Whoever said “It’s too good to be true” didn’t know the salvation, forgiveness and grace of Jesus Christ.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
Archive for the ‘Spiritual’ Category
A friend of mine forwarded me this email this morning. It has a good point and it’s something we should remember as we travel our journey through life.
YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW….
Good morning said a woman as she walked up to the man sitting on ground.
The man slowly looked up.
This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life.
His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before. “Leave me alone,” he growled….
To his amazement, the woman continued standing.
She was smiling — her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. “Are you hungry?” she asked.
“No,” he answered sarcastically. “I’ve just come from dining with the president. Now go away.”
The woman’s smile became even broader.
Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm.
“What are you doing, lady?” the man asked angrily. “I said to leave me alone.
Just then a policeman came up. “Is there any problem, ma’am?” he asked.
“No problem here, officer,” the woman answered. “I’m just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?”
The officer scratched his head. “That’s old Jack. He’s been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?”
“See that cafeteria over there?” she asked. “I’m going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile.”
“Are you crazy, lady?” the homeless man resisted. “I don’t want to go in there!” Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up. “Let me go, officer. I didn’t do anything.”
“This is a good deal for you, Jack,” the officer answered. “Don’t blow it.”
Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived.
The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table. “What’s going on here, officer?” he asked. “What is all this, is this man in trouble?”
“This lady brought this man in here to be fed,” the policeman answered.
“Not in here!” the manager replied angrily. “Having a person like that here is bad for business.”
Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. “See, lady. I told you so. Now if you’ll let me go. I didn’t want to come here in the first place.”
The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. “Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?”
“Of course I am,” the manager answered impatiently. “They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms.”
“And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?”
“What business is that of yours?”
I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company.”
“Oh.”
The woman smiled again. “I thought that might make a difference.” She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. “Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?”
“No thanks, ma’am,” the officer replied. “I’m on duty.”
“Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?”
“Yes, ma’am.. That would be very nice.”
The cafeteria manager turned on his heel, “I’ll get your coffee for you right away, officer.”
The officer watched him walk away. “You certainly put him in his place,” he said.
“That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this.”
She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently. “Jack, do you remember me?”
Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes. “I think so — I mean you do look familiar.”
“I’m a little older perhaps,” she said. “Maybe I’ve even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry.”
“Ma’am?” the officer said questioningly. He couldn’t believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.
“I was just out of college,” the woman began. “I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn’t find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat.”
Jack lit up with a smile. “Now I remember,” he said. “I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy.”
“I know,” the woman continued. “Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble… Then, when I looked over and saw you put the price of my food in the cash register, I knew then that everything would be all right.”
“So you started your own business?” Old Jack said.
“I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered.” She opened her purse and pulled out a business card.. “When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr.. Lyons…He’s the personnel director of my company. I’ll go talk to him now and I’m certain he’ll find something for you to do around the office.” She smiled. “I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothe s and get a place to live until you get on your feet. If you ever need anything, my door is always opened to you.”
There were tears in the old man’s eyes. “How can I ever thank you?” he said.
“Don’t thank me,” the woman answered. “To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus…. He led me to you.”
Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways…
“Thank you for all your help, officer,” she said.
“On the contrary, Ms.. Eddy,” he answered. “Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And thank you for the coffee.”
If you have missed knowing me, you have missed nothing.
If you have missed some of my emails, you might have missed a laugh.
But, if you have missed knowing my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, you have missed everything in the world.
Have a Wonderful Day. May God Bless You Always and don’t forget that when you “cast your bread upon the waters,” you never know how it will be returned to you.
God is so big He can cover the whole world with his Love and so small He can curl up inside your heart.
When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go.
Only 1 of 2 things will happen, either He’ll catch you when you fall, or He’ll teach you how to fly!
God closes doors no man can open & God opens doors no man can close..
Have a blessed day and remember to be a blessing.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
I tend to be sentimental. And I tend to keep items that have touched me. For example, I have birthday cards from my grandparents who are in heaven, the plastic matching numbered bracelet I had to wear when my daughter was born to prove I was her father when she was released from the hospital, and miscellaneous momentos from different trips I have taken. And I have so many drawings, scribbles, artwork, pictures, and refrigerator art made by the kids that the box is overflowing.
Among these sentimental items are several homemade Valentine’s Day cards my wife lovingly made for me. Each one is special and reflected creativity and uniqueness that is all her. They are special which is why I have kept them throughout all these years (and they have survived all the “let’s throw everything out that we don’t need” efforts led, ironically, by my wife).
So this morning imagine my anger and distress to find them smelling – not of her wonderful perfume – but of a male cat’s pee. Yes, one of our pet cats peed on my sentimental Valentine’s Day cards. I was very upset and wanted to kill the useless cat (especially since he doesn’t carry his weight by catching mice, so in my opinion he is worthless).
Except something came to me during my morning devotions. I was reminded of the verse where it says we will all return to dust. All of us and everything. We are not to put our trust or faith in that which does not last. Which leads us to the only thing that will last – God’s love for us. And in my prayer I was thankful that, while cats may pee on sentimental items, people may die, loved ones may pass away, this world as we know it will be no more; God’s love is everlasting, unconditional and forever.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,…. – Ephesians 3:17-19
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
Today my mom and my sister leave Washington state to head on a mission trip to Kenya, Africa. They will be over there with the Mashaka Quilting Project for a while to teach some ladies over there how to quilt and sew items that can then be used locally for trade or globally to bring in a small income. The idea is to provide them with the skills, tools, raw materials, and resources so, over time, they can ultimately provide for themselves. My sister will be over there for 3 weeks while my mom will continue to stay well into October. They will also try to create a cottage industry and get them plugged into an international marketplace for their wares — which with the internet and community help is an option today that wasn’t available years ago. My mom will be training the first 20 women, who will in turn become the teachers for the other women in Mashaka.
