sick girl rescued by an angel

This incident happened in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, in September 2008. 14-year-old Chelsea Barton was born five weeks prematurely which resulted in developmental disabilities and serious health problems all her life.
Chelsea got sick very easily and going back and forth to the hospital very often. In 2008, she caught pneumonia and was eventually put on life support at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Doctors told Chelsea’s mother that there was no hope for young Chelsea’s recovery.
The family gathered one last time in Chelsea’s hospital room to say their goodbyes and the order was giving to disconnect her from the life support system and “just let nature take its course.”
It appeared that Chelsea had another visitor just after the life support was disconnected!
As her mother waited for the girl to take her last breath, an image of bright light appeared on the hospital’s security monitor screen. Within an hour, the dying girl began a recovery that doctors were at a loss to explain.
The mother and other workers noticed an image of an angel in light on the security surveillance monitor near the hospital room door and the mother managed to capture the image with her cell phone camera.
The mother told that at first she thought that it was the angel-of-death coming to take her daughter but shortly afterwards Chelsea started showing signs of improvement.
It would be another two months before Chelsea finally left the hospital to return home but her mother is so convinced that Chelsea was saved by divine intervention.
God is real and does care for us!

Things change, keep up your faith!

For most people, graduation is an exciting day – the culmination of years of hard work. My graduation day… was not.
I remember that weekend two years ago. Family and friends had flown in from across the country to watch our class walk across that stage. But like everyone else in my graduating class, I had watched the economy turn from bad to worse my senior year. We graduates had degrees, but very limited prospects. Numerous applications had not panned out and I knew that the next day, when my lease ended, I would no longer have a place to call home.
The weeks ahead weren’t easy. I gathered up everything I couldn’t carry and put it into storage. Then, because I knew my small university town couldn’t offer me any opportunities, I packed up my car and drove to Southern California to find work. But what I thought would take a week dragged into two, and then four, and 100 job applications later, I found myself in the exact same spot as I was before. And the due date to begin paying back my student loans was creeping ever closer.
You know that feeling when you wake up and you are just consumed with dread? Dread about something you can’t control – that sense of impending failure that lingers over you as you hope that everything that happened to you thus far was just a bad dream? That feeling became a constant in my life.

Days felt like weeks, weeks like months, and those many months felt like an unending eternity of destitution. And the most frustrating part was no matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t seem to make any progress.
So what did I do to maintain my sanity? I wrote. Something about putting words on a page made everything seem a little clearer – a little brighter. Something about writing gave me hope. And if you want something badly enough… sometimes a little hope is all you need!
I channeled my frustration into a children’s book. Beyond the River was the story of an unlikely hero featuring a little fish who simply refused to give up on his dream.
And then one day, without any sort of writing degree or contacts in the writing world – just a lot of hard work and perseverance – I was offered a publishing contract for my first book! After that, things slowly began to fall into place. I was offered a second book deal. Then, a few months later, I got an interview with The Walt Disney Company and was hired shortly after.
The moral of this story is… don’t give up. Even if things look bleak now, don’t give up. Two years ago I was huddled in my car drinking cold soup right out of the can. Things change.

Let go of your Stresses!

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: ”How heavy is this glass of water?”
Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.
She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”
She continued, “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”
It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!

value of knowledge

A giant ship engine failed. The ship’s owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure but how to fix the engine.
Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a young.
He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom.
Two of the ship’s owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do.
After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something.
Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed!
A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars.
What?!” the owners exclaimed. “He hardly did anything!”
So they wrote the old man a note saying, “Please send us an itemized bill.”
The man sent a bill that read:
Tapping with a hammer…… …… ……… $ 2.00
Knowing where to tap……… …… ……… $ 9,998.00
Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort makes all the difference! Keep studying hard. Don’t give up!

Self Confidence

There was a business executive who was deep in debt and could see no way out.
Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.
Suddenly an old man appeared before him. “I can see that something is troubling you,” he said.
After listening to the executive’s woes, the old man said, “I believe I can help you.”
He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying, “Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time.”
Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.
The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!
“I can erase my money worries in an instant!” he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.

