Handmaidens - Extra Blessings

Extra Blessings	Topics
More Church "Signs" "It is unlikely there'll be a reduction in the wages of sin." "Do not wait for the hearse to take you to church." "If you're headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns." "This is a ch_ _ ch. What is missing? - (U R)" "In the dark? Follow the Son." "Running low on faith? Step in for a fill-up."	Cover Page Christian Comedy Education Essays, etc. Home Marriage Stewardship Parenting Poetry/Art Sites to See Work Extra

Visit From A Son
Submitted by Ruth Parkinson

A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside. "Your son is here," she said to the old man. She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened. Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent.

He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement. The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed.

All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile. He refused.

Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.

Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.

Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.

Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her. "Who was that man?" he asked. The nurse was startled, "He was your father" she answered.

"No, he wasn't," the Marine replied. "I never saw him before in my life."

"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?"

"I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn't here. When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me. I stayed."

The next time someone needs you...be there. Stay. You'll be glad you did. We are not human beings going through a temporary spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings going through a temporary human experience.

Clay Balls
Submitted by Cathy Hollingsworth

A man was exploring caves by the seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could. He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone! Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left. Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away! It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it. We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person. There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth. May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them.

Television

On the table side by side,
the Holy Bible and the T.V. Guide.

One is well worn but cherished with pride;
not the Bible, the T.V. Guide.

One is used daily to help them decide;
no, it isn't the Bible, it's the T.V. Guide.

As pages are turned, what shall we see?
It doesn't matter, turn on the T.V.

Confusion reigns; they can't all agree
on what they should watch on the old T.V.

So, they open the book in which they confide;
no, not the Bible, the T.V. Guide.

The Word of God is seldom read,
maybe a verse as they fall into bed.

Exhausted and sleepy, and as tired as can be,
not from reading the Bible, but from watching T.V.

So then back to the table, side by side,
the Holy Bible and the T.V. Guide.

No time for prayer, no time for the Word;
the plan of salvation is seldom heard.

Yet, forgiveness of sins, so full and so free,
is found in the Bible, not on T.V.

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