Please keep my mom (Kitty) and my sister (Jill) in your prayers for safe travel so that they can be used as tools by God to further His kingdom and help others help themselves.
Image above is a quilt my mom made prior to the trip.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
Earlier this week my wife took my 16 year old daughter R to the doctor. She has been having very painful headaches
and it finally got to the point where we needed to look into them. The Dr performed an examination and took some
blood. Some possibilities were ruled out: flu, common cold, allergies, and vision. But just as many were left open ended
which has the whole Aslowerpace family concerned.
She goes in for a CT head scan tomorrow. I am concerned but not worried. I have asked my support network for prayers
and ask the same here on my public record.
One of those support prayer warriors sent me an email reply with scriptural support and it really hit home to me. It was
from Isaiah 41:10.
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My
righteous right hand.
That reasonated with wonderful reassurance and really helped put me at peace. For my daughter I pray for strength,
comfort, courage and peace.
Interestingly, as I drove down the driveway this morning to head to work, the DJ on the Christian radio I listen to was
ministering to the listeners about worry and the state of our nation. She quoted scripture from….. you guessed it — Isaiah
41:10.
Wow! Pretty cool. Non-believers will say it was just coincidence but, as a believer, I love how God sprinkles lighthouses
along our path and journey to shine the way and provide guidance and reassurance. And when I got to work, I sent a
thank you email to my prayer warrior friend for the lighthouse she provided along my path.
Please keep my daughter in your prayers tomorrow.
Thank you,
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
I forgot to post about this yesterday.
While I was reading my morning devotion, I turned to the devotional scripture in Luke 7:11-17. Surprisingly, I opened my Bible up to that exact page without having to turn any others.
I thought that was pretty cool.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
“You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
On these two commandments hang
all the law and the prophets.”
Matthew 22:39-40
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
I continue to be amazed at the timing of impactful messages on my life. Some messages are repeats that reinforce the direction of my spiritual compass. Others are meant to change my heart and challenge me.
Below is a story from today’s sermon. It talked about happiness and serving others. Very appropriate given the mission trip we just all returned from.
It was great seeing my fellow teammates at church today too. I really bonded with them and even though it was very hard work, we enjoyed ourselves. I would go back with each of them in a heartbeat. If they are reading this, thank you to each of you for the person you are and the person you shared with me during that experience.
Sermon story —–
Marion Preminger stumbled upon it and wrote about where lasting happiness is to be found in her autobiography ALL I WANT IS EVERYTHING. Born in Hungary in 1913, Marion was raised in a castle, surrounded by wealth, servants and the notoriety of an aristocratic upbringing.
At a Viennese ball, she met a handsome young man, the son of an Italian doctor. They rushed into a marriage that lasted only a year.
She returned to Vienna to embark on a career of acting. There she fell in love with the German director Otto Preminger. They married and she followed him to America where he began a promising career as a Hollywood movie director. But her new Hollywood lifestyle could not sustain her marriage and Preminger eventually divorced her.
Marion returned to Europe to live the life of a Parisian socialite until 1948. Then everything changed when she read that Dr. Albert Schweitzer was visiting Europe from his home in Africa. She determined to meet with the notable missionary doctor.
She first encountered Schweitzer doing one of the things he loved to do best while visiting Europe — playing a church organ for his own enjoyment. He invited her to dine with him. After the meal, Marion knew she had finally found what she’d been looking for. She accompanied Schweitzer every day during the remainder of his European visit. He invited to come back to Africa with him and work as an untrained staff member in the Lamberene hospital.
She left her life of status and ease and moved to Africa. There…the girl who was raised like a princess became a servant. She changed bandages, bathed bodies and fed lepers. She gave her life away to the poor, and because of it, found the happiness she’d craved for so long.
It was Albert Schweitzer who asserted, “One thing I know: The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.”
However, wherever and whomever you choose to help is unimportant. There are those in need everywhere. But when you figure out how to help other people, you’ll have also learned how to be happy for lifetime.
How true! In looking up this story, I also ran across this :
Someone said this about happiness:
To be happy for an hour — take a nap.
To be happy for a day — go shopping.
To be happy for a week — take a vacation.
To be happy for a month — get married.
To be happy for a year — inherit a fortune.
To be happy for a lifetime — help others.
Go be happy! I’ll let you pick how long you want to be happy.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
Speaking of prayer, in my time here in Kentucky, not only has my faith been tested and strengthened, but the power of prayer has been truly revealed to me. I believe that most of us don’t really realize the great gift God has given to us in the form of prayer and communication with Him. It is indeed a wondrous, miraculous and powerful gift. Below are a few highlights from the blog that refer to the power of prayer. I hope at least one of them touches you enough to use the gift of prayer more often.
Prayer of St Francis:
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Prayers during our move out to Kentucky
Prayer gift from a neighbor before we left CA — see bottom of post
I have a few other instances that I haven’t blogged about but that are wonderful examples of the power of prayer. Go pray — God’s waiting.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
I came across this and it is appropriate since today is Sunday.
That’s a good kid and that’s a cool dog!
…..Dan at aslowerpace
