Beautiful Words of Life: From the Internet with Love

By Josefina U. Hudson

BEUATIFUL WORDS TO PONDER


The words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit and they are life.

~ Jesus of Nazareth ~

Though little, the master word looms large in meaning. It is the open sesame to every portal, the great equalizer, the philosophers stone which transmutes all base metal of humanity in gold. The stupid it will make bright, the bright brilliant, and the brilliant steady .. The master word is WORK.

~ William Osler ~

We live in a changing world, but only in an external sense. Environment and mental processes change, but there is something deep in the heart of man that defies the touch of time, a place where changes seldom come, if at all. There are to be found from age to age about the same hopes, fears, temptations, desires and motives; the same struggles with life and death, sin and shame, tragedy and grief, adversity and misfortune; the same eternal quests for God, truth, goodness and immortality.

~ Cordie J. Culp ~

Man, in his changing world, struggles to understand the unchanging God. Man would struggle less if he read the Bible more. Man has always been in the heart of God. The worlds task is to bring God into the heart of man.

~ Joseph M. Waterman ~

In time of quietness we have a chance to rest, an opportunity to evaluate life more properly, to develop a sympathy for others. We learn that the whole world can keep going without us and that gives us a wholesome sense of humility

~ Charles Allen ~.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 8, 2008
• ISBN: 9781453566114

Book preview

PEOPLE COME INTO YOUR LIFE FOR A REASON

I am sending this to you to see how many actually read their e-mail. Your response will be interesting. Pay attention to what you read. After you have finished reading it, you will know the reason it was sent to you. Here it goes.

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered, and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it; it is real. But only for a season!

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life, whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

Send this to every friend that you have on-line, including the person who sent to you.

0 Replies—you may need to work on your people skills

2 Replies—you are nice but probably need to be more outgoing

4 Replies—you have picked your friends well

6 Replies—you are downright popular

8 Replies or More—you are totally awesome (and that’s probably why you’re on My list)

I wonder what mine will be.

2

NOAH’S ARK

Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah’s Ark. One: Don’t miss the boat. Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat. Three: Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark. Four: Stay fit. When you’re six hundred years old, someone may ask you to do something really big. Five: Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done. Six: Build your future on high ground. Seven: For safety sake, travel in pairs! Eight: Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs. Nine: When you’re stressed, float awhile. Ten: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals. Eleven: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting.

NOW, wasn’t that nice? Pass it along and make someone else smile too.

3

THERESA’S PRAYER

Okay, I picked twelve people who I thought would do this. I hope I chose the right twelve. Please send this back to me (You’ll see why). Boy I could use a good wish right about now!

In case anyone is interested, Saint Theresa is known as the Saint of the Little Ways. Meaning she believed in doing the little things in life well and with great love. She is also the patron saint of flower growers and florists. She is represented by roses.

May everyone who receives this message be blessed. Theresa’s Prayer cannot be deleted. REMEMBER to make a wish before you read the poem. That’s all you have to do. There is nothing attached.

Just send this to eleven people and let me know what happens on the fourth day. Sorry you have to forward the message, but try not to break this, please. Prayer is one of the best gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of reward. (Did you make a wish?) If you don’t make a wish, it won’t come true. This is your last chance to make a wish.

St. Theresa’s Prayer

May today there be peace within.

May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that love that has been given to you . . .

May you be content knowing you are a child of God . . .

Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing,

dance, praise, and love.

It is there for every one of us.

Now, send this to 11 people within the next 5 minutes. And remember to send this back. I count 1 . . . you’ll see why. Suggestion: copy and paste rather than forward.

4

MEDICINE

Trialinol—For lasting relief of tribulation fear

Symptoms: Fortifies the knowledge that true hope is not in this life. Gives strength to overcome hardship.

Prescription: Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12).

5

WISDOM FROM GRANDPA

* Whether a man winds up with a nest egg, or a goose egg, depends a lot on the kind of chick he marries.

* Trouble in marriage often starts when a man gets so busy earning his salt, that he forgets his sugar.

* Too many couples marry for better, or for worse, but not for good.

* When a man marries a woman, they become one; but the trouble starts when they try to decide which one.

* On anniversaries, the wise husband always forgets the past—but never the present.

* The bonds of matrimony are a good investment, only when the interest is kept up.

* Many girls like to marry a military man—he can cook, sew, and make beds, and is in good health; and he is already used to taking orders.

* Eventually you will reach the point when you stop lying about your age, and start bragging about it.

* The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.

* When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to your youth, remember algebra.

* I don’t know how I got over the hill without getting to the top.

* Ah, being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.