With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.
Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.
“I’m so glad I caught him!” she cried. “I hope he hasn’t been bothering you. He’s always escaping from the rest home and telling people he’s John D. Rockefeller.”
And she led the old man away by the arm.
The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he’d been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him.
Suddenly, he realized that it wasn’t the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

Putting Mind at Ease

One day, Buddha was walking from one town to another with a few of his followers.
While they were traveling, they happened to pass by a lake. They stopped to rest there and Buddha asked one of his disciples to get him some water from the lake.
A disciple walked up to the lake. When he reached it, he noticed some people were washing clothes in the water and, right at that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake.
As a result, the water became very muddy. The disciple thought, ““How can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink!””
So he came back and told Buddha, “”The water in the lake is very muddy. I don’’t think it is suitable to drink.””
After a while, Buddha again asked the same disciple to go back to the lake and get him some water.
The disciple obediently went back to the lake. This time he found that the mud had settled down and the water was clean so he collected some in a pot and brought it to Buddha.
Buddha looked at the water then looked up at the disciple and said, ““See what you did to make the water clean. You let it be and the mud settled down on its own. It is also the same with your mind. When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time and it will settle down on its own.”

Determining Your real Path

A master was strolling through a field of wheat when a disciple came up to him and asked, “I can’t tell which is the true path. What’s the secret?”
“What does that ring on your right hand mean?” – asked the master.
“My father gave it to me before dying.”
“Well, give it to me.”
The disciple obeyed, and the master tossed the ring into the middle of the field of wheat.
“Now what?” – shouted the disciple.
“Now I have to stop doing everything I was doing to look for the ring! It’s important to me!”

