FROM A to Z

A woman was sitting on her house bench. She was looking at people who were wandering in front of her house. She wondered, were these people ever heard about Christ.

She knew that she's just ordinary woman. She's not a preacher or a pastor. She's not a church activist, but she did love God. Realizing that she's getting older everyday, she decided to do something in order to make other people knew about God. She knew that she has a phone book and a telephone, and she realized that she could tell about God through those objects.

She started to call name by name according to the alphabet order in the phone book. She called about twenty people everyday, introducing her name to them, and ask them whether they had ever heard about Jesus or not. Through the telephone, she testified what God had done in her life, His love, His kindness, and she prayed for those who faced problems. She did get refusal from some people, but it didn't stop her to call everyday. From A to Z, she diligently called people and told them about Christ.

Even though she's not a preacher, but her diligence bore fruit. Hundreds of people knew Jesus and finally accepted Him as God and Savior. It only happened through a telephone and a book phone, and a faithful woman.

It's truly exciting when we tell people about God. We declare His kindness, we declare His greatness, and they response us by accepting Him, is truly a wonderful life. We don't have to be a preacher to do it, we can be whatever we are. Just like the anonymous woman above, we can speak about Christ through telephone, through letters, words, even life. As long as we do it for God's sake, I believe that God has His favor over us. And never be disappointed when people reject us, for only God who can draw someone's heart to Him and only Him who knows those who will accept and believe Him. Just be God's hands in reaching for souls.

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ISN'T TOO HIGH TO GAIN

In a small house in the border of Ohio, lived a poor widow with her only eighteen months son. The boy grew up and within a few years, he had to cut trees and planted a small piece of land owned by his mother in the wood. Even though he had to work in a very young age, he still spent a little time to study. He used every minute to read books he borrowed (for he had no money to buy them).

When he was sixteen, he worked gladly as a (donkey) shepherd along the canal. He then took a new job as a cleaning service at school to pay his school fee.

In the first year at Geanga Seminarie, he only received $ 17. So he worked for a carpenter for $ 1 a week. He would work at night, he would work at holiday, and he would come on Saturday to receive 1 dollar and 2 cents. In the next winter, he got $ 12 for teaching.

It didn't take too long for him to finally study at William College and graduate as a doctor with cumlaude predicate. He was 26 years old when he became the United States Senator. Seven years later, he became the congressman. James A. Garfield finally became President of the United States.

Who ever thought that his past would lead James A. Garfield to be the number one person in the United States. For some people it is an impossible thing. They who come from poor families or experience other bitter childhoods may never dare to dream as a president. But, what has President Garfield undergone gives us a courage to dream big, to hope for the best, to achieve for the best.

God also wants the best thing for us. That's why we should never stop dreaming for nothing is impossible.

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SAD CLOWN

There was a clown at a park. Its funny face made every child who saw it laughed. Its funny style made every person who passed by smiled. Of course, that is what a clown do, to make other people happy. Of course, that was what this clown tried to do, to make other people joyful.

After working, the clown went to a public rest room to change and clean his make up. He was very different without his costume and make up. He looked so sad. When he went out, a father and his daughter approached him. Without recognizing the man, the father asked, "Excuse me, Sir. Do you see a clown around this park? My daughter really wants to meet him and see his attraction." With a tired and full of burden face, the man answered, "I am the clown."

Note:

True joy and happiness can only be seen in its nature, purity, heavenly nature. People can tell others that they are joyful, that they are happy, but it won't last forever; it will be easily gone when trouble and problem comes. Even a clown can hide his sadness through costume and make up, but that is not the real joy and happiness.

God wants us to be joyful always, no matter what our condition is. See... He wants "always/eternal/everlasting" joy, not the fake one. Such kind of joy (everlasting joy) can not be made up. Such kind of joy can only be gained from God.

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SMILE!!!

People often think that the greatest gifts are the expensive and rare ones, but I don't think so. We can always give priceless gift at all days in our life. What is that? It is smile. Smile is the easiest and cheapest kindness we can give to others. Believe it or not, but smile can even transform hatred into love.

There are two people who live as neighbors. Their houses are not too far but they haven't known each other. One of them is a christian who loves to go to church, and each time she goes to church, she will pass her neighbor's house.

Without obvious reason, her neighbor didn't like her. It was expressed every time they met. The neighbor would always give a strange look and a way face. This christian never dared to ask why her neighbor did so. All she did was praying and asking God what should she do. One day she woke up with something in her mind. She decided to smile. She thought that smiling was a free and positive thing to do and she believed that it would make her neighbor's attitude changed over her.

Since that day, this christian always smiles to the neighbor. It didn't show any positive result at first, but in the next days, she finds that her strategy works, her neighbor starts to smile too. Now, they have a good relationship.

We can be God's hand in order to bless people through little things. You don't have to do dramatic or awesome things to attract them; just do something simple, as smiling.

