All posts by SandyM

A Year Untried Before Me Lies

New Year

A year untried before me lies.
What it shall bring of strange surprise,
Of joy, or grief, I cannot tell;
But God my Father knoweth well

I make no concern of mine,
But leave it all with Love divine.
The sun may shed no light by day,
No stars at night illumine my way.

My soul shall still have no affright
Since God is all my life and light.
Though all the earthly lights grow dim,
He walks in light who walks with Him.

No ill can come but He can cure,
No word doth all of good insure:
He’ll see me through the journey’s length,
For daily need give daily strength!

Source Unknown.

A New Perspective For Mums

Mothers, Vimeo Video

The video starts out with a few mothers critiquing their job as mom. Some of their statements: “I struggle with my temper,” “I wish I was better at taking time to sit down and just listen more to my child,” “I wish I was more confident in being a mom,” and “I’m not the most patient person in the world.”
Then, a couple of days later, the same mothers are brought back in to watch a video. This time it’s their kids who get to do all the talking. The children were asked what they thought of their moms, and they responded, “My mom is totally awesome,” “She does cook a lot of food for me,” “She loves me a lot,” “I have a lot of favorite things about my mom,” “She is like my heart … because she is that close to me.” The mothers’ reactions to the heartfelt words are equally touching.

Mothers Maintenance Manual

Mothers

Many of us take better care of our cars then we do our mothers and yet we only expect our cars to last 5 or 6 years but we expect our mothers to last for a lifetime. Maybe we need a maintenance manual for mothers so we would know how to take care of them at least as well as we do our automobiles. Here are some items that might be included in such a manual.

Engine: A mother’s engine is one of the most dependable kinds you can find. She can reach top speed from a prone position at a single cry from a sleeping child. But regular breaks are needed to keep up that peak performance. Mothers need a hot bath and a nap every 100 miles, a baby-sitter and a night out every 1,000 miles, and a live-in baby-sitter with a one week vacation every 10,000 miles.

Battery: Mother’s batteries should be recharged regularly. Handmade items, notes, unexpected hugs and kisses, and frequent “I love you’s” will do very well! for a recharge.

Carburetor: When a mother’s carburetor floods it should be treated immediately with Kleenex and a soft shoulder.

Brakes: See that she uses her brakes to slow down often and come to a full stop occasionally. (A squeaking sound indicates a need for a rest).

Fuel: Most mothers can run indefinitely on coffee, leftovers and salads, but an occasional dinner for two at a nice restaurant will really add to her efficiency.

Chassis: Mothers run best when their bodies are properly maintained. Regular exercise should be encouraged and provided for as necessary. A change in hairdo or makeup in spring and fall are also helpful. If you notice the chassis begins to sag, immediately start a program of walking, jogging, swimming, or bike riding. These are most effective when done with fathers.

Tune-ups: Mother need regular tune-ups. Compliments are both the cheapest and most effective way to keep a mother purring contentedly.

Oh yes, and let’s not forget to speak to mother lovingly and respectfully, especially when she reminds you to drive carefully and have a good time.

If these instructions are followed consistently, this fantastic creation and gift from God, whom we call “MOTHER”, should last a lifetime and give good service and constant love to those who need her most.

Where Do You Get Yours From?

Morality

We’re tempted to take our standards from the worldly standards around us.
In a Lancashire town there was a large clock in the window of a clock makers shop. Each day a factory owner would stop at the shop and adjust his watch to the clock. And never would a day go by without him checking that his watch was in time with the clock.
One day he met up with the owner of the watch shop. He told him how much he relied on the accuracy of his clock because the factory buzzer was always timed by his watch. ‘That’s funny,’ said the watchmaker, ‘I always time my clock by your buzzer!’
We are bound to be in error if we take our standards from the world and have no fixed standards.
1500 Illustrations for Preachers & Teachers p267-268

Money Will Buy

Money

Money will buy
A bed but not sleep;
Books but not brains;
Food but not appetite;
Finery but not beauty;
A house but not a home;
Medicine but not health;
Luxuries but not culture;
Amusements but not happiness;
Religion but not salvation;
A passport to everywhere but heaven.

Original source unknown

What Some People Will Do For Money

Money

What some people will do for money. In an attempt to collect 40,000 euros ($44,780) in insurance payments, a 58-year-old German landscape gardener had a friend cut off his thumb and forefinger with a chainsaw.

According to authorities, the gardener held onto a cutting board while his accomplice, a 28-year-old trucker, sawed off his friend’s fingers. The gardener then threw the severed digits away before claiming money from two different insurance companies. The police arrested both men after one of them was overheard bragging about the ruse.

Both men were convicted in a Wuerzburg, Germany, courtroom. The eight-fingered gardener was given a probationary sentence of one-and-a-half-years, while his chainsaw-wielding accomplice (because of a previous criminal record) received a jail sentence.

Reuters (15-09-03)

Love & Hate Money

Money

Christians tend to have a love/hate relationship with money – we hate to talk about it, but talk about it more than any other subject.
Spirit Level by Ann Bird, Methodist Publishing p5

Bible References

Money

There are approximately 700 direct references to money in the Bible and hundreds more indirect references. Nearly two thirds of the parables of Jesus dealt with the use of money.
Spirit Level by Ann Bird, Methodist Publishing p5

Money Talks

Money

If money talks – what does it say?
Do we value other people by the size of their pay packet? If so, what does that say about the level of ministerial stipends and payments to lay workers?
Do we measure our committment to a cause by the ammount of money we give to it? If so, what does that say about our committment to the Church?
Spirit Level by Ann Bird, Methodist Publishing p5

Slang For Money

Money

Loot, lolly, dosh, smacker, bob, grand, monkey, pony, tanner, tenner, tilbury, score, Oxford, ‘alf an Oxford, Nicker or Quid, Readies (Nelson Eddy’s), Ton, Century, Skin Diver (or Deep Sea Diver or Sky Diver), Sprarsy Anna, Bullseye, Wicker Basket, Lady Godiva, Aryton Senna, Plenty, Thrifty, One-er, Mother Hen, Archer, Nugget, Plum, Squid, Cock and Hen, Wedge, Bottle, Carpet, Rofe, Jacks Alive, Tom Mix, Nevis, Poorly Fish, Pavarotti (tenor), Rocket, Commodore, Nifty, Bag of Sand, Bernie, Jackson, Long ‘un, Bag (of sand), Dirty, Ching, Maggie, McGiver, Melvin, Browny, Edge Pence, McGarret, Bar, Alan, Spanner, Bobby Moore, Beer Token

Mission Quotes

Mission

If everything is Mission then nothing is mission.
– this empties the word mission of all meaning.

A bird with only one wing won’t fly

A pair of scissors needs two blades not one.

Mission is discerning what God is doing in the world and trying to do it with Him.
– John Taylor.

Colin Chapman – SDMTS Summer School 1995