Twinkies and Root Beer

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of Root Beer and he started his journey.
When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons.
The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.
The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.
Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.
As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?

"He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? God's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked," Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"
He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added," You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!
~author unknown~

Cookies

I know, strange name for a post. You’ll get it by the end. Casey made cookies Saint Pattie's day to give to the people in assistant living, and so did Tori. When we went to Tori's to package the cookies, it struck me how different all the batches turned out. So yeah......

What defines a cookie?

Its shape?

Its size?

Its color?

Nonsense, right?A cookie is a cookie, no matter what
Shape,

Size,

Or color.

But each cookie has its own purpose.

Maybe it’s looks,

Or it just tastes good.

Whatever the case, cookies are always made to fulfill a certain purpose. No matter what shape, size, or color.

Now let’s take a look at Christians……

We come in all shapes,

Sizes,

Colors,

Ages,

And denominations.

Even with all of our differences, we are apart of the same body,

and we worship the one true God.

We learn more about Him in His number one best seller,

Pray to Him,

And believe in Him.

Can you imagine how boring it would be if we were all the same, like we were a bunch of robots?

God Made us different on purpose, But He wants us to use our differences to glorify Him.

Ephesians 3:10 says, 'His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.....'

I don't see him mentioning any specific denomination, did you?

Anyways, just as it said there, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known. So lets get going cookies! Err... I mean.... Church.

SAY WHAT!!!

Alright, this one is kind of scary, but one of the most amazing things I think has ever happened to me. Anyways, I was working Thursday. I wasn't having a very good day, so I was kind of looking forward to closing. But five minutes to closing, two big groups of people came in (grr). So instead of sweeping and getting ready to close up, I was back in the kitchen doing dishes. So here I am, totally ticked off, and totally angry at the world. I mean, really angry. That's when a voice, clear as day, and louder than my own thoughts, yelled at me, in the back of my head, and said, "WHY ARE YOU BEING SO NEGATIVE!" That one sent chills down my spine. It was like God had just hit me over the head with the frying pan I was washing. But in that moment, it made me stop (I mean, it literally made me freeze right where I was) and think. That's when I realized that I had so much to be thankful for! And I was sitting there pouting? I had to take a moment to thank God, and apologize. Immediately after that (literally), my day brightened up. I realized how great the day was actually going. By the end of Thursday, I was amazed at how great my day was. I had to thank God again. So I wanted to say, no mater how bad it seems your day is going today, look for the little blessings, and maybe you'll see that they were the big ones. God Bess!
- Taylor*

A Little Bit More Than Smoldering

             My sister and I couldn’t be more opposite when it comes to weather. She loves it cold, and I love it hot. So it would be no surprise that while Casey and Connor were out playing in the snow, I was sitting next to a nice comfy fire… O yes, just me, my fuzzy slippers, a book, in a comfy chair, next to a nice roaring fire.
             Now starting a fire isn’t easy (that’s why we let our dad do it). So once Poppa has it started, we have to keep it going. Periodically throwing a log on it, or fetching firewood from outside (in the nasty cold). If you neglect it, it begins to smolder, die out, and get cold.
             Now here’s my question: What fire are you feeding on the inside? Are you feeding hatred, bitterness, or selfishness? Or do you feed love, forgiveness, kindness? How much time do you take to read God’s word, or pray to Him? It all comes back down to the heart issue. When you read the Bible, you're feeding that fire in your heart. When you neglect your fire, well, it smolders and begins to die. Thankfully God doesn't forget us even when we forget Him, and it just takes one step to get back to Him. I like to think of Him as the one who starts the fire and helps us keep it going. God could have made us like robots, but he didn't! It's our choice to worship Him or not. In other words, we have to step aside (take the time) to let Him throw the log on it. Lets pray that our heavenly Poppa keeps our fire alive! Lets stay in His word, and keep praying.

- Taylor*
               Ephesians 5:13-20 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead be filled with the spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.