Survival Kit

Daily Survival Kit -

Items to put in kit: Toothpick, Rubber band, Band aid, Pencil, Eraser, Chewing gum, Mint, Candy kiss, Tea bag.. Why??

A Toothpick … To remind you to pick the good qualities in all your brothers and sisters, including yourself.

A Rubber Band … To remind you to be flexible. Things might not always go the way you want, but it can be worked out.

A Band-Aid … To remind you to heal hurt feelings, either yours or someone else’s.

An Eraser … To remind you everyone makes mistakes. That’s okay, we learn by our errors.

A Candy Kiss … To remind you everyone needs a hug or A compliment every day.

A Mint … To remind you that you are worth a mint to your spiritual family!

A Bubble Gum … To remind you to stick with it…and you can accomplish anything with Jehovah’s help.

A Pencil … To remind you to list your blessings every day.

Tea Bag … To remind you to take time to relax daily, so you can go over that list of Jehovah’s blessings.

John- 3:16

In the city of Chicago, one cold, dark night, a blizzard was setting in. A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner, the people were in and out of the cold. The little boy was so cold that he wasn't trying to sell many papers.

He walked up to a policeman and said, "Mister, you wouldn't happen to know where a poor boy could find a warm place to sleep tonight would you? You see, I sleep in a box up around the corner there and down the alley and it's awful cold in there for tonight. Sure would be nice to have a warm place to stay,"

The policeman looked down at the little boy and said, "you go down the street to that big white house and you knock on the door. When they come out the door you just say John 3:16, and they will let you in."

So he did. He walked up the steps and knocked on the door, and a lady answered. He looked up and said, "John 3:16." The lady said, "Come on in, Son." She took him in and she sat him down in a split bottom rocker in front of a great big old fireplace, and she went off. The boy sat there for a while and thought to himself: John 3:16....I don't understand it, but it sure makes a cold boy warm.

Later she came back and asked him "Are you hungry?" He said, "Well, just a little. I haven't eaten in a couple of days, and I guess I could stand a little bit of food," The lady took him in the kitchen and sat him down to a table full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until he couldn't eat any more. Then he thought to himself: John 3:16... Boy, I sure don't understand it but it sure makes a hungry boy full.

She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge bathtub filled with warm water, and he sat there and soaked for a while. As he soaked, he thought to himself: John 3:16... I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy clean. You know, I've not had a bath, a real bath, in my whole life. The only bath I ever had was when I stood in front of that big old fire hydrant as they flushed it out.

The lady came in and got him. She took him to a room, tucked him into a big old feather bed, pulled the covers up around his neck, kissed him goodnight and turned out the lights. As he lay in the darkness and looked out the window at the snow coming down on that cold night, he thought to himself: John 3:16... I don't understand it but it sure makes a tired boy rested.

The next morning the lady came back up and took him down again to that same big table full of food. After he ate, she took him back to that same big old split bottom rocker in front of the fireplace and picked up a big old Bible. She sat down in front of him and looked into his young face.

"Do you understand John 3:16?" she asked gently.

He replied, "No, Ma'am, I don't. The first time I ever heard it was last night when the policeman told me to use it," She opened the Bible to John 3:16 and began to explain to him about Jesus. Right there, in front of that big old fireplace, he gave his heart and life to Jesus. He sat there and thought: John 3:16. .. .. I don't understand it, but it sure makes a lost boy feel safe.

You know, I have to confess I don't understand it either, how God was willing to send His Son to die for me, and how Jesus would agree to do such a thing. I don't understand the agony of the Father and every angel in heaven as they watched Jesus suffer and die. I don't understand the intense love for ME that kept Jesus on the cross till the end. I don't understand it, but it sure does make life worth living.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.


If you aren't ashamed to do this, please follow the directions. Jesus said, "If you are ashamed of me, I will be ashamed of you before my Father." Pass this on only if you mean it. I do Love God. He is my source of existence. He keeps me functioning each and every day. Phil 4:13

If you love God and are not ashamed of all the marvelous things he has done for you, send this on.

Take 60 seconds & give this a shot! Let's just see if Satan stops this one.

All you do is --
1) Simply say a small prayer for the person who sent you this, (Father, God bless this person in whatever it is that You know he or she may be needing this day!).

2) Then send it on to five other people. Within hours five people have prayed for you, and you caused a multitude of people to pray to God for other people. Then sit back and watch the power of God work in your life for doing the thing that you know He loves.




Remember to smile often at those that you love!
Have a Super day.

Testing for Gossip

In ancient Greece, Socrates was well known as a great philosopher and was equally reputed for holding Knowledge in high esteem. On one of these days, one of his associates met him and said, “ Do you know what I just heard about your close friend?”

Socrates as usual being on his guard, asked him to consider waiting for a few moments until the associate could pass a test conducted by Socrates. A test that he referred to as “The Triple Filter Test.”

The associate was taken aback as he had never heard of such a test before.

To let matters be at peace, Socrates continued to explain to him. “Before you talk to me about my dear friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you are going to say. That is why I call it the Triple Filter Test. The first filter is TRUTH. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?”

“No,” the associate said, “Actually I just heard about it and…”

“Fine”, said Socrates. “So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now let us try the second filter test, the filter of GOODNESS. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something really good?”

