VALENTINE’S DAY

Can any of you tell me what special day is in February? This question is mostly for the men, but some of the ladies will relate. That’s right—it is Valentine’s Day. If that certain person in your life is your Valentine, that means they are the one you love the best. Now, can anyone tell me how Valentine’s Day started? There was a priest by the name of Valentine. He lived in Rome about 250AD. At that time Rome was ruled by an emperor by the name of Claudius. Some people called him Claudius the cruel.

Saint Valentine didn’t like Claudius and he wasn’t the only one! A lot of people felt the same way. Claudius wanted a big army and he thought that the men of Rome should volunteer to join. Many of the men did not want to join because they did not want to leave their wives and girlfriends, so not many men signed up to fight. This made the emperor very angry. So do you know what he did? He had the crazy idea that if men were not married, they would not mind joining his army.

So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Of course the young people thought this law was cruel and St. Valentine thought it was ridiculous. One of Valentine’s favorite jobs as a priest was to marry people. After Claudius passed the law, Valentine kept on performing ceremonies—but secretly he would whisper the words of the ceremony, while listening for the steps of the soldiers on the footsteps outside. One night, he did hear the footsteps. The couple he was marrying escaped but he was caught.

He was thrown in jail and told the punishment was death. St. Valentine stayed cheerful and what happened next was history. Many young couples came to visit him and they also threw flowers and notes up to his window. They wanted him to know that they believed in love, too. One of these young people who visited St. Valentine was the daughter of one of the guards and was allowed to visit him in his cell.

They often talked for hours and she told him that she believed that he did the right thing by ignoring the emperor and to continue performing the marriage ceremonies. On the day he was to die, he left her a note thanking her for her loyalty and friendship and signed it, “Love from your Valentine.” That note started the custom of exchanging love notes on Valentine’s Day. It was written on the day he died February 14, 269AD. Now, every year on this day people remember and think about love and friendship. We all know that love is very important.

The Bible tells us in 1 John 3:18, “My children, our love should not be only words and talk. Our love must be a true love and we should show that love by what we do.” St. Valentine backed up his beliefs with his actions and he was not the only one. God showed us His love before we were even born. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave His only son.” God gave His Son so that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but have eternal life.

He did this for every one of us before we were even born. Our words have to match our actions if we really mean them. The Bible tells us many ways to show God our love, since He has first loved us. When we listen carefully to what the bible tells us, we learn that we can best love God by loving other people. Let’s show God how much we love Him by loving others as He loved us. Thank you, God, for letting us be your Valentine.

VALENTINE’S DAY

Can any of you tell me what special day is in February? This question is mostly for the men, but some of the ladies will relate. That’s right—it is Valentine’s Day. If that certain person in your life is your Valentine, that means they are the one you love the best. Now, can anyone tell me how Valentine’s Day started? There was a priest by the name of Valentine. He lived in Rome about 250AD. At that time Rome was ruled by an emperor by the name of Claudius. Some people called him Claudius the cruel.

Saint Valentine didn’t like Claudius and he wasn’t the only one! A lot of people felt the same way. Claudius wanted a big army and he thought that the men of Rome should volunteer to join. Many of the men did not want to join because they did not want to leave their wives and girlfriends, so not many men signed up to fight. This made the emperor very angry. So do you know what he did? He had the crazy idea that if men were not married, they would not mind joining his army.

So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Of course the young people thought this law was cruel and St. Valentine thought it was ridiculous. One of Valentine’s favorite jobs as a priest was to marry people. After Claudius passed the law, Valentine kept on performing ceremonies—but secretly he would whisper the words of the ceremony, while listening for the steps of the soldiers on the footsteps outside. One night, he did hear the footsteps. The couple he was marrying escaped but he was caught.

He was thrown in jail and told the punishment was death. St. Valentine stayed cheerful and what happened next was history. Many young couples came to visit him and they also threw flowers and notes up to his window. They wanted him to know that they believed in love, too. One of these young people who visited St. Valentine was the daughter of one of the guards and was allowed to visit him in his cell.

