Wed, May 10th - 7:35AM

Carl

 Carl was a quiet man.  He didn't talk much.  He would always greet you with a big smile and a firm handshake. Even after living in our neighborhood for over 50 years, no one could really say they knew him very well.  Before his retirement, he took the bus to work each morning.

The lone sight of him walking down the street often worried us.
He had a slight limp from a bullet wound received in WWII.
Watching him, we worried that although he had survived WWII, he may not make it through our changing uptown neighborhood with its ever-increasing random violence, gangs, and drug activity.

When he saw the flyer at our local church asking for volunteers for
caring for the gardens behind the Minister's residence, he responded
in his characteristically unassuming manner.
Without fanfare, he just signed up.

He was well into his 87th year when the very thing we had always
feared finally happened.  He was just finishing his watering for the day when three gang members approached him.

Ignoring their attempt to intimidate him, he simply asked, "Would you like a drink from the hose?"

The tallest and toughest-looking of the three said, "Yeah, sure," with a malevolent little smile.  As Carl offered the hose to him, the other two grabbed Carl's arm, throwing him down.

As the hose snaked crazily over the ground, dousing everything in its way, Carl's assailants stole his retirement watch and his wallet, and then fled. Carl tried to get himself up, but he had been thrown down on his bad leg.

He lay there trying to gather himself as the Minister came
running to help him. Although the Minister had witnessed the attack
from his window, he couldn't get there fast enough to stop it.
"Carl, are you okay? Are you hurt?" the Minister kept asking as he
helped Carl to his feet.

Carl just passed a hand over his brow and sighed, shaking his head.
"Just some punk kids. I hope they'll wise-up someday."

His wet clothes clung to his slight frame as he bent to pick up the hose. He adjusted the nozzle and started to water again. Confused and a little concerned, the Minister asked, "Carl, what are you doing?"

"I've got to finish my watering. It's been very dry lately," came the
calm reply. Satisfying himself that Carl really was all right, the
Minister could only marvel. Carl was a man from a different time and
place.

A few weeks later the three returned. Just as before, their threat
was unchallenged. Carl again offered them a drink from his hose.
This time, they didn't rob him. They wrenched the hose from his hand
and drenched him head to foot in the icy water. When they had
finished their humiliation of him, they sauntered off down the street, throwing catcalls and curses, falling over one another laughing at the hilarity of what they had just done.  Carl just watched them. Then he turned toward the warmth-giving sun,
picked up his hose, and went on with his watering.

The summer was quickly fading into fall. Carl was doing some tilling when he was startled by the sudden approach of someone behind him. He stumbled and fell into some evergreen branches. As he struggled to regain his footing, he turned to see the tall leader of his summer tormentors reaching down for him. He braced himself for the expected attack.

"Don't worry old man, I'm not gonna hurt you this time." The young
man spoke softly, still offering the tattooed and scarred hand to
Carl. As he helped Carl get up, the man pulled a crumpled bag from
his pocket and handed it to Carl.

"What's this?" Carl asked.

"It's your stuff," the man explained. "It's your stuff back. Even the
money in your wallet."

"I don't understand," Carl said. "Why would you help me now?"

The man shifted his feet, seeming embarrassed and ill at ease.

"I learned something from you," he said. "I ran with that gang and hurt people like you. We picked you because you were old and we knew we could do it. But every time we came and did something to you, instead of yelling and fighting back, you tried to give us a drink. You didn't hate us for hating you.� You kept showing love against our hate." He stopped for a moment. "I couldn't sleep after we stole your stuff, so here it is back." He paused for another awkward moment, not knowing what more there was to say. "That bag's my way of saying thanks for straightening me out, I guess." And with that, he walked off down the street.

Carl looked down at the sack in his hands and gingerly opened it. He
took out his retirement watch and put it back on his wrist.� Opening
his wallet, he checked for his wedding photo. He gazed for a moment
at the young bride that still smiled back at him from all those years
ago.

Carl died one cold day after Christmas that winter. Many people
attended his funeral in spite of the weather. In particular, the
Minister noticed a tall young man that he didn't know, sitting quietly in a distant corner of the church.

The Minister spoke of Carl's garden as a lesson in life. In a voice made thick with unshed tears, he said, "Do your best and make your garden as beautiful as you can.  We will never forget Carl and his garden."

The following spring another flyer went up. It read: "Person needed
to care for Carl's garden." The flyer went unnoticed by the busy
parishioners until one day when a knock was heard at the Minister's
office door. Opening the door, the Minister saw a pair of scarred and
tattooed hands holding the flyer.

"I believe this is my job, if you'll have me," the young man said.
The Minister recognized him as the same young man who had returned the stolen watch and wallet to Carl. He knew that Carl's kindness had
turned this man's life around.� As the Minister handed him the keys to the garden shed, he said, "Yes, go take care of Carl's garden and
honor him."

The man went to work and, over the next several years, he tended the
flowers and vegetables just as Carl had done. In that time, he went
to college, got married, and became a prominent member of the
community. But he never forgot his promise to Carl's memory and kept
the garden as beautiful as he thought Carl would have kept it.
One day, he approached the new Minister and told him that he couldn't
care for the garden any longer. He explained with a shy and happy
smile, "My wife just had a baby boy last night, and she's bringing him home on Saturday."

"Well, congratulations!" said the Minister, as he was handed the
garden shed keys. "That's wonderful! What's the baby's name?"

"Carl," he replied.

Tue, May 9th - 7:41AM

God Said No

God Said No

I asked God to take away my habit.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary
I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is learned.
I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.
I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares
and brings you closer to me.
I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.You must grow on your own! ,
but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.
I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God said...Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.
If you love God, send this to ten people and
back to the person that sent it.
THIS DAY IS YOURS DON'T THROW IT AWAY
May God Bless You,
"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you just might be the world"
"May the Lord Bless you and keep you,
May the Lord Make his face shine upon you,
and give you Peace.....Forever"
"Good friends are like stars...You don't always see them,
but you know they are always there

Wed, May 3rd - 7:48AM

Charles Schultz Philosophy

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point. 1

. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do? The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners .

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with .

Easier?

The lesson:  The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care . Pass this on to those people who have made a difference in your life. "Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia" (Charles Schultz).

Wed, May 3rd - 7:33AM

Noah's Ark

Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah's Ark

One: Don't miss the boat.

Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat.

Three : Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.

Four : Stay fit When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.

Five: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.

Six : Build your future on high ground.

Seven : For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

Eight: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

Nine : When you're stressed, float a while.

Ten : Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

Eleven: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting...

Pass this along and make someone else smile, too. -- May your troubles be less, may your blessings be more, and may nothing but happiness come through your door!

Tue, May 2nd - 8:14AM

God Bless All

You never know when God is going to bless you!! Good things happen when you least expect them to !!!!!!!!

Dear Lord, I thank You for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now for Your forgiveness. Please keep me safe from all danger and harm.

Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You. Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things. Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over.

And It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits.

I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will. Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak... Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those that will delete this without sharing it with others. I pray for those that don't believe.

But I thank you that I believe. I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met. I  pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight.

I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees
it.

God Bless!!!!!!!!!!! Just repeat this phrase and see how God moves!!

God

I love you and I need you, come into my heart, please. Don't ignore and God will bless you.