Smile and the world will smile with you.

The world can't always make you smile,

but each time you smile, the world will also smile.

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THE MAN AND HIS WIFE

A man worked as a teacher in a remote area. He decided to become a teacher because he loved kids and he wanted to share his knowledge to children in such areas. His dream was to produce children who could lift their village through their knowledge learned at school. He lived with her wife and she supported him in everything he did, including becoming a teacher.

The school where he taught was far from his house. How did he go there everyday? He would walk for several miles through woods, fields, and small river for there were no public transportation there. When it was rainy season, he would face muddied and slippery road, and bigger flow of the river. The school was also a very ordinary school where he worked almost all of the school stuff by himself. He cleaned, he painted, he fixed the roof, he prepared the school materials, and many more. But, he did it earnestly, because he believed that someday his students would succeed.

One day, because of being too tired, the man got sick. He was paralyzed. He couldn't walk or go to school, and he was so sad knowing that he couldn't teach anymore. Seeing his husband wished to teach again badly, she wanted to do something for him. She then carried the man on her back, to and from school, and she did it everyday without complaining.

The man taught again, but he couldn't help seeing his wife did things like that everyday. She woke up earlier, prepared everything for the family, yet she still had to carry him to school. Finally, the man had a plan to make her wife asked for a divorce. He was angry all the time without obvious reasons. His wife was upset, and clearly triggered to be angry too. She then agreed for her husband request for a divorce. But, beyond his imagination, his ex wife didn't let him just like that. She kept carrying him to and from school everyday.

Note:

This story is truly inspiring. A man with his dedication and a woman with her loyalty; two things that are definitely hard to find these days. If people know one thing called love, they should see dedication and loyalty too in it, because love is not love without these two things.

We also have the most perfect example of dedication and loyalty, it is Jesus. And His story is the most inspiring story in eternity. Let's us learn about love, dedication, and loyalty from Him.

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LOVE IN A WALLET

Do you have a wallet? I believe that most of you do have it. Does it have a picture/photo pocket? I'm sure it does, and I'm sure you've used it, haven't you? Well, whose photo is the one in your wallet, especially in the front one? I solemnly think that it is someone very important to you, isn't it?

It's a very common thing when someone keeps somebody's picture (or maybe something's picture) inside of his wallet. It probably the picture of his wive, her husband, his family, his children, his girlfriend, or perhaps, his pet, his house, his own picture... Whoever or whatever picture in it, it somehow reflects someone's love for the person/thing in the picture. By doing so, someone also wants to keep connected to the one in the picture, although they are away apart.

Our heart is just like the wallet, we keep important things inside (our treasure, our longing/dreams, our loved ones). Because we always have the wallet with us, we know we can keep our loved ones' picture in it. The question is, whose picture is it?

My friend and teacher once said, "When someone hasn't got a girlfriend, he keeps his family's picture in his wallet. But wait until he gets a girlfriend. I'm sure he'll replace the picture with her girlfriend's (or at least put the old one behind the new one."

Well, it does make sense now. If we think that God is the important one for us, we'll keep His image in our heart. And if someone/something else steals that priority, the Image is replaced. God is no longer the important one, but someone/something else.

We know that God always wants to be the only one for us, but it is our choice to make Him the one or not. If He weren't God of love, I believe that He would force us to make Him the one. But no... He doesn't do it. He gives us a free will to choose Him and the world, because He loves us. Even when we don't choose Him, He waits us to do it, when we have realize His importance in our love. Now, will us keep His picture in our "wallet"?

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THE 7 WORLD WONDERS

A teacher gave an assignment to her students, “Kids, your job is to write the 7 World Wonders that you all know. Write them in a piece of paper!” Right before the bell rang, all students moved forward to submit their answers enthusiastically, except a stolid little girl; she was hesitantly submitting her paper.

That night, the teacher was cross checking her students’ papers to grade them. Even though the order was written differently, most students listed these 7 World Wonders: (1) Pyramid; (2) Taj Mahal; (3) The Great Wall of China; (4) Pisa Tower; (5) Angkor Temple; (6) Eiffel Tower; and (7) Parthenon Temple. Almost all papers have been checked and the answers were not far away different; just written in random order.

Yet, she then startled while she was reading the last paper owned by the taciturn girl. She gave a very different 7 World Wonder list compared to her friends: (1) Able to see; (2) Able to hear; (3) Able to touch; (4) Able to taste; (5) Able to laugh; (6) Able to love; (7) Able to be loved.

The little girl version of those 7 World Wonders left the teacher in silence. She kept all her students’ papers, bowed her head, and prayed. She thanked for a silent little girl in her class who has taught her great truth.

It doesn’t have to go around the world to see world wonders, all those wonders are very close to us; they are around us ... next to us ... in us.

Note:

You might have another different version of the first and the second 7 World Wonders I have mentioned and it's okay since it is not the main point. The point is be grateful for everything we have today.

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