reasons to carry a camera

Dear Loved Ones

As you well know, we are getting closer to my birthday. Every year there is a celebration in my honor and I think that this year the celebration will be repeated. During this time there are many people shopping for gifts, there are many radio announcements, TV commercials, and in every part of the world everyone is talking that my birthday is getting closer and closer.

It is really very nice to know, that at least once a year, some people think of me. As you know, the celebration of my birthday began many years ago. At first people seemed to understand and be thankful of all that I did for them, but in these times, no one seems to know the reason for the celebration. Family and friends get together and have a lot of fun, but they don't know the meaning of the celebration.

Remember that last year there was a great feast in my honor. The dinner table was full of delicious foods, pastries, fruits, assorted nuts and chocolates. The decorations were exquisite and there were many, many beautifully wrapped gifts. But, do you want to know something? I wasn't invited. I was the guest of honor and they didn't remember to send me an invitation. The party was for me, but when that great day came, I was left outside, they closed the door in my face .... and I wanted to be with them and share their table.

In truth, that didn't surprise me because in the last few years all close their doors to me. Since I wasn't invited, I decided to enter the party without making any noise. I went in and stood in a corner. They were all drinking; there were some who were drunk and telling jokes and laughing at Anything. They were having a grand time. To top it all, this big fat man all dressed in red wearing a long white beard entered the room yelling Ho-Ho-Ho! He seemed drunk. He sat on the sofa and all the children ran to him, saying: "Santa Claus, Santa Claus" .. as if the party were in his honor!

At 12 Midnight all the people began to hug each other; I extended my arms waiting for someone to hug me and ... do you know ... no one hugged me. Suddenly they all began to share gifts. They opened them one by one with great expectation. When all had been opened, I looked to see if, maybe, there was one for me.

What would you feel if on your birthday everybody shared gifts and you did not get one? I then understood that I was unwanted at that party and quietly left.

Every year it gets worse. People only remember to eat and drink, the gifts, the parties and nobody remembers me. I would like this Christmas that you allow me to enter into your life. I would like that you recognize the fact that almost two thousand years ago I came to this world to give my life for you, on the cross, to save you. Today, I only want that you believe this with all your heart.

I want to share something with you. As many didn't invite me to their party, I will have my own celebration, a grandiose party that no one has ever imagined, a spectacular party.

I'm still making the final arrangements. Today I am sending out many invitations and there is an invitation for you. I want to know if you wish to attend and I will make a reservation for you and write your name with golden letters in my great guest book. Only those on the guest list will be invited to the party. Those who don't answer the invite, will be left outside.

Be prepared because when all is ready you will be part of my great party.

See you soon. I Love you!

Jesus

MAILBOX OF THE YEAR

The mailman has got to be hesitant and certainly would be burglars.




Someone spent a lot of time with metal work and likes Smith & Wessons. Whoever it is did a fine job.

Something to think about this time of year

God is God. He has the final say. And it's our decision to choose to follow Him through it all. -Albert Lee


This morning I heard a story on the radio of a woman who was out Christmas shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after row of toys and everything else imaginable, and after hours of hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made it to the elevator with her two kids.

She was feeling what so many of us feel during the holiday season time of the year. Overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every housewarming, taste all the Holiday food and treats, getting that perfect gift for every single person on our shopping list, making sure we don't forget anyone on our card list, and the pressure of making sure we respond to everyone who sent us a card

Finally, the elevator doors opened and there was already a crowd in the car. She pushed her way into the car and dragged her two kids in with her and all the bags of stuff. When the doors closed she couldn't take it anymore and stated, "Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up and shot."


From the back of the car everyone heard a quiet calm voice respond, "Don't worry, we already crucified Him." For the rest of the trip down the elevator it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

Don't forget this year to keep the one who started this whole Christmas thing in your every thought, deed, purchase and word. If we all did it, just think of how different this whole world would be.

It doesn't hurt to have a little Biblical humor to start the day....

Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth?
A. Ruthless.

Q. What do they call pastors in Germany?
A. German Shepherds.

Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
A. Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.

Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?
A. Pharaoh's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a
Little prophet.

Q. What kind of motor vehicles are in the Bible?
A. Jehovah drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden in a Fury. David 's Triumph
was heard throughout the land. Also, probably a Honda, because the apostles
were all in one Accord.


Q. Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible?
A. Samson . He brought the house down.

Q. What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no longer lived in in Eden?
A. Your mother ate us out of house and home.

Q. Which servant of God was the most flagrant lawbreaker in the Bible?
A. Moses. He broke all 10 commandments at once.


Q. Which area of Palestine was especially wealthy?
A. The area around Jordan . The banks were always overflowing.


Q. Who is the greatest babysitter mentioned in the Bible?
A. David He rocked Goliath to a very deep sleep.


Q. Which Bible character had no parents?
A. Joshua , son of Nun.


Q. Why didn't they play cards on the Ark?
A. Because Noah was standing on the deck.


PS... Did you know it's a sin for a woman to make coffee?
Yup, it's in the Bible. It says . . 'He-brews'



KEEP SMILING!!!! GOD LOVES YOU BUNCHES AND BUNCHES !!!!
Friends are God's way of taking care of us.