* Old age is when former classmates are so gray and wrinkled and bald they don’t recognize you.

* If you don’t learn to laugh at trouble, you won’t have anything to laugh at when you are old.

6

A POEM THAT GIVES YOU GOOSEBUMPS . . .

A drunk man in an Oldsmobile

They said had run the light

That caused the six-car pileup

On 109 that night.

When broken bodies lay about

And blood was everywhere,

The sirens screamed out eulogies,

For death was in the air.

A mother, trapped inside the car,

Was heard above the noise;

Her plaintive plea near split the air.

Oh, God, please spare my boys!

She fought to loose her pinned hands;

She struggled to get free,

But mangled metal held her fast

In grim captivity.

Her frightened eyes then focused

On where the back seat once had been,

But all she saw was broken glass and

Two children’s seats crushed in.

Her twins were nowhere to be seen;

She did not hear them cry,

And then she prayed they’d been thrown free,

Oh, God, don’t let them die!

Then firemen came and cut her loose,

But when they searched the back,

They found therein no little boys,

But the seat belts were intact.

They thought the woman had gone mad,

And was traveling alone,

But when they turned and questioned her,

They discovered she was gone.

Policeman saw her running wild

And screaming above the noise

In beseeching supplication,

"Please help me find my boys!

They’re four years old and wear blue shirts;

Their jeans are blue to match."

One cop spoke up, "They’re in my car,

And they don’t have a scratch.

They said their daddy put them there

And gave them each a cone.

Then told them both to wait for Mom

To come and take them home.

I’ve searched the area high and low,

But I can’t find there dad.

He must have fled the scene,

I guess, and that is very bad."

The mother hugged the twins and said,

While wiping at a tear,

"He could not flee the scene, you see,

For he’s been dead a year."

The cop just looked confused and asked,

Now, how can that be true?

The boys said, "Mommy, Daddy came

And left a kiss for you.

He told us not to worry,

And that you would be all right,

And then he put us in this car with

The pretty flashing light.

We wanted him to stay with us,

Because we miss him so,

But Mommy, he just hugged us tight

And said he had to go.

He said someday we’d understand

And told us not to fuss,

And he said to tell you, Mommy,

He’s watching over us."

The mother knew without a doubt

That what they spoke was true,

For she recalled their dad’s last words,

I will watch over you.

The firemen’s notes could not explain

The twisted, mangled car,

And how the three of them escaped

Without a single scar.

But on the cop’s report was scribed,

In print so very fine,

An angel walked the beat tonight on Highway 109.

Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless my family, my home, my friends and me. Amen.

ANGELS EXIST but sometimes, since they don’t all have wings, we call them friends.

7

ON BOOKS

How easily, how secretly, how safely in books do we make bare without shame the poverty of human ignorance! These are the masters that instruct us without rod and ferrule, without words of anger, without payment of money or clothing. Should you approach them, they are not asleep; if you seek to question them, they do not hide themselves; should you err, they do not chide; and should you show ignorance, they know not how to laugh. O Books! You alone are free and liberal. You give to all that seek, and set free all that serve you zealously.—Richard De Bury

Books delight us when prosperity sweetly smiles; they stay to comfort us when cloudy fortune frowns. They lend strength to human compacts, and without them grave judgments may not be propounded.—Philobiblon

For Books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a potency of life in them to be as active as that soul was whose progeny they are; nay, they do preserve as in a vial the purest efficacy and extraction of that living intellect that bred them.—John Milton

8

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.

Mom and Dad, I’m coming home, but I’ve a favor to ask. I have a friend I’d like to bring home with me.

Sure, they replied, we’d love to meet him."

There’s something you should know, the son continued, he was hurt so badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mine and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us.

I’m sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.

No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us.

Son, said the father, you don’t know what you’re asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can’t let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He’ll find a way to live on his own.

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief stricken parents flew to San Francisco and they were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror, they also discovered something they didn’t know, their son had only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don’t like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren’t healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are. Thankfully, there’s someone who won’t treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are.

Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say a little prayer that God will give you the strength you need to accept people as they are and to help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us!!! There’s a miracle called Friendship that dwells in the heart. You don’t know how it happens or when it gets started, but you know the special lift it always brings and you realize that Friendship is God’s most precious gift. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

9

A BLONDE GOES ICE FISHING

A blonde decided she needed something new and different for a winter hobby. She went to the bookstore and bought every book she could find on ice fishing. For weeks she read and studied every book, hoping to become an expert in the field. Finally she decided she knew enough, and out she went for her first ice fishing trip. She carefully gathered up and packed all the tools and equipment needed for the excursion. Each piece of equipment had its own special place in her kit.

