Some Things Just Don't Go Together

Despite what you may have seen on the streets, the following combinations DO NOT go together:


~ A nose ring and bifocals.

~ Spiked hair and bald spots.

~ A pierced tongue and dentures.

~ Miniskirts and support hose.

~ Ankle bracelets and corn pads.

~ Speedo's and cellulite.

~ A belly button ring and a gall bladder surgery scar.

~ Unbuttoned disco shirts and a heart monitor.

~ Midriff shirts and a midriff bulge.

~ Bikinis and liver spots.

~ Short shorts and varicose veins.

~ Inline skates and a walker.


But otherwise, WE'RE LOOKIN' GOOD!

The Cracked Pot

A water bearer had two large pots, each hung on the end of a long pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and one-half pots full of water to her master's house.

Of course the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and was miserable that it was only able to accomplish half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

"I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

"Why?" Asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half of my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in her compassion she said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But, at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half of its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years, I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

Each of us has our own unique flaws. We are all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, the Lord will use our flaws to grace His Father's table. In God's great economy, nothing goes to waste.

So, as we seek ways to minister together, and as God calls you to the tasks He has appointed for you, don't be afraid of your flaws.

Can God Use You?

The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember...

Noah was a drunk;

Abraham was too old;

Isaac was a daydreamer;

Jacob was a liar;

Leah was ugly;

Joseph was abused;

Moses had a stuttering problem;

Gideon was afraid;

Samson had long hair and was a womanizer;

Rahab was a prostitute;

Jeremiah and Timothy were too young;

David had an affair and was a murderer;

Elijah was suicidal;

Isaiah preached naked;

Jonah ran from God;

Naomi was a widow;

Job went bankrupt;

John the Baptist ate bugs;

Peter denied Christ;

The Disciples fell asleep while praying;

Martha worried about everything;

The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than o¬nce;

Zaccheus was too small;

Paul was too religious;

Timothy had an ulcer

...AND Lazarus was dead!


SO YOU HAVE NO MORE EXCUSES NOW.

God can use you to your full potential.

STC (Senior Texting Codes)

Since more and more seniors citizens are texting and tweeting, there appears to be a need for a STC (Senior Texting Code). If you qualify for senior discounts, these are the codes for you:
ATD: At The Doctor's

BFF: Best Friend Farted

BTW: Bring The Wheelchair

BYOT: Bring Your Own Teeth

CBM: Covered By Medicare

CUATSC: See You At The Senior Center

DWI: Driving While Incontinent

FWB: Friend With Beta Blockers

FWIW: Forgot Where I Was

FYI: Found Your Insulin

GGPBL: Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low!

GHA: Got Heartburn Again

IMHO: Is My Hearing-Aid On?

LMDO: Laughing My Dentures Out

LOL: Living On Lipitor

LWO: Lawrence Welk's On

OMMR: On My Massage Recliner

OMSG: Oh My! Sorry, Gas.

ROFL... CGU: Rolling On The Floor Laughing...Can't Get Up

TTYL: Talk To You Louder

WAITT: Who Am I Talking To?

WTP: Where's The Prunes?

WWNO: Walker Wheels Need Oil


Feel free to add any codes you feel are missing; send the additions back to the person who sent you this so they can update their list:

GGLKI: Gotta Go, Laxative Kicking In

An Incredible Story

In the 1930s, Stalin ordered a purge of all Bibles and all believers in the former Soviet Union. Millions of Bibles were confiscated and multitudes of believers were sent to the gulags (prison camps), where most died for being "enemies of the state." In Stavropol, Russia, this order was carried out with a vengeance.

Recently, the CoMission ministry, which Campus Crusade for Christ sponsored, sent a team to Stavropol. The city's history was not known at that time. But when our team was having difficulties getting Bibles shipped from Moscow, someone mentioned the existence of a warehouse outside of town where these confiscated Bibles had been stored ever since Stalin's day.

After much prayer by the team, one member finally got up the courage to go to the warehouse and ask the officials if the Bibles were still there. Sure enough, they were. Then the CoMission asked if the Bibles could be removed and distributed again to the people of Stavropol. The answer was "yes"!

The next day the CoMission team returned with a truck and several Russian people to help load the Bibles. One helper was a young man, who was a skeptical, hostile, and agnostic collegian who had come only for the day's wages.

As they were loading the Bibles, one team member noticed that the young man had disappeared. Eventually, they found him in a corner of the warehouse weeping.

He had slipped away hoping to quietly take a Bible. What he found shook him to the core. The inside page of the Bible he picked up had the handwritten signature of his own grandmother! It had been her Bible! Out of the many thousands of Bibles still left in that warehouse, he stole the one belonging to his grandmother -- a woman persecuted for her faith all her life.

No wonder he was weeping -- God had just dramatically revealed Himself to this young man. His grandmother had no doubt prayed for him and for her city. Her prayers had followed him, and now this young man's life has been transformed by the very Bible that his grandmother found so dear.

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33).

I PRAYED FOR YOU TODAY

I prayed for you today

But not in the typical way

Not for riches or for fame

Not to keep your life the same.

But to make a difference in your life

To keep you always free from strife

To answer what you need to do

And to feel the love He has for you.

To bring you peace in your life

To always give you good advice

And to always open every door

To show you what He needs you for.

But most of all from heaven above

To let you know that you are loved

But most of all the one thing to do

To show you the love I have for you.

And so I ask from God above

To fill your heart with his love

And that I know you will see

All that love was sent from me.

© Jack Rickett 2000