My Heart to Yours

(Got this in an e-mail today… thought I would pass it on to you. Enjoy!)

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:

1) No matter how hard you try, you can’t baptize cats.
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don’t let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don’t hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can’t trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don’t sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don’t wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you’re sad is Grandpa’s lap.

GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:

1) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don’t hurt.
3) Families are like fudge…mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
4) Today’s mighty oak is just yesterday’s nut that held its ground.
5) Laughing is good exercise. It’s like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fibre, not the toy.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD

1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you’re down there.
4) You’re getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5) It’s frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
6) Time may be a great healer, but it’s a lousy beautician.
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:

1) You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don’t believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa Claus.

At age 4 success is . . . not peeing in your pants.
At age 12 success is . . . having friends.
At age 17 success is . . . having a drivers license.
At age 35 success is . . . having money.
At age 50 success is . . . having money.
At age 70 success is . . . having a drivers license.
At age 75 success is . . . having friends.
At age 80 success is . . . not peeing in your pants.

THE BLOOD

One night in a church service a young woman felt the tug of God at her heart.

She responded to God’s call and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

The young woman had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs, and prostitution.

But, the change in her was evident. As time went on she became a faithful member of the church.

She eventually became involved in the ministry, teaching young children.

It was not very long until this faithful young woman had caught the eye and heart of the pastor’s son.

The relationship grew and they began to make wedding plans.

This is when the problems began.

You see, about one half of the church did not think that a woman with a past such as hers was suitable for a pastor’s son.

The church began to argue and fight about the matter.

So they decided to have a meeting.

As the people made their arguments and tensions increased, the meeting was getting completely out of hand.

The young woman became very upset about all the things being brought up about her past.

As she began to cry the pastor’s son stood to speak.

He could not bear the pain it was causing his wife to be. He began to speak and his statement was this:

“My fiancee’s past is not what is on trial here.

What you are questioning is the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin.

Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial. So, does it wash away sin or not?”

The whole church began to weep as they realized that they had been slandering the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Too often, even as Christians, we bring up the past and use it as a weapon against our brothers and sisters.

Forgiveness is a very foundation part of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If the blood of Jesus does not cleanse the other person completely then it cannot cleanse us completely.

If that is the case, then we are all in a lot of trouble.

What can wash away my sins?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus! End of case!!!!

“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

Psalm 55:23

FIRST CORINTHIANS 13
CHRISTMAS VERSION
(paraphrased)

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows,
strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls,
but do not show love to my family,
I’m just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen,
baking dozens of Christmas cookies,
preparing gourmet meals
and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime,
but do not show love to my family,
I’m just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen,
carol in the nursing home
and give all that I have to charity,
but do not show love to my family,
It profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels
and crocheted snowflakes,
attend a myriad of holiday parties
and sing in the choir’s cantata,
but do not focus on Christ,
I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn’t envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.
Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can’t.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.

Video games will break,
pearl necklaces will be lost,
golf clubs will rust…
But giving the gift of love will endure.
You can give without loving
but you cannot love without giving.
Merry Christmas!

TOP TEN PREDICTIONS FOR 2008
>
> 1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
> 2. Prayer will still work.
> 3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
> 4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
> 5. There will still be God-anointed preaching..
> 6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
> 7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
> 8. There will still be room at the Cross
> 9. Jesus will still love you.
> 10. Jesus will still save the lost.

At first glance, joy and happiness are quite similar; they are after-all emotions we generally associate as being positive and desirable (producing such behaviors has laughter, tears, smiles and awe). However, differences do exist. With that said, it is important to note that despite these differences, joy and happiness are not in competition with one another.

Happiness is defined by Webster as good fortune or luck. ‘You’re happy and you know it’ when you get a good grade on a history paper or even witness the game winning touchdown with two seconds to spare. Joy, on the other hand, is defined as a state or well-being of pleasure or delight. Joy relates to more meaningful experiences in our life. For example: at Christmas we sing about ‘comfort and joy’ and ‘joy to the world’; friends, family or pets may ‘bring you joy’ (warm fuzzy memories too); and we also know that “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Based on this, we can gather that happiness is dependant upon circumstance, whereas joy exists in spite of whatever is going on around us. This is essentially the main difference between the two. As a result, we can also say that happiness is produced externally (based on this happening around us), whereas joy is a result of what’s happening on the inside.

So how do you tell if someone is happy or joyful? Happy people tend to wear smiles, laugh more easily, and can be identified as being in a good mood. Joy can also produce these affects; however, joy (our emotional well-being) is associated with behaviors of greater intensity. Joy is not based on whether or not I an elected class president, get accepted into my first choice college, or even whether or not I have a boyfriend. Read the following versus and guess the theme (a common idea):

Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD. [Psalm 27:6]

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. [Psalm 28:7]

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy. [Psalm 30:11]

Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. [Psalm 33:1]

Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God. [Psalm 43:4]

Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. [Psalm 47:1]

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. [Psalm 51:12]

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. [Psalm 95:1]

Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. [Psalm 100:2]

The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. [Isaiah 51:11]

What do praising, worshiping, shouting, dancing and an offering have in common? They are simply the outward appearance of joy - our emotional well-being, something that cannot be taken away.

What about you? How do you identify with both happiness and joy?