When she got to the ice, she found a quiet little area, placed her padded stool, and carefully laid out her tools. Just as she was about to make her first cut into the ice, a booming voice from the sky bellowed, There are no fish under the ice!

Startled, the blonde grabbed up all her belongings, moved farther along the ice, poured some hot chocolate from her thermos, and started to cut a new hole. Again the voice from above bellowed, There are no fish under the ice!

Amazed, the blonde wasn’t quite sure what to do, as this certainly wasn’t covered in any of her books. She packed up her gear and moved to the far side of the ice. Once there, she stopped for a few moments to regain her calm. Then she was extremely careful to set everything up perfectly—tools in the right place, chair positioned just so, everything.

Just as she was about to cut this new hole, the voice came again, There are no fish under the ice! Petrified, the blonde looked skyward and asked, Is that you, Lord? The voice boomed back, No, this is the manager of the skating rink.

10

I PICKED YOU

GOD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS.

It was an unusually cold day for the month of May. Spring had arrived and everything was alive with color. But a cold front from the north had brought winter’s chill back to Indiana. I sat, with two friends, in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the town square. The food and the company were both especially good that day. As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street. There, walking into town, was a man who appeared to be carrying all his worldly goods on his back. He was carrying, a well-worn sign that read, I will work for food. My heart sank. I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around us had stopped eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief. We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind. We finished our meal and went our separate ways.

I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them. I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat halfheartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car. Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: Don’t go back to the office until you’ve at least driven once more around the square. And so with hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the square’s third corner, I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the storefront church, going through his sack. I stopped and looked, feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on.

The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out and approached the town’s newest visitor. Looking for the pastor? I asked.

Not really, he replied, just resting.

Have you eaten today?

Oh, I ate something early this morning.

Would you like to have lunch with me?

Do you have some work I could do for you?

No work, I replied. "I commute here to work from the city, but I would like to take you to lunch.

Sure, he replied with a smile.

As he began to gather his things, I asked some surface questions. Where are you headed?

St. Louise.

Where are you from?

Oh, all over; mostly Florida.

How long you’ve been walking?

Fourteen years, came the reply.

I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in the same restaurant I had left earlier. His face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling. He removed his jacket to reveal a bright red T-shirt that said, Jesus is The Never Ending Story.

Then Daniel’s story began to unfold. He had seen rough times early in life. He’d made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences. Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach in Daytona. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large tent and some equipment. A concert, he thought. He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw life more clearly. He gave his life over to God. Nothing’s been the same since, he said. I felt the Lord telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now.

Ever think of stopping? I asked.

Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me. But God has given me this calling. I give out bibles. That’s what’s in my sack. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads.

I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a mission and lived this way by choice. The question burned inside for a moment and then I asked, What’s it like?

What?

To walk into town carrying all your things on your back, and to show your sign?

Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. Once someone tossed a piece of half-eaten bread and made a gesture that certainly didn’t make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God was using me to touch lives and change people’s concepts of other folks like me.

My concept was changing, too. We finished our dessert and gathered his things. Just outside the door, he paused, turned to me and said, Come Ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I’ve prepared for you. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me a drink, a stranger and you took me in.

I felt as if we were on holy ground. Could you use another Bible? I asked. He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled well and was not too heavy.

It was also his personal favorite. I’ve read through it 14 times, he said.

I’m not sure we’ve got one of those, but let’s stop by our church and see.

I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful.

Where are you headed from here?

Well, I found this little map on the back of this amusement park coupon.

Are you hoping to hire on there for a while?

No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that’s where I’m going next.

He smiled, and the warmth of His spirit radiated the sincerity of his mission. I drove him back to the town-square where we’d met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things. Would you sign my autograph book? He asked. I like to keep messages from folks I meet."

I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of scripture from Jeremiah, I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you. Plans to give you a future and a hope.

Thanks, man, he said.

I know we just met and we’re really just strangers, but I love you.

I know, I said. I love you, too.

The Lord is good.

Yes, He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you? I asked.

A long time, he replied. And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed. He put his things on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, See you in the New Jerusalem.

I’ll be there! was my reply. He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bed roll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, When you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?

You bet, I shouted back. God Bless.

God Bless.

And that was the last I saw of him. Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold front had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car. As I sat back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them . . . a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle. I picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that night without them. I remembered his words: If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?

Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office. They help me to see the world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with my unique friend and to pray for his ministry. See you in the New Jerusalem, he said.

Yes, Daniel, I know I will . . .

If this story touched you, forward it to a friend! I shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again.

My instructions were to send this to four people that