I Saw Jesus

I saw Jesus last week.

He was wearing blue jeans and an old shirt.
He was up at the church building;
He was alone and working hard.
For just a minute,
he looked a little like one of our members.
But it was Jesus,
I could tell by his smile.


I saw Jesus last Sunday.
He was teaching a Bible class.
He didn't talk real loud or use long words,
But you could tell he believed what he said.
For just a minute,
he looked like my Sunday School teacher.
But it was Jesus,
I could tell by his loving voice.


I saw Jesus yesterday.
He was at the hospital
visiting a friend who was sick.
They prayed together quietly.
For just a minute,
he looked like Brother Jones.
But it was Jesus,
I could tell by the tears in his eyes.


I saw Jesus this morning.
He was in my kitchen
making my breakfast
and fixing me a special lunch.
For just a minute,
he looked like my mom.
But it was Jesus,
I could feel the love from his heart.


I see Jesus everywhere,
Taking food to the sick,
Welcoming others to his home,
Being friendly to a newcomer
and for just a minute
I think he's someone I know.
But it's always Jesus,
I can tell by the way he serves.


May someone see Jesus in you today.


(Author Unknown)

I Asked for Strength...

I asked for strength and
God gave me difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for wisdom and
God gave me problems to solve.

I asked for prosperity and
God gave me brawn and brains to work.

I asked for courage and
God gave me dangers to overcome.

I asked for patience and
God placed me in situations where I was forced to wait.

I asked for love and
God gave me troubled people to help.

I asked for favors and
God gave me opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted
I received everything I needed.

My prayers have all been answered.

(Author Unknown)

The Man of Galilee

I am the man of Galilee
I came to Earth to set you free.
For you I came, For you I died,
For you I paid the highest price.
Because you are precious,
More precious than words.
And that is why,
I came to Earth.

(I wrote this! 27-April-2010)

The Oak Tree

A mighty wind blew night and day
It stole the oak tree's leaves away
Then snapped its boughs and pulled its bark
Until the oak was tired and stark

But still the oak tree held its ground
While other trees fell all around
The weary wind gave up and spoke.
How can you still be standing Oak?

The oak tree said, I know that you
Can break each branch of mine in two
Carry every leaf away
Shake my limbs, and make me sway

But I have roots stretched in the earth
Growing stronger since my birth
You'll never touch them, for you see
They are the deepest part of me

Until today, I wasn't sure
Of just how much I could endure
But now I've found, with thanks to you
I'm stronger than I ever knew

(Johnny Ray Ryder Jr)

Walk On

To talk with God, no breath is lost,
Talk on.
To walk with God, no strength is lost,
Walk on.
To wait on God, no time is lost,
Wait on.

No Time

I knelt to pray, but not for long,
I had too much to do.
I hurried off to go to work,
The bills were overdue.

And so I said a hurried prayer,
And jumped up off my knees.
My Christian duty now was done,
My soul could be at ease.

All through the day, I had no time,
To speak a word of cheer.
No time to speak of Christ to friends,
They'd laugh at me, I feared.

No time, no time, too much to do,
This was my constant cry.
No time to give to those in need...
At last, it was time to die.

And when before the Lord I came,
I stood with downcast eyes.
Within His hands he held a book,
It was the book of Life.

God looked into his book, and said
"Your name I cannot find,
I once was going to write it down,
But never found the time".

A Story of Two Friends

There were two friends, Bill and Bob. They were walking in the desert, and got into a disagreement. Bill slapped Bob on the face, and without saying a word, Bob knelt down and wrote in the sand...

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE

They patched up their differences and carried on. They came to a waterhole, and they both jumped in for a swim, but Bob started to drown, and Bill came to his rescue and saved his life.

Bob went and carved into the rock...

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE

Bill asked why he had written in the sand before, but this time he'd carved it into the rock.

Bob replied, that when someone wrongs us, we should write it into sand where the winds of time can blow it away.

But when someone does good to us, we should etch it into stone, so that we always remember and be thankful.

Some Gems from Mother Teresa

"We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love."

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."

"Love is a fruit in season at all times, and in reach of every hand."

"We are all pencils in the hand of God."

More Riddles from the Bible

What kind of man was Boaz before he got married?
Ruth-less

Who was the greatest female financier in the bible?
Pharoah's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a little prophet.

Who had the first motorcycle in the Bible?
Moses. He tore up the desert in his Triumph.

Who was the first baker in the Bible?
Paul, when he went to Phillipi.

The Scars of Life

Some years ago, on a hot summer day in south Florida , a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His father, working in the yard, saw the two as they got closer and closer together.

