The Lords Prayer

MAGNOLIAS..........By Edna Ellison

I spent the week before my daughter's June wedding running last-minute trips to the caterer, florist, tuxedo shop, and the church about forty miles away.

As happy as I was that Patsy was marrying a good Christian young man, I felt laden with responsibilities as I watched my budget dwindle . ...

So many details, so many bills, and so little time. My son Jack was away at college, but he said he would be there to walk his younger sister down the aisle, taking the place of his dad who had died a few years before. He teased Patsy, saying he'd wanted to give her away since she was about three years old!

To save money, I gathered blossoms from several friends who had large magnolia trees. Their luscious, creamy-white blooms and slick green leaves would make beautiful arrangements against the rich dark wood inside the church.

After the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding, we banked the podium area and choir loft with magnolias. As we left just before midnight, I felt tired but satisfied this would be the best wedding any bride had ever had! The music, the ceremony, the reception - and especially the flowers - would be remembered for years.

The big day arrived - the busiest day of my life - and while her bridesmaids helped Patsy to dress, her fiance Tim walked with me to the sanctuary to do a final check. When we opened the door and felt a rush of hot air, I almost fainted; and then I saw them - all the beautiful white flowers were black. Funeral black. An electrical storm during the night had knocked out the air conditioning system, and on that hot summer day, the flowers had wilted and died.

I panicked, knowing I didn't have time to drive back to our hometown, gather more flowers, and return in time for the wedding.

Tim turned to me. 'Edna, can you get more flowers? I'll throw away these dead ones and put fresh flowers in these arrangements.'
I mumbled, 'Sure,' as he be-bopped down the hall to put on his cuff links.

Alone in the large sanctuary, I looked up at the dark wooden beams in the arched ceiling. 'Lord,' I prayed, 'please help me. I don't know anyone in this town. Help me find someone willing to give me flowers - in a hurry!'

I scurried out praying for four things: the blessing of white magnolias, courage to find them in an unfamiliar yard, safety from any dog that may bite my leg, and a nice person who would not get out a shotgun when I asked to cut his tree to shreds.

As I left the church, I saw magnolia trees in the distance.. I approached a house...No dog in sight. I knocked on the door and an older man answered. So far so good. No shotgun.

When I stated my plea the man beamed, 'I'd be happy to!'

He climbed a stepladder and cut large boughs and handed them down to me. Minutes later, as I lifted the last armload into my car trunk, I said, 'Sir, you've made the mother of a bride happy today.'
'No, Ma'am,' he said. 'You don't understand what's happening here.'
'What?' I asked.
'You see, my wife of sixty-seven years died on Monday. On Tuesday I received friends at the funeral home, and on Wednesday.  He paused. I saw tears welling up in his eyes. 'On Wednesday I buried her.' He looked away. 'On Thursday most of my out-of-town relatives went back home, and on Friday - yesterday - my children left.'
I nodded.
'This morning,' he continued, 'I was sitting in my den crying out loud. I miss her so much. For the last sixteen years, as her health got worse, she needed me. But now nobody needs me. This morning I cried, 'Who needs an eighty-six-year-old wore-out man? Nobody!' I began to cry louder. 'Nobody needs me!' About that time, you knocked, and said, 'Sir, I need you.'
I stood with my mouth open.
He asked, 'Are you an angel? The way the light shone around your head into my dark living room...'
I assured him I was no angel.
He smiled. 'Do you know what I was thinking when I handed you those magnolias?'
'No.'
'I decided I'm needed. My flowers are needed. Why, I might have a flower ministry! I could give them to everyone! Some caskets at the funeral home have no flowers. People need flowers at times like that and I have lots of them. They're all over the backyard! I can give them to hospitals, churches - all sorts of places. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to serve the Lord until the day He calls me home!'

I drove back to the church, filled with wonder. On Patsy's wedding day, if anyone had asked me to encourage someone who was hurting, I would have said, 'Forget it! It's my only daughter's wedding, for goodness' sake! There is no way I can minister to anyone today.'

But God found a way. Through dead flowers.

'Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.'

If you have missed knowing me, you have missed nothing.  If you have missed some of my emails, you may have missed a laugh.  But, if you have missed knowing my LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, you have missed everything in the world.

May God's blessings be upon you.

THIS IS SO TRUE, BEING NEEDED IS SO UPLIFTING TO EACH OF US...

This story is too beautiful not to share....

EMBRACE UNCERTAIN MINDSET

Change is unavoidable, so is uncertainty.
Uncertainty is a permanent part of our lives.
No surprise that we rarely say that we are certain.
Despite some times we are certain.

Life is a choice.
As such, we are consistently called to make decisions,
directly or indirectly, knowingly or unknowingly.
That is reality
yet we are constantly making these decisions with limited intelligence.

It is the truth,
yet most of the times, we refuse to accept it.
We are always naive and do not submit to this truth.
Is it because of our pride ?
or is it of something else.

We can never find the answer,
unless we learn to embrace the fact of not knowing everything.

Even the great leaders lead without knowing it all.
Great leaders do not eliminate uncertainty, but learn to navigate through it.
Great leaders lead despite the shadows of uncertainty.

Great leaders recognize that clarity of vision is more important than certainty of the outcome.
Every day, we are expected to make decisions regarding our business, our relationships, our marketing, our ideas, and our strategies.
These decisions are made even though we don’t always have the answers.

I guess this is life.
If we knew everything that was going to happen, we would not need to experience it.
Without such an experience,
There would be nothing to attain, achieve or acquire.


One thing is certain.
Whether you have been and what you have done in the past.
Where we are going is always new, and most often uncertain.

As such, what is the point of worrying of the future.
Just take it as it comes.
Live your life and enjoy every moment of it.
To live, we need to lead within.

James Oh

Skype me at james.oh18

HIS GLORY

Behold, our Creator is a great artist! Beautiful indeed! The nature is full of His glory.

花雨瀑布 When flowers rain a waterfall Subject: Wisteria in Japan...日本紫藤

 

Nature has its own way of expression beyond imagination. Amazing!

YOU HAVE TO THIS!!!



God Said NO!!
I hope that you can get the effects on your computers!
The words are great, but the movements of the faces add a lot....


I asked God to take away my habit.

God said, No.


It is not for me to take away,
but for you to give it up.




I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.


I asked God to grant me patience.

God said, No. Patience is a byproduct of tribulations;
it isn't granted, it is learned.


I asked God to give me happiness..

God said, No.

I give you blessings;
Happiness is up to you.


I asked God to spare me pain.

God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from
worldly cares
and brings you closer to me.




I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own,
but I will prune you to make you fruitful.


I asked God for all things
that I might enjoy life.

God said, No.
I will give you life,
so that you may enjoy all things.



I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God said... Ahhhh,
finally you have the idea.

If you love God, share this to as many people as possible.



THIS DAY IS YOURS
DON'T THROW IT AWAY


May God Bless You,

'To the world you might be one person,
But to one person you just might be the world'

'May the Lord Bless you and keep you,
May the Lord Make his face shine upon you,
And give you Peace......Forever'

'Good friends are like stars...
You don't always see them, But you know they are always there.