They often talked for hours and she told him that she believed that he did the right thing by ignoring the emperor and to continue performing the marriage ceremonies. On the day he was to die, he left her a note thanking her for her loyalty and friendship and signed it, “Love from your Valentine.” That note started the custom of exchanging love notes on Valentine’s Day. It was written on the day he died February 14, 269AD. Now, every year on this day people remember and think about love and friendship. We all know that love is very important.

The Bible tells us in 1 John 3:18, “My children, our love should not be only words and talk. Our love must be a true love and we should show that love by what we do.” St. Valentine backed up his beliefs with his actions and he was not the only one. God showed us His love before we were even born. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave His only son.” God gave His Son so that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but have eternal life.

He did this for every one of us before we were even born. Our words have to match our actions if we really mean them. The Bible tells us many ways to show God our love, since He has first loved us. When we listen carefully to what the bible tells us, we learn that we can best love God by loving other people. Let’s show God how much we love Him by loving others as He loved us. Thank you, God, for letting us be your Valentine.

VALENTINE’S DAY

Can any of you tell me what special day is in February? This question is mostly for the men, but some of the ladies will relate. That’s right—it is Valentine’s Day. If that certain person in your life is your Valentine, that means they are the one you love the best. Now, can anyone tell me how Valentine’s Day started? There was a priest by the name of Valentine. He lived in Rome about 250AD. At that time Rome was ruled by an emperor by the name of Claudius. Some people called him Claudius the cruel.

Saint Valentine didn’t like Claudius and he wasn’t the only one! A lot of people felt the same way. Claudius wanted a big army and he thought that the men of Rome should volunteer to join. Many of the men did not want to join because they did not want to leave their wives and girlfriends, so not many men signed up to fight. This made the emperor very angry. So do you know what he did? He had the crazy idea that if men were not married, they would not mind joining his army.

So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Of course the young people thought this law was cruel and St. Valentine thought it was ridiculous. One of Valentine’s favorite jobs as a priest was to marry people. After Claudius passed the law, Valentine kept on performing ceremonies—but secretly he would whisper the words of the ceremony, while listening for the steps of the soldiers on the footsteps outside. One night, he did hear the footsteps. The couple he was marrying escaped but he was caught.

He was thrown in jail and told the punishment was death. St. Valentine stayed cheerful and what happened next was history. Many young couples came to visit him and they also threw flowers and notes up to his window. They wanted him to know that they believed in love, too. One of these young people who visited St. Valentine was the daughter of one of the guards and was allowed to visit him in his cell.

They often talked for hours and she told him that she believed that he did the right thing by ignoring the emperor and to continue performing the marriage ceremonies. On the day he was to die, he left her a note thanking her for her loyalty and friendship and signed it, “Love from your Valentine.” That note started the custom of exchanging love notes on Valentine’s Day. It was written on the day he died February 14, 269AD. Now, every year on this day people remember and think about love and friendship. We all know that love is very important.

The Bible tells us in 1 John 3:18, “My children, our love should not be only words and talk. Our love must be a true love and we should show that love by what we do.” St. Valentine backed up his beliefs with his actions and he was not the only one. God showed us His love before we were even born. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave His only son.” God gave His Son so that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but have eternal life.

He did this for every one of us before we were even born. Our words have to match our actions if we really mean them. The Bible tells us many ways to show God our love, since He has first loved us. When we listen carefully to what the bible tells us, we learn that we can best love God by loving other people. Let’s show God how much we love Him by loving others as He loved us. Thank you, God, for letting us be your Valentine.

The Purpose Driven Life

This is an interview with Rick Warren, author of 'Purpose Driven Life' His wife now has cancer, and he now has 'wealth' from the book sales.

In the interview by Paul l Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:

'People ask me, 'what is the purpose of life?' And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body - but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.
God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.
God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, 'which is my problem, my issues, my pain.'But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.
It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know you more and love you better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list.
He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD. Difficult moments, SEEK GOD. Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. Painful moments, TRUST GOD. Every moment, THANK GOD. '
I ask you again to read it one more time and reflect... what we do now in preparation for eternity...
I shared it with you, now pick friends that you want to bless.

http://www.purposedrivenlife.com/

The Purpose Driven Life

This is an interview with Rick Warren, author of 'Purpose Driven Life' His wife now has cancer, and he now has 'wealth' from the book sales.