Wonderful drawings depicting Jesus

God closes doors no man can open and God opens doors no man can close.

The Hippie and the Nun (Dirty)

A hippie gets on a bus and spies a pretty young nun. He sits down next to her, and asks her: "Can we have sex?"

"No," she replies, "I'm married to God." She stands up, and gets off at the next stop.


The bus driver, who overheard, turns to the hippie and says: "I can tell you how to get to have sex with her!"

"Yeah?", says the hippie.

"Yeah!", says the bus driver. "She goes to the cemetery every Tuesday night at midnight to pray, so all you have to do is dress up in a robe with a hood, put some of that luminous powder stuff in your beard, and pop up in the cemetery claiming to be God."

The hippie decides to give it a try, and arrives in the cemetery dressed as suggested on the next Tuesday night.

"I am God," he declares to the nun, keeping the hood low about his face. "Have sex with me."

The nun agrees without question, but begs him to restrict himself to anal sex, as she is desperate not to lose her virginity.

'God' agrees, and promptly has his wicked way with her. As he finishes, he jumps up and throws back his hood with a flourish.

"Ha-ha," he cries. "I'm the hippie!"

"Ha-ha," cries the nun. "I'm the bus driver!

You can't fix stupid, even with a traffic cam!

I was driving when I saw the flash of a traffic camera. I figured that my picture had been taken for exceeding the limit even though I knew that I was not speeding. Just to be sure, I went around the block and passed the same spot, driving even more slowly, but again the camera flashed.

Now I began to think that this was quite funny, so I drove even slower as I passed the area once more, but the traffic camera again flashed. I tried a fourth and fifth time with the same results and was now laughing as the camera flashed while I rolled past at a snail's pace.

Two weeks later, I got five tickets in the mail for driving without a seat belt.

You can't fix stupid.

Vatican Humor

After getting all of Pope Benedict's luggage loaded into the limo (and he doesn't travel light), the driver notices the Pope is still standing on the curb.

' Excuse me, Your Holiness, ' says the driver, ' Would you please take your seat so we can leave? '

' Well, to tell you the truth, ' says the Pope, ' they never let me drive at the Vatican when I was a cardinal, and I'd really like to drive today. '

' I'm sorry, Your Holiness, but I cannot let you do that. I'd lose my job! What if something should happen? ' protests the driver, wishing he'd never gone to work that morning..

' Who's going to tell? ' says the Pope with a smile.

Reluctantly, the driver gets in the back as the Pope climbs in behind the wheel. The driver quickly regrets his decision when, after exiting the airport, the Pontiff floors it, accelerating the limo to 205 kph... (Remember, the Pope is German..)

' Please slow down, Your Holiness! ' pleads the worried driver, but the Pope keeps the pedal to the metal until they hear sirens.

' Oh, dear God, I'm going to lose my license -- and my job!' moans the driver.

The Pope pulls over and rolls down the window as the cop approaches, but the cop takes one look at him, goes back to his motorcycle, and gets on the radio.

' I need to talk to the Chief, ' he says to the dispatcher.

The Chief gets on the radio and the cop tells him that he's stopped a limo going 155 kph.
' So bust him, ' says the Chief..

' I don't think we want to do that, he's really important, ' said the cop. The Chief exclaimed, ' All the more reason! '

' No, I mean really important, ' said the cop with a bit of persistence. The Chief then asked, ' Who do you have there, the mayor? '
Cop: ' Bigger. '

Chief: ' A senator? '
Cop: ' Bigger. '

Chief: ' The Prime Minister? '
Cop: ' Bigger. '

' Well, ' said the Chief, ' who is it? '
Cop: ' I think it's God! '

The Chief is even more puzzled and curious, ' What makes you think it's God? '
Cop: ' His chauffeur is the Pope! '

~*~*~
Give me a sense of humor, Lord,
Give me the grace to see a joke,
To get some humor out of life,
And pass it on to other folk.

See the picture...

The gentleman who drew this is Joe Castillo. He went to Asbury Theological Seminary.
He did this during a chapel service. It was fascinating - he told the Gospel story - each part of Jesus' life –
and he was drawing the story as he told the story.

We didn't realize until the end what the entire picture was. A rare talent!!!




The 'longer' you look at this picture, the 'more' you see.


Look at the lines the artist used to draw this picture of Christ...
It is of scenes from Christ's life.
I have not seen anything like this

Share this with a friend or two.
In the Circle of God's love, God's waiting to use your full potential.
May God Bless You and Yours!

