Fwd: Sunday it is the truth OT

[Guest guest]

Don't Dance So Fast

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Have you ever watched kids

On a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain

Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?

Or gazed at the sun of the fading night?

You'd better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Do you run through each day

On the fly?

When you ask How are you?

Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done

Do you lie in your bed

With the next hundred chores

Running through your head?

You'd better slow down

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Ever told your child,

We'll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste,

Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,

Let a good friendship die

Cause you never had time

To call and say hi

You'd better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere

You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,

It is like an unopened gift....

Thrown away.

Life is not a race.

Do take it slower

Hear the music

Before the song is over.

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Not too long ago I had " one of those days. " I was feeling pressure from

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I had company arriving in a couple days and the toilet was clogged.

I went to the bank, and the trainee teller processing my deposit had to

start over three times.

I swung by the supermarket to pick up a few things and the lines were

serpentine.

By the time I got home, I was frazzled and sweaty and in a hurry to get

something on the table for dinner.

Deciding on 's Cream of Mushroom soup, I grabbed a can opener,

cranked open the can, then remembered I had forgotten to buy

milk at the store.

Nix the soup idea.

Setting the can aside, I went to plan B, which were leftover baked

beans.

I grabbed the Tupperware container from the fridge, popped the seal,

took a look and groaned.

My husband isn't a picky eater, but even HE won't eat baked beans that

look like caterpillars.

Really frustrated now, I decided on a menu that promised to be as

foolproof as it is nutrition-free: hot dogs and potato chips.

Retrieving a brand new bag of chips from the cupboard, I grabbed the

cellophane and gave a hearty pull. The bag didn't open.

I tried again. Nothing happened. I took a breath, doubled my muscle, and

gave the bag a hearty wrestle.

With a loud pop, the cellophane suddenly gave way, ripping wide from top

to bottom.

Chips flew sky high. I was left holding the bag, and it was empty.

It was the final straw. I let out a blood-curdling scream.

" I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! " My husband heard my unorthodox cry for help.

Within minutes he was standing at the doorway to the kitchen, where he

surveyed the damage: an opened can of soup, melting groceries,

moldy baked beans, and one quivering wife standing ankle deep in potato

chips.

My husband did the most helpful thing he could think of at the moment.

He took a flying leap, landing flat-footed in the pile of chips.

And then he began to stomp and dance and twirl, grinding those chips

into my linoleum in the process!

I stared.

I fumed.

Pretty soon I was working to stifle a smile.

Eventually I had to laugh.

And finally I decided to join him. I, too, took a leap onto the chips.

And then I danced.

Now I'll be the first to admit that my husband's response wasn't the one

I was looking for.

But the truth is, it was exactly what I needed.

I didn't need a cleanup crew as much as I needed an attitude adjustment,

and the laughter from that rather funky moment provided just that.

So now I have a question for you, and it's simply this: Has God ever

stomped on your chips?

I know that, in my life, there have been plenty of times when I've

gotten myself into frustrating situations and I've cried out for help,

all the

while hoping God would show up with a celestial broom and clean up the

mess.

What often happens instead is that God dances on my chips, answering my

prayer in a completely different manner than I had expected, but in

the manner that is best for me after all.

Sometimes I can see right away that God's response was the best one

after all.

Sometimes I have to wait weeks or months before I begin to understand

how and why God answered a particular prayer the way he did.

There are even some situations that, years later, I'm still trying to

understand.

I figure God will fill me in sooner or later, either this side of Heaven

or beyond.

Do I trust Him?

Even when he's answering my prayers in a way that is completely

different from my expectations?

Even when he's dancing and stomping instead of sweeping and mopping?

Can I embrace what He's offering?

Can I let His joy adjust my attitude?

Am I going to stand on the sidelines and sulk, or am I willing to learn

the steps of the dance he's dancing' with my needs in mind?

I'll be honest with you: Sometimes I sulk. Sometimes I dance.

I'm working on doing more of the latter than the former.

I guess the older I get the more I realize that He really does know what

He's doing. He loves me and I can trust

Him.

Even when the chips are down.

Author Unknown

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THE SMALL TREE

I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after

he had just finished a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made

him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit and his ancient

one ton truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in

stony silence.

On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked

toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching

the tips of the branches with both hands.

When opening the door he underwent an amazing

transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he

hugged his two small children

and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my

curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen

him do earlier.

Oh, that's my trouble tree, " he replied. " I know I can't help having

troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't

belong in the

house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them up on

the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care

of them.

Then in the morning I pick them up again.

Funny thing is, " he smiled, " when I come out in the morning to

pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging

up the night

before. "

THIS ONE IS WORTH SENDING ON..

God Bless, Have A Blessed Day!!!

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Now I lay me down to sleep.

I pray the Lord my shape to keep.

Please no wrinkles, please no bags -

And, please lift my butt before it sags.

Please no age spots, please no gray -

And, as for my belly, please take it away.

Please keep me healthy, please keep me young -

And, thank you Dear Lord for all that you've done!

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Does anyone want the recipe for Kitty Litter Cake? If I get a few

requests for it, I'll put it in one of my daily musing.

Dex