In the interview by Paul l Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:

'People ask me, 'what is the purpose of life?' And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body - but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.
God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.
God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, 'which is my problem, my issues, my pain.'But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.
It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know you more and love you better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list.
He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD. Difficult moments, SEEK GOD. Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. Painful moments, TRUST GOD. Every moment, THANK GOD. '
I ask you again to read it one more time and reflect... what we do now in preparation for eternity...
I shared it with you, now pick friends that you want to bless.

http://www.purposedrivenlife.com/

The Purpose Driven Life

This is an interview with Rick Warren, author of 'Purpose Driven Life' His wife now has cancer, and he now has 'wealth' from the book sales.

In the interview by Paul l Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:

'People ask me, 'what is the purpose of life?' And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body - but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.
God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.
God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, 'which is my problem, my issues, my pain.'But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.
It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know you more and love you better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list.
He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD. Difficult moments, SEEK GOD. Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. Painful moments, TRUST GOD. Every moment, THANK GOD. '
I ask you again to read it one more time and reflect... what we do now in preparation for eternity...
I shared it with you, now pick friends that you want to bless.

http://www.purposedrivenlife.com/

To All Married Couples and Singles Who Intend To Get Married

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her handand said, 'I've got something to tell you.' She sat down and atequietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her knowwhat I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. Shedidn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly,why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away thechopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man!That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew shewanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I couldhardly give her a satisfactory answer; I had lost my heart to a lovelygirl called Dew. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her!With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which statedthat she could own our house, 30% shares of my company and the car.She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who hadspent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I feltsorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not takeback what I had said for I loved Dew so dearly.Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expectedto see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea ofdivorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmerand clearer now.The next day, I came back home very late and found her writingsomething at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight tosleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventfulday with Dew. When I woke up, she was still there at the tablewriting. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't wantanything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. Sherequested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal alife as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in amonth's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our brokenmarriage.This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me torecall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day.She requested that everyday for the month's duration I carry her outof our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was goingcrazy.Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.I told Dew about my wife s divorce conditions. She laughed loudly andthought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has toface the divorce, she said scornfully. My wife and I hadn't had anybody contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. Sowhen I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Ourson clapped behind us, daddy is holding mummy in his arms. His wordsbrought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, thento the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closedher eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. Inodded, feeling somewhat upset.I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work.I drove alone to the office. On the second day, both of us acted muchmore easily. She leaned on my chest... I could smell the fragrance ofher blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefullyfor a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There werefine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage hadtaken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacyreturning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life tome. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacywas growing again. I didn't tell Dew about this. It became easier tocarry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout mademe stronger.She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a fewdresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all mydresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown sothin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenlyit hit me; she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart.Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head. Our son came in atthe moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mum out. To him, seeinghis father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of hislife. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged himtightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change mymind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from thebedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surroundedmy neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was justlike our wedding day.But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I heldher in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school.I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lackedintimacy. I drove to office... jumped out of the car swiftly withoutlocking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change mymind... I walked upstairs. Dew opened the door and I said to her,Sorry, Dew, I do not want the divorce anymore.She looked at me, astonished. Then she touched my forehead. 'Do youhave a fever?' She asked. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Dew, Isaid, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably becauseshe and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn'tlove each other any more. Now I realize that since I carried her intomy home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death doesus apart.Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and thenslammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and droveaway. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowersfor my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. Ismiled and wrote:'I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart'The small details of our lives are what really matter in arelationship. It is not the mansion, the car, the property, the bankbalance that matters. These create an environment conducive forhappiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to beyour spouse's friend and do those little things for each other thatbuild intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!If you don't share this, nothing will happen to you, but if you do,you just might save a marriage.Relationships are made not to exploit, not to be broken.We teach some by what we say, We teach some more by what we do,But we teach most by who we are- UnknownYou don't get to choose how you are going to die, or when, but, youcan decide how you are going to live, here and now.Remember:people will forget what you said ...people will forget what you did ...but people will never forget how you made them feel ...'You Have to Learn Lessons Also from Others Mistakes because you willNot Get Time to Do All the Mistakes on Your Own