story of Christian Drummer Boy

Two or three times in my life God in His mercy touched my heart, and twice before my conversion I was under deep conviction.
During the American war [Civil War], I was a surgeon in the United States Army, and after the battle of Gettysburg there were many hundred wounded soldiers in my hospital, amongst whom were twenty-eight who had been wounded so severely that they required my services at once.Some whose legs had to be amputated, some their arms, and others both their arm and leg. One of the latter was a boy who had been but three months in the service, and being too young for a soldier had enlisted as a drummer. When my assistant surgeon and one of my stewards wished to administer chloroform, previous to the amputation, the young soldier turned his head aside and positively refused to receive it. When the steward told him that it was the doctor’s orders, he said: “Send the doctor to me.”
When I came to his bedside, I said: “Young man, why do you refuse chloroform? When I found you on the battlefield you were so far gone that I thought it hardly worth while to pick you up; but when you opened those large blue eyes I thought you had a mother somewhere who might, at that moment, be thinking of her boy. I did not want you to die on the field, so ordered you to be brought here; but you have now lost so much blood that you are too weak to endure an operation without chloroform, therefore you had better let me give you some.”
He laid his hand on mine, and looking me in the face, said: “Doctor, one Sunday afternoon, in the Sabbath-school, when I was nine and a half years old, I gave my heart to Christ. I learned to trust Him then; I have been trusting Him ever since, and I can trust Him now. He is my strength and my stimulant. He will support me while you amputate my arm and leg.”
I then asked him if he would allow me to give him a little brandy.
Again he looked me in the face saying: “Doctor, when I was about five years old my mother knelt by my side, with her arm around my neck, and said: ‘Charlie, I am now praying to Jesus that you may never know the taste of strong drink; your papa died a drunkard, and went down to a drunkard’s grave, and I promised God, if it were His will that you should grow up, that you should warn young men against the bitter cup.’ I am now seventeen years old, but I have never tasted anything stronger than tea and coffee, and as I am, in all probability, about to go into the presence of my God, would you send me there with brandy on my stomach?”
The look that boy gave me I shall never forget. At that time I hated Jesus, but I respected that boy’s loyalty to his Savior; and when I saw how he loved and trusted Him to the last, there was something that touched my heart, and I did for that boy what I had never done for any other soldier — I asked him if he wanted to see his chaplain.
“Oh! yes, sir,” was the answer.
When Chaplain R. came, he at once knew the boy from having often met him at the tent prayer meetings, and taking his hand said: “Well, Charlie, I am sorry to see you in this sad condition.”
“Oh, I am all right, sir,” he, answered. “The doctor offered me chloroform, but I declined it; then he wished to give me brandy, which I also declined; and now, if my Savior calls me, I can go to Him in my right mind.”
“You may not die, Charlie,” said the chaplain “but if the Lord should call you away, is there anything I can do for you after you are gone?”
“Chaplain, please put your hand under my pillow and take my little Bible; in it you will find my mother’s address; please send it to her and write a letter, and tell her that since the day I left home I have never let a day pass without reading a portion of God’s word, and daily praying that God would bless my dear mother; no matter whether on the march, on the battlefield, or in the hospital.”
“Is there anything else I can do for you, my lad?” asked the chaplain.
“Yes; please write a letter to the superintendent of the Sands-street Sunday-school, Brooklyn, N. Y., and tell him that the kind words, many prayers, and good advice he gave me I have never forgotten; they have followed me through all the dangers of battle; and now, in my dying hour, I ask my dear Savior to bless my dear old superintendent. That is all.”
Turning towards me he said: “Now, doctor, I am ready; and I promise you that I will not even groan while you take off my arm and leg, if you will not offer me chloroform.” I promised, but I had not the courage to take the knife in my hand to perform the operation without first going into the next room and taking a little stimulant myself to perform my duty.
While cutting through the flesh, Charlie Coulson never groaned; but when I took the saw to separate the bone, the lad took the corner of his pillow in his mouth, and all that I could hear him utter was: “O Jesus, blessed Jesus! stand by me now.” He kept his promise, and never groaned.
That night I could not sleep, for whichever way I turned I saw those soft blue eyes, and when I closed mine, the words, “Blessed Jesus, stand by me now,” kept ringing in my ears. Between twelve and one o’clock I left my bed and visited the hospital; a thing I had never done before unless specially called, but such was my desire to see that boy. Upon my arrival there I was informed by the night steward that sixteen of the hopeless cases had died, and been carried down to the dead-house.
“How is Charlie Coulson, is he among the dead?” I asked.
“No, sir,” answered the steward, “he is sleeping as sweetly as a babe.” When I came up to the bed where he lay, one of the nurses informed me that, about nine o’clock, two members of the YMCA came through the hospital to read and sing a hymn. They were accompanied by Chaplain R., who knelt by Charlie Coulson’s bed, and offered up a fervent and soul-stirring prayer; after which they sang, while still upon their knees, the sweetest of all hymns, “Jesus, lover of my soul,” in which Charlie joined.
I could not understand how that boy, who had undergone such excruciating pain, could sing.Five days after I had amputated that dear boy’s arm and leg, he sent for me, and it was from him on that day I heard the first gospel sermon.“Doctor,” he said, “my time has come; I do not expect to see another sunrise; but, thank God, I am ready to go; and before I die I desire to thank you with all my heart for your kindness to me. Doctor, you are a Jew, you do not believe in Jesus; will you please stand here and see me die trusting my Savior to the last moment of my life?”
I tried to stay, but I could not; for I had not the courage to stand by and see a Christian boy die rejoicing in the love of that Jesus whom I had been taught to hate, so I hurriedly left the room.
About twenty minutes later a steward, who found me sitting in my private office covering my face with my hand, said: “Doctor, Charlie Coulson wishes to see you.”
“I have just seen him,” I answered, “and I cannot see him again.”
“But, doctor, he says he must see you once more before he dies.”
I now made up my mind to see him, say an endearing word, and let him die, but I was determined that no word of his should influence me in the least so far as his Jesus was concerned.
When I entered the hospital I saw he was sinking fast, so I sat down by his bed.
Asking me to take his hand, he said: “Doctor, I love you because you are a Jew; the best friend I have found in this world was a Jew.”
I asked him who that was. He answered: “Jesus Christ, to whom I want to introduce you before I die; and will you promise me, doctor, that what I am about to say to you, you will never forget?”I promised; and he said “Five days ago, while you amputated my arm and leg, I prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ to convert your soul.”
These words went deep into my heart. I could not understand how, when I was causing him the most intense pain, he could forget all about himself and think of nothing but his Savior and my unconverted soul. All I could say to him was: “Well, my dear boy, you will soon be all right.” With these words I left him, and twelve minutes later he fell asleep, “safe in the arms of Jesus.”
Hundreds of soldiers died in my hospital during the war; but I only followed one to the grave, and that one was Charlie Coulson, the drummer boy; and I rode three miles to see him buried. I had him dressed in a new uniform, and placed in an officer’s coffin, with a United States flag over it.
That boy’s dying words made a deep impression upon me. I was rich at that time so far as money is concerned, but I would have given every penny I possessed if I could have felt towards Christ as Charlie did; but that feeling cannot be bought with money. Alas! I soon forgot all about my Christian soldier’s little sermon, but I could not forget the boy himself. I now know that at that time I was under deep conviction of sin; but I fought against Christ with all the hatred of an orthodox Jew for nearly ten years, until, finally, the dear boy’s prayer was answered, and God converted my soul.
About eighteen months after my conversion, I attended a prayer meeting one evening in the city of Brooklyn. It was one of those meetings when Christians testify to the loving kindness of their Savior.After several of them had spoken, an elderly lady arose and said, “Dear friends, this may be the last time that it is my privilege to testify for Christ. My family physician told me yesterday that my right lung is nearly gone, and my left lung is very much affected; so at the best I have but a short time to be with you; but what is left of me belongs to Jesus. Oh! it is a great joy to know that I shall meet my boy with Jesus in heaven. My son was not only a soldier for his country, but also a soldier for Christ. He was wounded at the battle of Gettysburg, and fell into the hands of a Jewish doctor, who amputated his arm and leg, but he died five days after the operation. The chaplain of the regiment wrote me a letter, and sent me my boy’s Bible. In that letter I was informed that my Charlie in his dying hour sent for that Jewish doctor, and said to him: “Doctor, before I die I wish to tell you that five days ago, while you amputated my arm and leg, I prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ to convert your soul.”

