You Are Blessed!

YOU ARE BLESSED

- Author Unknown -

If you own just one Bible, you are abundantly blessed one-third of the world does not have access to even one.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than a million who will not survive the week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of five million people around the world.

If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest or torture of death, you are more blessed that almost three billion people in the world.

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.

If your parents are still married and alive, you are very rare.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you can hold someone’s hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer God’s healing touch.

If you prayed yesterday and today, you are in the minority because you believe in God’s willingness to hear and answer prayer.

If you believe in Jesus as the Son of God, you are part of a very small minority in the world.

If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read anything at all.

The Only Disability In Life Is A Bad Attitude

Man Anonymously Buys Couple Dinner & What Happens Next Is Unbelievable

When it comes to memorable meals, this one is difficult to beat. It all began when a young couple was out for dinner in Boston about three years ago. They were young, in love, and it showed.

According to Richard Branson, who tells the tale on his blog at Virgin.com, a generous man by the name of Pankaj Shah was dining there as well. He had the wonderful habit of anonymously paying for people's meals when he was dining out. On that particular night, he asked restaurant staff to find "the couple who looked most in love."

They did, and Shah went on about his way, probably never giving them too much more thought beyond hopes that they enjoyed the meal. But when he returned to Boston three years later, something really amazing happened.   Read the whole story here.

Pizza Chain Makes Special Delivery for Soldier in Afghanistan

Army National Guard Maj. Shawn Fulker is thousands of miles away serving in Afghanistan, and when his wife's birthday came around, he decided he wanted to do something very special.

Josephine Fulker loves Mellow Mushroom pizza, so her husband emailed Mellow Mushroom's corporate website on Thursday to ask whether one of the company's Jacksonville stores could deliver a pizza and a $50 gift card to his wife at their Jacksonville, Fla., home. If they could, he said, he would call the store and pay for it with his credit card.

Mellow Mushroom did one better. Unbeknownst to Shawn Fulker, a local Mellow Mushroom franchise was working to make his request even more memorable.  Read The rest of the story here.

Tennessee Homecoming King Nominees Give Crown to Another Teen

Students Jesse Cooper, Drew Gibbs and Zeke Grissom were all nominated for homecoming king at Community High School's basketball homecoming ceremony.

The teens got together and decided that the winner would turn over the honor to junior Scotty Maloney, who has Williams Syndrome, a neurological disorder that inhibits learning and speech.  Read more about this amazing moment by clicking here.

Dad Uses Shop Vac To Make Daughter's Pony tail

This Website Creates A Recipe From Random Items In Your Fridge.

It's called "My Fridge Food." Try it and see what you come up with.

How Not To Read Your Bible In 2013

What a great article. Have you fallen into any of the traps it lists? Set yourself up for success this year with a realistic plan on getting into God's word.

What Bullying Really Does To A Child

A teacher in New York was teaching her class about bullying and gave them the following exercise to perform...

The teacher had the children take a piece of paper, crumple it up, stamp on it, and really mess it up, but she instructed them not to not rip it.

Then she had them unfold the paper, smooth it out, and look at how scarred and dirty is was. She then told the children to tell their piece of paper that they’re sorry. Now, even though they said they were sorry and tried to fix the paper, their apology couldn't repair the scars and marks. The teacher told her students that those scars and marks will never go away no matter how hard they tried to fix it.

That is what happens when a child bullies another child. They may say they’re sorry, but the scars are there forever.

The looks on the faces of the children in the classroom told her the message hit home. Pass it on or, better yet, if you're a parent or a teacher, try this lesson with your children.

Marines Help A Young Boy Finish A Triathlon

Warning! It's a tear jerker! Read about 11-year-old Ben Baltz of Valparaiso, Florida being carried across the finish line here.

“GOALS FOR DANIEL” PROGRAM WILL RAISE MONEY FOR PERRY HALL RESIDENT DANIEL BOROWY

“GOALS FOR DANIEL” PROGRAM WILL RAISE MONEY FOR PERRY HALL RESIDENT DANIEL BOROWY 

The Baltimore Blast announced today that the team has partnered with the family of Daniel Borowy to create the “Goals for Daniel” program to raise money for medical costs for Daniel Borowy, the 17-year-old victim of the Perry Hall High School shooting that took place on August 27.  Borowy, who underwent three surgeries after the shooting, has recently returned home to continue his recovery.

Goals for Daniel will kick off on October 13 with a soccer marathon at Honeygo Regional Park from 2-6 p.m.  Soccer players, students and members of the Perry Hall community and the surrounding areas will raise money for their participation in small-sided 6 vs. 6 soccer games. All proceeds from the soccer marathon will go directly to the Borowy family.  The soccer marathon will also feature a small-sided game between Blast players and participants from the Allied Sports Program.

Click here for more information on how to participate or to donate money to the fundraiser.