“No, on the contrary…”

“So,” Socrates continued, “you want to tell me something bad about him, but you are not certain it is true. You may still pass the test though, because there’s one filter test left: the filter of USEFULNESS. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be really useful to me?”

“No, not really…”

“Well,” concluded Socrates, “If what you want to tell me is neither true not good nor even useful, then why tell it to me at all?”

It is about "PEACE OF MIND..."

Dear Friends, here is an inspirational story that we can put into practical life. It just requires a small amount of patience on our part. Please share with me:

Once Lord Gautama Buddha was walking from one town to another town with a few of his followers. This incident took place in the early days. As they were travelling they came across a lake. Being tired, they stopped there to relax. Lord Gautama Buddha then told one of his disciples that he was very thirsty. So, could he get him some water from the lake that they came across?

The disciple walked towards the lake. On reaching there, he noticed a few people washing clothes in that lake and simultaneously a bullock cart also seemed to cross this lake, splashing all the grime and dust of the rickety road into the clean water. The obedient disciple felt it was not right to offer his master this water that was polluted. So, he returned and explained the same to Lord Gautama Buddha.

So they waited and after about half an hour, Buddha again asked the disciple to go back to the same lake and get some water to drink. Obediently, the disciple followed the command and having found the clear water, collected it in a pot and brought it to his master.

Lord Gautama Buddha looked at the water and then in turn looked up at his disciple and said, “ Look, what you have done to make the water so clean and pure. You let it be… and the mud and grime has settled down on its own. We now have clear water.” This is the same pattern with our minds when it is in utter confusion and turmoil. When we are disturbed and tense, we ought to let the situation be, and calm ourselves. We ought to give ourselves time to settle down on our own pace. There is no need to put in any effort on our part to calm ourselves. Let things take its own course.

What exactly did Lord Gautama Buddha try to emphasize here? He mentioned the word, “Effortless.” Having peace of mind is not an arduous task, and does not require any effort in the process. When there is peace inside each one of us, that peace permeates to the outside. It spreads around us and in the environment, in a manner that people around us start feeling that peace and grace.

I hope dear friends that you have enjoyed reading this short story.

A List That everyone Should Have

Dear Friends, here is a list that I came across written by Thomas Kinkade, and I would be glad if you too could have them in your mind everytime you come across any situation in life.

1. If you feel far away from God, guess who moved? 2. Fear knocked. Faith answered. No one was there. 3. What you are is God's gift to you. What you become is your gift to God. 4. I am God's melody of life and He sings His song through me. 5. We can never really go where God is not, and where He is, all is well. 6. No matter what is happening in your life, know that God is waiting for you with open arms. 7. God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. 8. Do your best and then sleep in peace. God is awake. 9. God has a purpose and plan for me that no one else can fulfill. 10. The will of God will never take you to where the grace of God will not protect you. 11. We are responsible for the effort, not the outcome. 12. We set the sail; God makes the wind. 13. Begin to weave and God will give you the thread. 14. Sometimes when God says "no", it's because He has something better in store for you. 15. The task ahead of us is never as great as the power behind us. 16. Prayer: don't bother to give God instructions, just report for duty. 17. It's my business to do God's business and it's His business to take care of my business. 18. Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm. 19. How come you're always running around looking for God? He's not lost. 20. God put me on earth to accomplish a number of things; right now I'm so far behind I will live forever.

EIGHT GIFTS THAT DON'T COST A CENT...

1. THE GIFT OF LISTENING...But, you must REALLY listen. No interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your response. Just listen.


2. THE GIFT OF AFFECTION...Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family and friends.

3. THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER...
Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you."

4. THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE...
It can be a simple "Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet. A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime, and may even change a life.

5. THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT...
A simple and sincere, "You look great in red," "You did a super job", or "That was a wonderful meal" can make someone's day.

6. THE GIFT OF A FAVOR...
Every day, go out of your way to do something kind.

7. THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE...
There are times when we want nothing better than to be left alone. Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.

8. THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION...
The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone, really it's not that hard, to say, "Hello" or "Thank You."

Let us learn to be more flexible.

Dear friends, I am writing this article that I wish to pass on to you. How often we have come across situations that is so much similar to the one that I have just penned. These are the very situations that we encounter in our daily lives. But we can see the positive side of life and do our best to make our lives much more fruitful. So should we not start right away? Please read on:

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk or spend a few days with you and sat in silence while you were busy with some household chore? They do feel lonely and homesick, yearning for your closeness and love.

There are innumerable times when I cannot count the times I have been called by my daughter and heard her asking me, "How about going to lunch in a half hour?" The answer would be, "I can't. I have clothes to wash, My hair is dirty... I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast... It looks like it's going to rain."

We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect:

• We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get our kid potty-trained.
• We'll entertain - when we get the house in order.
• We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get our kids settled.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of "I'm going to," "I plan on," and "Someday, when things are settled down a bit."

My love for so many things to do in this life just hangs on a wild dream, simply because I am more busy with some chore or the other in the house or catering to my aged mother who just refuses to budge, knowing very well that there is a ready help on hand, in the house with a person like me.

Now ... go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to ... not something on your 'SHOULD DO' list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And, why are you waiting?

Ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow?" And, in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die, 'Cause you never had time to call and say, "Hi"?

When you run so fast to get somewhere, You miss half the fun of getting there. When you worry and hurry through your day, It is like an unopened gift... Thrown away.