Love on valentine's day

What makes you feel joyful and alive? God wants you to enjoy life and live it to the full! Get out in nature, spend time with a loved one, enjoy today. It only happens once!

A determined spirit

Once upon a time, a small bird named Tasoo lived in a vast jungle. One hot summer day, a terrible wildfire erupted and the flames devoured many trees and animals living in the jungle. Other birds flew high into the sky and far away to safety, but Tasoo couldn't bear to leave her precious jungle home to burn. Day and night, she flew with all her might back and forth to the river, filling her tiny beak with water to drop on the raging fires. Tasoo's rare heart of courage and unshakable determination moved the heavenly gods to shed tears, and a great rain poured down upon the jungle, extinguishing the flames. And so it is that even the smallest actions of a determined spirit can change the world.

i pray

I pray
Today
That God will bring you
Peace
Where there's been pain
Harmony
Where there's been discord
Love
Where there's been loneliness

I pray
Today
That God will bring you
Solace
Where there's been sorrow
Justice
Where there's been inequality
Clarity
Where there's been chaos

I pray
Today
That He will heal your human heart
and help you face tomorrow
With a renewed sense of
Courage
Strength
And wisdom."

importance of going to Church

If you're spiritually alive, you're going to love this!
If you're spiritually dead, you won't want to read it.
If you're spiritually curious, there is still hope!
A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday.  "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons.  But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them.  So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."
This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor.  It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:
"I've been married for 30 years now.  In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals.  But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals.  But I do know this... They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work.  If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.  Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!"
When you are DOWN to nothing, God is UP to something!
Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible!
Thank God for your physical AND our spiritual nourishment!
When Satan is knocking at your door, simply say, "Jesus, could you get that for me?"

Two angels travelling

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family.
The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room.
Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement.
As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.
When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem."
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife.
After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest.
When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him, she accused. The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die.
"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied.
"When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem."
Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You just might not know it until some time later.

A lesson of Faith

The amazing story of Charles Blondin, a famous French tightrope walker, is a wonderful illustration of what true faith is.
Blondin's greatest fame came on September 14, 1860, when he became the first person to cross a tightrope stretched 11,000 feet (over a quarter of a mile) across the mighty Niagara Falls. People from both Canada and America came from miles away to see this great feat.
He walked across, 160 feet above the falls, several times... each time with a different daring feat - once in a sack, on stilts, on a bicycle, in the dark, and blindfolded. One time he even carried a stove and cooked an omelet in the middle of the rope!
A large crowd gathered and the buzz of excitement ran along both sides of the river bank. The crowd “Oohed and Aahed!” as Blondin carefully walked across - one dangerous step after another - pushing a wheelbarrow holding a sack of potatoes.
Then a one point, he asked for the participation of a volunteer. Upon reaching the other side, the crowd's applause was louder than the roar of the falls!
Blondin suddenly stopped and addressed his audience: "Do you believe I can carry a person across in this wheelbarrow?"
The crowd enthusiastically yelled, "Yes! You are the greatest tightrope walker in the world. We believe!"
"Okay," said Blondin, "Who wants to get into the wheelbarrow."
As far as the Blondin story goes, no one did at the time!
This unique story illustrates a real life picture of what faith actually is. The crowd watched these daring feats. They said they believed. But... their actions proved they truly did not believe.
Similarly, it is one thing for us to say we believe in God. However, it's true faith when we believe God and put our faith and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ.