10 Ways To Pray While Waiting To Work

These are some great ideas to get connected with God before you start your life at work each day.   They are from our friends at Proverbs 31 Ministries.

Single and Overwhelmingly Loved

Sometimes, being single and having a Facebook account doesn't mesh for me.

For the most part, I can handle seeing the engagement announcements, the pictures of the sparkly ring on the left hand, the pictures of the new bride and groom, the sonogram pictures, the happy family pictures, etc.

And then there are times when I can't handle it.

I suppose it's no different for the man or woman who is struggling in their marriage who sees their friends post seemingly happy pictures of their marriage. Or the couple struggling with infertility and feels heartache when seeing pictures of their friends/family having fun with their children. Or the jobless man or woman being reminded daily that they don't have a job by their friends' incessant whining about the job they have but hate.

At the root of all these feelings, I think, are the opposites of contentment: jealousy and fear. Jealousy of what others have that I don't; fear that I won't ever get the things I want the most.

Instead of being content where God has me and the opportunities He's given me, there are times when I can't stop focusing on the opportunities He HASN'T given me.

I try hard to drive in the lane that God has me in, but every now and then I have the tendency to get over into someone else's lane. And when I do that, I crash. Big time.

No surprise there.

And so when I crash and burn, I do what I usually do... I go for a "therapeutic walk" have it out with God. I tell Him how I feel. I regroup. I apologize for my ingratitude. I thank God for the joys and successes He's bringing into my friends' lives. I thank Him for the story He's writing in my own life. I ask Him for patience as I read the story He's writing for me. I also ask Him to help me not to jump ahead and make conclusions about the chapters I haven't read yet.

God knows, at the heart of my discontentment, is that I just want to be loved and feel love. I want to be singled out by someone's love for me.

"You know what I long for, Lord; you hear my every sigh." Psalm 38:9

And so God, ever knowing and ever patient and ever kind and ever loving towards me, singles me out and shows me how much He loves me. Not because He has to. But because He wants to. Because He loves me.

When He goes to such great lengths to create a leaf shaped heart and drop it on the sidewalk in the perfect place for me to see like he did last night...

When He takes two little twigs and arranges them perfectly on the sidewalk in the shape of a cross, making sure that I'm looking down at the exact moment to see it, like He did for me last night...

...how can I not know that I'm loved? How can I not feel loved? A heart... the perfect example of feel-good-squishy-kind-of-love. A cross... the perfect example of sacrificial love. "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." - Romans 5:8

God does give us the desires of our heart; sometimes, it's just in ways we don't expect. But isn't that the fun of a relationship? Being surprised by your loved one with tangible expressions of love in ways and at times when you least expect it?

I'm no different from my engaged/married friends. They have someone to surprise them with sweet gifts and reminders of their love. I always appreciate it when my Someone takes time to surprise me too... and He literally moves heaven and earth to do it!

-- Erin


PS - If you're married or have a special someone and haven't surprised that someone with a gift in their "love language" in a while, would you do that for me today?

Farmer Plants Heart-Shaped Meadow

It is a touching tribute where a devoted farmer painstakingly planted a tribute to his late wife. Read the whole story here.

Awesome Gift A Dad Gives To His Daughter

Read the story of how  Bryan Martin gave his daughter, for graduation, a copy of  Dr. Seuss' "Oh, The Places You'll Go!"   Inside, the pages are filled with notes and encouragement from each of Brenna's teachers, principals and coaches.  Here is the cool thing.  Her dad asked them to write down them down at the end of every school year for the last 13 school years since kindergarten!  Way to go Dad!

A Selfless Act From A Teen Runner

They Are Watching You

Today I was talking about how I almost lost my cool at the store the other night. I felt I wasn't getting a "fair shake" with my transaction. Anyway, as I could feel my anger rising and I was getting ready to spew a little venom but a still small voice spoke and said "Don't get angry. It's not their fault and it is not going to help the situation." I know that wasn't a voice that came from me. I knew it was my Creator reminding me that we are all his children and that we are all to be treated like we want to be treated. I walked away and happened to catch a glimpse of the my shirt. It boldly had the logo of my church plastered on the front of it. Thank you God for gently reminding me that people are ALWAYS watching us when we say we are Jesus lovers.

Take a look at this article that goes a little further.

Jack

Highest Detailed Photo Of Earth Ever Taken

How amazing.   A Russian satellite captured this image of earth with a 121 megapixel camera.  God knocked it out the park wouldn't you say?  See more images and read the full story here.

Child With Cerebral Palsy Welcomes Home Marine Dad By Walking to Him for the First Time

Here's a sweet video of a military dad who dresses up as Captain America to surprise his son. Just try to watch this without getting a little misty!


 


 And here's another video Jack loved of these dogs saying grace before mealtime.