ORLD
IDE
EB
IRCLE
OF 
RIENDS
Why is it so hard to tell the truth but
Yet so easy to tell a lie?
Why are we so sleepy in church
but Right when the sermon is over we suddenly wake up?
Why is it so hard to talk about God but yet so
Easy to talk about nasty stuff?
Why is it so boring to look at a Christian magazine
But yet so easy to look at a nasty one?
Why is it so easy to delete a Godly e-mail but
Yet we forward all of the nasty ones?
Why are the churches getting smaller but yet
The bars and dance clubs are getting larger?
Do you give up? Think about it ...
Are you going to forward this, or delete it?
Just remember-God is watching you.
Prayer Wheel-Let's see the devil stop this one!
Here's what the wheel is all about.
When you receive this, say a prayer for
the person that sent it to you....
That's all you have to do....
There is nothing attached....
Do not stop the wheel, please....
Of all the free gifts we may receive, Prayer is the very best one....
There are no costs, but wonderful rewards...
Lots of love from your English friend, Kailah
FOR MY CRACKPOT FRIEND...
A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his 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 walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments; perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After 2 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. I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your 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 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 planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you've watered 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."
Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots, but it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them.
Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.
submitted by Pat
A THOUSAND MARBLES
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the basement
with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the
morning paper in the other. I turned the dial up
into the phone portion of the band on my ham
radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning
swap net. Along the way, I came across an older
sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a
golden voice. He was telling whoever he was talking
with something about "a thousand marbles."
I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had
to say. "Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy
with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's
a shame you have to be away from home and your family
so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have
to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends
meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance
recital." He continued, "Let me tell you something
Tom, something that has helped me keep a good
perspective on my own priorities." And that's when
he began to explain his theory of a "thousand
marbles." "You see, I sat down one day and did a
little arithmetic. The average person lives about
seventy-five years. I know, some live more and
some live less, but on average, folks live about
seventy-five years. Now then, I multiplied 75
times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number
of Saturdays that the average person has in their
entire lifetime.
Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important
part. It took me until I was fifty-five years old
to think about all this in any detail," he went on,
"and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight
hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived
to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of
them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and
bought every single marble they had. I ended up
having to visit three toy stores to roundup 1000
marbles. I took them home and put them inside
of a large, clear plastic container right here
in the shack next to my gear.
Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble
out and thrown it away. I found that by watching
the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really
important things in life. There is nothing like
watching your time here on this earth run out
to help get your priorities straight.
Now let me tell you one last thing before I
sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out
for breakfast. This morning, I took the very
last marble out of the container. I figure if
I make it until next Saturday then I have been
given a little extra time. And the one thing
we can all use is a little more time. It was
nice to meet you
Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family,
and I hope to meet you again here on the band.
75 year Old Man, this is K9NZQ, clear and going
QRT, good morning!"
You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this
fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to
think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that
morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few
hams to work on the next club newsletter. Instead, I
went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss.
"C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast."
"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile.
"Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time
since we spent a Saturday together with the kids.
Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out?
I need to buy some marbles."
submitted by Laura
A CUP OF COFFEE
You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again. A young woman
went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard
for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give
up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was
solved a new one arose. Her mother took her to
the kitchen. She filled three pots with water.
In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and the
last she placed ground coffee beans.
She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minutes
she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a
bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled
the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?" "Carrots,
eggs, and coffee," she replied.
She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted
that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After
pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked
her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma.
The daughter then asked. "What's the point, mother?" Her mother explained
that each of these objects had faced the same adversity--boiling water--but
each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting.
However after being subjected to the
boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its
thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting
through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. the ground coffee
beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had
changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. " When adversity knocks on your
door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot , an egg, or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I?
Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt
and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a
malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but
after death , a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I
become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside
am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a
hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes
the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water
gets hot, it releases
the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at
their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.
When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you
elevate to another level? How do you handle Adversity?
ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?
submitted by Anita
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
The following words were spoken by the late Red Skelton on his television program as he related the story of his teacher, Mr. Laswell, who felt his students had come to think of the Pledge of Allegiance as merely something to recite in class each day.