An angel in texas

My Christmas Wish started as a yearly donation drive in which my school gathers and donates items to the military. The drive took two months to complete and the community was very willing to help us in our efforts.
This year, we gathered enough for many troops and started wondering how much it would cost to send all of it overseas. Very expensive, as it turned out.
As I lugged all the heavy packages to the Postal Annex with my three year old son in tow, I ran out of hands. There was an older gentleman who held the door for me. He was a tall, slender man with wavy silver grey hair, warm, brown eyes, and a deep, richly toned, melodic voice. (If the description seems silly, allow me to explain. I am a singer, music teacher and voice teacher, so I pay particular attention to how someone sounds when they speak, their diction, any accent, and even any inflection I detect in their voice
He asked many questions about where the packages were going, did I have family in the military, why I had decided to do this project in the first place. I laid out the complete story to him and explained the compelling feeling that The Lord was calling me to task. Although I did not currently have family in the military, many in my family on both sides had served proudly over the years.
He then asked what could he do to help. I explained that it would be expensive and a couple of dollars to help pay for postage would be very much appreciated. I was caught off guard when he said he would.
We talked about life, our soldiers, family, my work, and religion while each care package was carefully weighed and sealed with all the proper customs forms. He was an adept listener and good conversationalist. It was a cold, crisp, December evening and the day turned quickly to evening so I offered to get us all coffee next door at the Starbucks. When I returned, he was still there. By now, there was a small crowd of people entering into the Postal Annex with the same questions. I answered them as they came and went, busily running after the next errand on their list. With less than a week before Christmas, most people just flew by. Not this man, he waited patiently, drank his coffee, and just took the time to speak with me like he had all the time in the world. It turned out, he happened to be a veteran. He, Charles, had also served our country proudly some years ago. Charles said he never received any packages. The packages were finally ready to be mailed off. When the total came up, it was $170.00!! My mind reeled! I didn’t have that kind of money and was lost in my train of thought that the packages would have to wait until I could get more money.
Without so much as a word, Charles quickly paid for the entire mailing!!
I was too stunned to speak, but stumbled to find the words as I realized what had happened.
I said, “no, I can’t accept this kind of gift.”
I was concerned that he might not also have this kind of money and it would put his family at a hardship.
Then, one lady told me plainly that:”I was being foolish not to accept this man’s generosity and such an attempt would ruin his blessing.”
I finally relented. I was so overcome with a grateful, thankful heart. My eyes welled up with tears. Everyone in the room suddenly got quiet. This complete stranger had fulfilled my Christmas Wish! As I pondered this fact and how the day was shaping up, I remember thanking him repeatedly, not finding just the right words to express my deepest gratitude.
After chasing my three-year-old around, I was yet offered up another blessing from another complete stranger. This man removed a necklace with a gold cross and offered it to my son.
“Such amazing gifts, did I really deserve this”, I silently wondered.
I said we ,”just couldn’t take his necklace”, but relented when others told me it would interfere with his blessing. I didn’t know what to say. We put the necklace around my son’s neck. One lady told me it was “her father’s way” and “that was that.”
The overwhelming evidence of love, compassion, and willingness to help and give left me speechless. Others in the room were overcome as well. Tears welled in their eyes and the air was suddenly transformed and thick with emotions. None of us, it seemed, had experienced the good side of the human spirit in quite some time.
Charles then handed me an envelope. I just shook my head in disbelief.
“Whatever is in this envelope, I can’t accept”, I said.
“Oh yes you can”, Charles began, “because you deserve it. Do something for yourself and spread some Christmas cheer.”
“I can’t...”, I said.
Charles looked into my eyes and calmly said,” Everything is going to be okay.”
“Open it after I leave”, I was instructed.
We again spoke for a few minutes. “Thank you…for everything Charles”, I said. Walking out the door, he said, “Have a Merry Christmas” and then he quickly disappeared into the night.
By this time, most people had left and it was near closing time. I went to the bathroom as we were leaving and then remembered the envelope.
I opened it and nearly fainted!! Inside was $500.00 dollars!Based on the previous mailings, it was about the amount I needed to mail the remaining care packages I had left at the houseI was more than stunned and began to cry. I came out and told the employees the contents. We were all in awe in light of the recent events. I explained to them if they saw Charles, to please report to him that I was spending the money on the postage to send the packages and some Christmas Cheer. They said they would.
The next day, I went back and happily mailed most of the remaining packages, 50 or more, so it is a large task. I also spread some Christmas cheer by buying cake slices for some children and others nearby.
Charles, wherever you are, I think you would be pleased to know that because of you, hundreds of American troops will receive just what they wanted this holiday season. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I experienced the very unexpected, most amazing Christmas gifts I have ever received or ever would receive.

