Shoes

I showered and shaved...............
I adjusted my tie.
I got there and sat..............
In a pew just in time.

Bowing my head in prayer.........
As I closed my eyes.
I saw the shoe of the man next to me.....
Touching my own. I sighed.

With plenty of room on either side......
I thought, "Why must our soles touch?"
It bothered me, his shoe touching mine...
But it didn't bother him much.

A prayer began: "Our Father"............
I thought, "This man with the shoes...has no pride
They're dusty, worn, and scratched.
Even worse, there are holes on the side!"

"Thank You for blessings," the prayer went on.
The shoe man said...a quiet, "Amen."
I tried to focus on the prayer.......
But my thoughts were on his shoes again.

Aren't we supposed to look our best....
When walking through that door?
Well, this certainly isn't it," I thought,
Glancing toward the floor.

Then the prayer was ended...........
And the songs of praise began.
The shoe man was certainly loud......
Sounding proud as he sang.

His voice lifted the rafters........
His hands were raised high.
The Lord could surely hear....
The shoe man's voice from the sky.

It was time for the offering.........
And what I threw in was steep.
I watched as the shoe man reached....
Into his pockets so deep.

I saw what was pulled out...........
What the shoe man put in.
Then I heard a soft "clink"
....as when silver hits tin.

The sermon really bored me..........
To tears, and that's no lie.
It was the same for the shoe man.....
For tears fell from his eyes.

At the end of the service........
As is the custom here.
We must greet new visitors....
And show them all good cheer.

But I felt moved somehow.............
And wanted to meet the shoe man.
So after the closing prayer..........
I reached over and shook his hand.

He was old and his skin was dark.....
And his hair was truly a mess.
But I thanked him for coming.........
For being our guest.

He said, "My names' Charlie..........
I'm glad to meet you, my friend."
There were tears in his eyes.........
But he had a large, wide grin.

"Let me explain," he said...........
Wiping tears from his eyes.
"I've been coming here for months....
And you're the first to say 'Hi.'"

"I know that my appearance.........
Is not like all the rest.
But I really do try.................
To always look my best."

"I always clean and polish my shoes....
Before my very long walk.
But by the time I get here........
They're dirty and dusty, like chalk."

My heart filled with pain............
and I swallowed to hide my tears
As he continued to apologize........
For daring to sit so near.

He said, "When I get here...........
I know I must look a sight.
But I thought if I could touch you..
Then maybe our souls might unite."

I was silent for a moment............
Knowing whatever was said
Would pale in comparison...
I spoke from my heart, not my head.

"Oh, you've touched me," I said......
And taught me, in part;
That the best of any man............
Is what is found in his heart."

The rest, I thought,.................
This shoe man will never know.
Like just how thankful I really am...
That his dirty old shoe touched my soul!

~Author unknown

Adam and Eve

We had a question in the comments section of the last post which went something like, "Did Adam and Eve have belly buttons?" Here is my answer:

I don't know. :)

God did not find that piece of information important enough to put in with all the other details He gives us about creation. He tells us that He created the animals to continue making the same kinds of animals so that we would have no other choice than to believe that God created the animals in the first place. He told us that He created everything in 6 days and rested the seventh not only to give men an example of how our week should be spent, but to erase all the ideas men have come up with about millions and billions of years.

So, although I can express my opinion and say, "they had belly buttons" or "they didn't have belly buttons," God ultimately knew that the answer to that question could be answered later on in person for those who truly believe in Him. I believe that God only gives us enough information to show us His supremacy, power and love for us in the Bible because if He tried to explain all of His greatness to our finite minds, we would explode.

And that's the best answer I know how to give for that question. :)

New Year

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a great time ringing in the new year last night. Now is a great time to look back on the past year to see our amount of spiritual growth. Did you become closer to God in the last year? Did you increase your knowledge of who He is? Have you found a new way of reaching out to others and blessing them?

Make a commitment to God and pray that He will help you fulfill it over the next year. And next January 1st you can look back on this year and say "I grew spiritally!"

I am excited for this coming year!

Real Christmas

Have you ever thought about what the Christmas story would have sounded like if it had happened in our lifetime? Last night while sitting through the Christmas Eve service at our church, I couldn't help but think of what everything would have looked like had Jesus been born here.

Allow me to paint you a picture...

It's December 24, and it's raining. A young man with his extremely pregnant wife slowly pull into a gas station in their ancient Honda with 30 million miles on it. As the husband turns off the car, it rattles and sighs. He turns to his wife who looks exhausted and tells her that he will be right back.

He climbs out of the car and swings the door shut quietly. He puts one of their last 5 dollar bills into the tank then slowly sinks back into the car.

They are on their way to Stockton. They know no one and have no reservations. Hoping that he can find a place for them to stay, Joseph begins to drive again through the rain. As he drives he thinks about how he will begin to pay for his new son that is expected to be born very soon. His wife has fallen asleep, and leaning over her gently brushed the hair off her flushed face.

Pulling into Stockton a few minutes before midnight, Joseph scans the sides of the road for a place to stay. He spots a Motel 8 and pulls into the parking lot. He jogs up to the information desk only to find out that they have no rooms open. Joseph climbed back into the car only to hear his wife Mary urgently whispering his name.

"Joseph, the baby is coming; I need to find a place to lay down."