In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son as loudly as he could.

Hearing his voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his father, but it was too late. Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him.

From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the father, but the father was much too passionate to let go.

A farmer happened to drive by, heard his screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived.

His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And on his arms, were deep scratches where his father's fingernails dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved.

The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have big scars on my arms too. I have them because my Dad wouldn't let me go."

We can all identify with that little boy. We have scars too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go.

In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you.

God has blessed you, so that you can be a blessing to others. You just never know where a person is in his/her life and what they are going through.

Never judge another person's scars, because you don't know how they got them.

Right now, you need to know that God loves you, and that others love you too -

Enough to not let you go.


(Source Unknown. Sent to me in an email)

The Cracked Water Pot

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.

 At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of
what it had been made to do.

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

"I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The old woman smiled, 'Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other
pot's side?'

"That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path,
and every day while we walk back, you water them.'"

"For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.

Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.'

Each of us have cracks and flaws, but God can still use us to make something beautiful. Look for the good in others, and love them, despite their imperfections.

Riddles in the Bible

Who was the greatest financier in the bible?
Noah. He was busy floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.

Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible?
Samson. He brought the house down.

Which bible character had no parents?
Joshua. Son of Nun.

Let Go and Let God

As children bring their broken toys, with tears for us to mend,

I brought my broken dreams to God, because He is my friend.

But then, instead of leaving Him,

in peace, to work alone

I hung around, and tried to help,

with ways that were my own.

At last, I snatched them back again,

and cried "How could you be so slow?".

"My child", he said "What could I do?

You never did let go".


(Lauretta Burns, 1957)

High Class Church

One Sunday morning, an old cowboy entered a church just before the service was to begin. Although the old man and his clothes were spotlessly clean, he wore jeans, a denim shirt and cowboy boots that were very worn and ragged.

In his hand he carried a worn-out old hat, and an equally worn-out old bible.

The church he entered was in a very upscale and exlusive part of the city. It was the largest and most beautiful church the old cowboy had ever seen. It had high cathedral ceilings, ornate statues, beautiful murals and stained glass windows, plush carpet, and velvet-like cushioned pews. The building must have cost many millions of dollars to build and maintain.

The men, women and children of the congregation were all dressed in the finest and most expensive suits, dresses, shoes and jewellery the old cowboy had ever witnessed.

As the poorly dressed cowboy took a seat, the others moved away from him. No one greeted him. No one welcomed him. No one offered a handshake. No one spoke to him. They were all appalled at his appearance, and did not attempt to hide the fact. There were many glances in his direction as the others frowned and commented among themselves about his shabby attire. A few chuckles and giggles came from some of the younger members.

The preacher gave a long sermon about hellfire and brimstone, and a stern lecture on how much money the church needed to do God's work. When the offering plate was passed, thousands of dollars came pouring forth. As soon as the service was over, the congregation hurried out. Once again, no one spoke or even nodded to the stranger in the ragged clothes and boots.

As the old cowboy was leaving the church, the preacher approached him. Instead of welcoming him, the preacher asked the cowboy to him a favour. "Before you come back in here again, have a talk with God and ask him what He thinks the appropriate attire for worshipping in this church" the preacher said. The old cowboy assured him he would do that, and left.

The very next Sunday morning, the old cowboy showed back up for the service wearing the same ragged jeans, shirt, boots and hat. Once again, the congregation was appalled at his appearance. He was completely shunned and ignored again.

The preacher noticed the man still wearing his ragged clothes and boots, and instead of beginning his sermon, stepped down from the pulpit and walked over to where the man sat alone. "I thought I told you to speak to God before you came back to our church", the preacher said.

"I did" replied the old cowboy.

"If you spoke to God, what did he tell you the proper attire should be for worshipping in here?" asked the preacher.

"Well sir", said the old cowboy, "God told me that He wouldn't have the slightest idea what was appropriate attire for worshipping in your church. He says He's never ever been in here before".

(Source unknown. This came to me in an email.)

The Anyway Poem

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centred
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you may win some false friends and some true enemies
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you
Be honest and frank anyway.

Transparency may make you vulnerable
Be transparent anyway.

If you find peace and happiness, others may be jealous
Be happy anyway.

What you spend years building, may be destroyed overnight
Build anyway.

The good you do today, may be forgotten tomorrow
Do good anyway.

People who really want help, may attack you if you help them
Help them anyway.

Give the world the best that you have, and it may never be enough
Give the world your best, anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God
It is never between you and them,
Anyway.

(Found on the wall of Mother Teresa's Home for Children, in Calcutta)