MEN Only

MEN Only

by Brad Stine

My son is fifteen years old. For those of you that haven’t had the pleasure of raising a boy from infancy it’s really quite simple. You ‘re only role for the most part is to keep him from killing himself. Meanwhile he’ll be climbing anything he can find and searching for creative ways to break stuff. It’s also important to realize he’s fully convinced that he’s invincible which is the name of the game while being a boy who is becoming a young man.
Being a former boy myself none of this bothers me nor do I fret over it. My job as a dad is to guide my kids first through example and then through experience. I do this knowing full well that most of what I teach my child actually belongs more in the category of prophet than teacher. It basically works like this “ What I’m going to teach you is true, and it’s going to happen to you, but it isn’t going to be appreciated and accepted until after you do it yourself.”
We grow more from pain than pleasure and that’s just the deal. It’s almost like the only reason the parent is even there is for the satisfaction of being able to say I told you so. Trust me it’s a lot of fun because it makes me look like a genius when it comes to life lessons while the truth of the matter is I only know this stuff because I got to screw up first.
Another upside to being a dad to a boy/young man is it allows you to remember the unique male stuff that helped mold and create the one of a kind persona that is a man. This is stuff women cannot understand about us and quite frankly aren’t supposed to. God allows for gender specific attributes to remind boys to be sure they spend time with each other basking in the glow of knowledge that some sweet truths are only for us.
This brings up the topic I wanted to get to all along. It is something I have never seen written about a woman and thus makes it uniquely male. As a matter of fact if you are a woman reading this you need to stop now! I am about to enter a topic domain that is not for you and trust me, you are incapable of understanding without ridicule. The topic is of course, the fart. To a twelve year old boy on a sleep-over nothing is more salacious and culturally taboo then not only speaking of farts as often as possible but preferably working up a good ripe one to descend and overwhelm his buddies as proof of his superiority and masculinity.
What is uniquely common among the male species is that even though we laugh and mock any guy delivering a dreaded fart in our direction and we make sure he knows how putrid the smell is and how we despise it, when it emerges from our own nether regions it takes on somehow a sweet savor, an aromatic bouquet that only the connoisseur can truly appreciate. Kind of like a fine wine.
Farts for the most part smell the same. Boys know that for some reason though the smell emanating from someone else is horrid and putrid whereas the same substance coming with the same ferocity of fragrance is somehow not nearly as abhorrent when it’s our own. It’s kind of like sin I guess. I once heard the late Ed Cole make this interesting observation, “We tend to judge others by what they do, we judge ourselves by our intentions”.
That being said I’m here to tell you that I would recommend getting yourself a son at all costs. If you’re a mom I must forewarn you though it will come with a lot of angst, confusion and smells, which you will by no means understand. Then again you’re a woman, you’re not supposed to.

A little Biblical humor

It doesn't hurt to have a little Biblical humor to start the day. I know most of these are a bit cheesy, but that are still good.

Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth?
A. Ruthless.

Q. What do they call pastors in Germany?
A. German Shepherds.

Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
A. Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.

Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?
A. Pharaoh's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a
Little prophet.

Q. What kind of motor vehicles are in the Bible?
A. Jehovah drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden in a Fury. David 's Triumph
was heard throughout the land. Also, probably a Honda, because the apostles
were all in one Accord.

Q. Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible?
A. Samson . He brought the house down.

Q. What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no longer lived in in Eden?
A. Your mother ate us out of house and home.

Q. Which servant of God was the most flagrant lawbreaker in the Bible?
A. Moses. He broke all 10 commandments at once.

Q. Which area of Palestine was especially wealthy?
A. The area around Jordan . The banks were always overflowing.

Q. Who is the greatest babysitter mentioned in the Bible?
A. David He rocked Goliath to a very deep sleep.

Q. Which Bible character had no parents?
A. Joshua , son of Nun.

Q. Why didn't they play cards on the Ark?
A. Because Noah was standing on the deck.

PS... Did you know it's a sin for a woman to make coffee?
Yup, it's in the Bible. It says . . 'He-brews'


KEEP SMILING!!!! GOD LOVES YOU BUNCHES AND BUNCHES !!!!
Friends are God's way of taking care of us.

Wouldn’t these be fun!!

You remember driving the bumper cars at a fair, don't you? They were so much fun. Well, now what do you do with old Bumper Cars? (and check out the license plates!) WHO KNEW?



















Yes, you read that right; these little beasties are street legal. They run on either Kawasaki or Honda motorcycle engines and co-opt vintage bumper car bodies into the most awesome form of mini-car
we've seen in too long.

There are seven of these little monsters floating around California , and they're all the creation of one man, Tom Wright, a builder in the outskirts of San Diego who figured the leftovers of the Long Beach Pike amusement park needed a more dignified end than the trash heap.

They were originally powered by two cylinder Harley Davidson Motorcycle engines but they rattled like heck because of the two cylinder vibration and Tom replaces them with four cylinder Honda or Kawasaki

750's and capable of 160 MPH, which is terrifyingly fast in machines with such a short wheelbase.