Pulling out of the parking lot, Joseph drives desperately looking for somewhere to stay. He sees a vacancy sign and quickly pulls into the dark parking lot. The motel is small and rundown looking, but it was dry inside as Joseph carried the panting Mary into their closet sized room. The rain continues to pound against the window while Mary progresses further into labor. In the wee hours of the morning after several hours of hard work, the frail first cry of a newborn baby pierces the stillness.

Joseph proudly hands the son to his mother and goes to wash his hands. He is standing in the doorway of the bathroom when he hears a knock on their door. Opening it, he sees two homeless men, soaked to the bone, obviously wanting something.

"Can I help you?" Joseph asked.

"We heard through some angels that the Christ was to be born tonight in Stockton, and so we came to find Him to worship Him."

Joseph eyed the men carefully and stepped back to let them into the small room. As soon as the men saw the infant, they dropped to their knees and bowed low before Him.

After hours of talking to Mary and Joseph, the homeless guys stood up, still overcome by wonder, and hurried out into the street telling everyone they came in contact with what had happened.

In the morning Joseph payed the woman at the desk and carried Mary out to their car. Their house was only a few hours away. The car crawled along over the hills. When they reached the house, Joseph ran inside to prepare a warm spot in their bed for Mary and the baby.

Joseph had to find a job in the area as a carpenter to fund his new family. For the next two years he worked, and no one ever knew about the child. One day while he was working in his wood shop, Joseph looked up and found himself standing face to face with the president of the United States.
Dropping his hammer, he greeted the president.

"What can I do for you Sir?"

"I have come to see the King. Would you please take me to Him?"

Joseph led the president into the house where His mother was helping Him wash His hands. The boy was handsome and ruddy, tall for his age and had a distinctive twinkle in His eyes.

The president walked forward toward the small boy until he was very close. Then he knelt down and worshiped Him. If Joseph had thought he had seen it all, now he knew it.

Could you imagine something similar to this happening? Can you put yourself into the place of Mary or Joseph and try to think the thoughts that must have been running through their minds? Nothing about the story was clean or well-planned except by God of course. Only He knows the full plan.


Only God knows the full plan for your life. Wouldn't it be beneficial to trust Him with it and not worry about the future? He has a plan.

Please don't eat the glue

I have many friends. I go to classes with some, and I see others on Sunday at church. But there is a whole circle of my friends that I see once a week, and don't go to school with. These friends are roughly 42 inches tall and always have a lot of energy. These are my AWANA friends. They are all three or four yearolds.

You see, I work in a children's ministry called AWANA (it is NOT AWANAS as many people, who are confused, call it). AWANA stands for Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed. When I was a child, I can remember back to when I went to AWANA. It was a highlight of the week. In AWANA children play games, memorize Bible verses, and learn about God. It is a wonderful program. So when I was too old to be in it, I decided to help in it.

This kind of service is truly rewarding. If you don't get along with kids that well, than this kind of service may not be the right one for you.

Kids are funny. They say what they are thinking. They act upon impulse. They can be very entertaining. Now I would like to tell you one of my multiple stories and experiences.

My first year working in Cubbies (the age group I help in) was so exciting. The Directors were low on helpers in that age group so I was quickly assigned to a table. My table had about six or seven kids. I was in charge of listening to their verses, writing their names on the top of their coloring pages, and overall maintaining the peace. It seemed easy enough.......

"So what is your name?" I asked a quiet little boy sitting at my table.

"rraaAAAAAAnnnnntonieeeeee" *through almost closed lips and a tightly clenched jaw*

"I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"

"RRRRAAAAAAANNNNNNNTTTHHHONIIEEEEE"

"What?"

"RRRRAAAAAAANNNNNNNTTTHHHONIIEEEEE"

I must tell you honestly, I had no clue what the, now agitated, kid's name was.

I looked on his name tag and it spelled ANTHONY.

OH, of course!!! It made sense now.

After that we became friends. I think he was happier when I called him by his name. It is a wonderful experience working with little kids. Within a couple weeks you have a strong bond. Two years later he graduated into Kindergarten. I don't see him very much anymore. I only hope I demonstrated God's unfailing love to this little boy.

Word of the Week #10

palindrome
1. a word, line, verse, number, sentence, etc., reading the same backward as forward, as Madam, I'm Adam or Poor Dan is in a droop.

Here are twenty-seven examples of palindromes taken from fun-with-words.com

Don't nod
Dogma: I am God
Never odd or even
Too bad – I hid a boot
Rats live on no evil star
No trace; not one carton
Was it Eliot's toilet I saw?
Murder for a jar of red rum
May a moody baby doom a yam?
Go hang a salami; I'm a lasagna hog!
A Toyota!
Race fast... safe car: a Toyota
Straw? No, too stupid a fad; I put soot on warts
Are we not drawn onward, we few, drawn onward to new era?
Doc Note: I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod
No, it never propagates if I set a gap or prevention
Anne, I vote more cars race Rome to Vienna
Sums are not set as a test on Erasmus
Some men interpret nine memos
Campus Motto: Bottoms up, Mac
Go deliver a dare, vile dog!
Madam, in Eden I'm Adam
Oozy rat in a sanitary zoo
Ah, Satan sees Natasha
Lisa Bonet ate no basil
Do geese see God?
God saw I was dog
Dennis sinned

From Greek palindromos, running back again, recurring : palin, again; see kwel-1 in Indo-European roots + dromos, a running.] pal'in·dro'mic (-drō'mĭk, -drŏm'ĭk) adj.