thanking god

Go through the day thanking God that what you’re believing for is going to happen, speaking words of faith and victory. That’s not just being positive, that’s putting accelerant on what you’re believing for.

difficulity

Difficulty is an opportunity to get stronger, to develop character, and to gain a greater trust in God. Anybody can fall apart, anybody can get bitter—that’s easy—but that’s wasting your pain. That pain is not there to stop you, it’s there to develop you, to prepare you, and to increase you.

Hoping and Deciding

You probably have met people who know that what they do gets them into serious trouble, and at the same time are really looking for someone else to make a decision for them that would effectively change them. They seem to hope that their life will change without having to make a decision or take action.

I have met more than one person who desired a change and hoped for a better life but were more than willing to let another decide the best for them. In some cases, the person would change only if another life promised more than they had right now even though that lifestyle saw them confined to jail more often than they were free.

A Story of a Young Man
Such was the case of a young man I met while working within the correctional system. In this particular case, this young man had become used to living the high life with all the material things he wanted but these were all acquired through criminal activity. The only flaw with his lifestyle was that he would invariably be caught and given jail time again and again. It wasn't that he had committed heinous crimes but crimes that were subject to frequent arrests.

I Want To Change My Life
One day, he called me over to his cell and began to ask me how he could change his life so that he wouldn't end up in jail again. I asked him if he was really serious or if he was only putting in time by using my time? He said he was serious.

I went through a number of options with him trying to find out what his educational background was, what he was interested in, and if he had support mechanisms in the community that would help him while he attended classes. I was directing him to some possible careers so he could think about what he really wanted and would stick to.

So, after speaking with him, I went on with my other work telling him I'd return the next day to further discuss plans. I did return and the one occupation he said he was interested in was a plumber. His first question to me was not about what he would have to do to become a plumber, or where he could find out more information, or anything that one would expect. Instead, he asked how much does a plumber make every year?

I told him. His response was very revealing. He replied with absolutely no hesitation saying' "I make more than that every month with what I do now. I don't mind spending a few months in jail when I can make the kind of loot I make now."

A Choice
To hope for a new life or decide what you have is what you got. In this young man's case, he had made a choice - a choice to keep doing what made him money so he could live how he wanted even though the price of his lifestyle, every few months, was to spend time behind bars.

Is Money Worth Unhappiness
Unfortunately, there are many like minded people similar to this young man, I am not saying they are criminals - I am saying though that they spend time making money to live what they think is the good life only to find that the price they pay is continual dissatisfaction with their life, continual stress from doing something they really dislike and all for the big bucks. Is there really a big difference between the young man and those who imprison themselves five days a week doing what they dislike just so the big dollars flow in? 

 

the decision is yours

direction of your life

Your life heads in the direction of your expectancy. Some people start their day in the wrong direction by meditating on what’s wrong. Instead, set yourself up for success by expecting to see God’s best!

How To Change Your Attitudes

Your outlook on life, basically your attitude can determine your happiness and success in life. Attitude is a mindset, how you view your world. Do you see the positive or do you focus on the negative? Our perception of the events in our life, and how we regard these events can be attributed to our attitude. How can you change your attitude? - when dealing with a situation try and find the good in it. Focus on the good; do not dwell on the negative. Depending on the situation, you sometimes have to look hard to find the good but it is there. By doing this you start changing attitudes to a positive attitude rather than a negative attitude.

Change Yourself First

 

Remember the saying, "you can't change other people, you can only change yourself." So if someone tells you that you have a poor attitude, don't try and convenience them otherwise as you won't change their mind. When someone tells us this we have a tendency to take a defensive attitude, instead focus on how you can change.

Can you change attitudes of other people? Again, I would refer to the saying, "you can't change other people, you can only change yourself". You will end up becoming very frustrated if you try and change other people. Remember, you can only change yourself and how you deal with that individual

True Reflection
The story below is a story of attitude. The individual in this story could have easily developed a "poor me" attitude, but instead he chose to focus on what he can do, his attitude reflects what a positive outlook on life can be like.