“I’ve been listening to you boys and girls recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester and it seems as though it is becoming monotonous to you. If I may, may I recite it and try to explain to you the meaning of each word?”
I — me, individual, a committee of one.
PLEDGE — dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self pity.
ALLEGIANCE — my love and my devotion.
TO THE FLAG — our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom. Wherever she waves, there’s respect because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts freedom is everybody’s job!
UNITED — that means that we have all come together.
STATES — individual communities that have united into 48 great states. Forth-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose; all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that’s love for country.
AND TO THE REPUBLIC — a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people and it’s from the people to leaders, not from the leaders to the people.
FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION — one nation, meaning “so blessed by God.”
INDIVISIBLE — incapable of being divided.
WITH LIBERTY — which is freedom — the right of power to live one’s own life without threats, fear or some sort of retaliation.
AND JUSTICE — the principle or quality of dealing fairly with others.
FOR ALL — which means, boys and girls, it’s as much your country as it is mine.
“And now, boys and girls, let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance,” stated Mr. Laswell.
“Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance… UNDER GOD!”
“Wouldn’t it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer and that would be eliminated from schools too?”
—Red Shelton
submitted by Cosby
Friendship is A Strange Thing
Friendship is a strange thing
we find ourselves telling each
other the deepest details of our lives.
Things we don't even share with our
families who raised us.
But what is a friend?
A confidant?
A fellow email junkie?
A shoulder to cry on?
An ear to listen?
A heart to feel?
A friend is all these things...and more.
No matter where we met,
I call you friend.
A word so small yet so large in feelings.
A word filled with emotion.
It is true great things come in small packages.
Once the package of friendship has been opened,
It can never be closed.
It is a constant book always written,
Waiting to be read...and enjoyed.
We may have our disagreements,
We may argue,
We may concern one another.
It is a unique bond that lasts through it all.
A part of me is put into my friends...
Some it is my humor,
Some it is my listening ear,
Some it is real life experiences,
but with all, it is friendship.
Friendships forged are a construct,
Stronger than steel,
Built as a foundation necessary for life,
And necessary for love.
Friends, you and me...
You brought another friend
And then there were 3...
We started our group,
Our circle of friends
And like that circle,
There is no beginning
And there is no end.
Kelly
Charles Schultz Philosophy
You don't actually have to take the quiz.
Just read the email straight through, and you'll get the point that it is trying to make!
Take this quiz:
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.
These areno second-rate achievers.
They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz.
See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.
Easier?
The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or
the most awards.
They are the ones that care.
Pass this on to those people who have made a difference in your life.
Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia. ----- Charles Schultz
submitted by Wayne
take a minute
They say...it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a Day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.
submitted by Wayne
HUG CERTIFICATE
If I could catch a rainbow just for you
its beauty when you're feeling blue
If I could build a mountain for your very own
A place to find serenity
A place to be alone
Take your troubles out to sea
But all these things I'm finding
Are impossible for me
I cannot build a mountain fair
what I know best that's always there.
This is a Hug Certificate!!
Send One to All of Your Friends You Think Deserve A Hug.
submitted by Wayne
Keep this going PLEASE
A handsome, middle-aged man walked quietly into the cafe and sat down.
Before he ordered, he couldn't help but notice a group of younger men at the table next to him. It was obvious they were making fun of something about him, and it wasn't until he remembered he was wearing a small pink ribbon on the lapel of his suit that he became aware of what the joke was all about.
The man brushed off the reaction as ignorance, but the smirks began to get to him. He looked one of the rude men square in the eye placed his hand beneath the ribbon and asked, quizzically, "This?"
With that the men all began to laugh out loud. The man he addressed said, as he fought back laughter, "Hey, sorry man, but we were just commenting on how pretty your little ribbon looks against your blue jacket!"
The middle aged man calmly motioned for the joker to come over to his table, and invited him to sit down. As uncomfortable as he was, th! e guy obliged, not really sur
A CANDLE LOSES NOTHING BY LIGHTING ANOTHER CANDLE, PLEASE KEEP
THIS CANDLE GOING!
This one I do ask that you send on
submitted by Brenda