To All Married Couples and Singles Who Intend To Get Married

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her handand said, 'I've got something to tell you.' She sat down and atequietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her knowwhat I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. Shedidn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly,why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away thechopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man!That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew shewanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I couldhardly give her a satisfactory answer; I had lost my heart to a lovelygirl called Dew. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her!With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which statedthat she could own our house, 30% shares of my company and the car.She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who hadspent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I feltsorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not takeback what I had said for I loved Dew so dearly.Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expectedto see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea ofdivorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmerand clearer now.The next day, I came back home very late and found her writingsomething at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight tosleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventfulday with Dew. When I woke up, she was still there at the tablewriting. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't wantanything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. Sherequested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal alife as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in amonth's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our brokenmarriage.This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me torecall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day.She requested that everyday for the month's duration I carry her outof our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was goingcrazy.Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.I told Dew about my wife s divorce conditions. She laughed loudly andthought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has toface the divorce, she said scornfully. My wife and I hadn't had anybody contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. Sowhen I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Ourson clapped behind us, daddy is holding mummy in his arms. His wordsbrought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, thento the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closedher eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. Inodded, feeling somewhat upset.I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work.I drove alone to the office. On the second day, both of us acted muchmore easily. She leaned on my chest... I could smell the fragrance ofher blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefullyfor a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There werefine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage hadtaken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacyreturning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life tome. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacywas growing again. I didn't tell Dew about this. It became easier tocarry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout mademe stronger.She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a fewdresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all mydresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown sothin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenlyit hit me; she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart.Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head. Our son came in atthe moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mum out. To him, seeinghis father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of hislife. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged himtightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change mymind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from thebedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surroundedmy neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was justlike our wedding day.But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I heldher in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school.I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lackedintimacy. I drove to office... jumped out of the car swiftly withoutlocking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change mymind... I walked upstairs. Dew opened the door and I said to her,Sorry, Dew, I do not want the divorce anymore.She looked at me, astonished. Then she touched my forehead. 'Do youhave a fever?' She asked. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Dew, Isaid, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably becauseshe and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn'tlove each other any more. Now I realize that since I carried her intomy home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death doesus apart.Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and thenslammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and droveaway. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowersfor my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. Ismiled and wrote:'I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart'The small details of our lives are what really matter in arelationship. It is not the mansion, the car, the property, the bankbalance that matters. These create an environment conducive forhappiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to beyour spouse's friend and do those little things for each other thatbuild intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!If you don't share this, nothing will happen to you, but if you do,you just might save a marriage.Relationships are made not to exploit, not to be broken.We teach some by what we say, We teach some more by what we do,But we teach most by who we are- UnknownYou don't get to choose how you are going to die, or when, but, youcan decide how you are going to live, here and now.Remember:people will forget what you said ...people will forget what you did ...but people will never forget how you made them feel ...'You Have to Learn Lessons Also from Others Mistakes because you willNot Get Time to Do All the Mistakes on Your Own

To All Married Couples and Singles Who Intend To Get Married

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her handand said, 'I've got something to tell you.' She sat down and atequietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her knowwhat I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. Shedidn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly,why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away thechopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man!That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew shewanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I couldhardly give her a satisfactory answer; I had lost my heart to a lovelygirl called Dew. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her!With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which statedthat she could own our house, 30% shares of my company and the car.She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who hadspent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I feltsorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not takeback what I had said for I loved Dew so dearly.Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expectedto see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea ofdivorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmerand clearer now.The next day, I came back home very late and found her writingsomething at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight tosleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventfulday with Dew. When I woke up, she was still there at the tablewriting. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't wantanything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. Sherequested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal alife as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in amonth's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our brokenmarriage.This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me torecall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day.She requested that everyday for the month's duration I carry her outof our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was goingcrazy.Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.I told Dew about my wife s divorce conditions. She laughed loudly andthought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has toface the divorce, she said scornfully. My wife and I hadn't had anybody contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. Sowhen I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Ourson clapped behind us, daddy is holding mummy in his arms. His wordsbrought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, thento the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closedher eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. Inodded, feeling somewhat upset.I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work.I drove alone to the office. On the second day, both of us acted muchmore easily. She leaned on my chest... I could smell the fragrance ofher blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefullyfor a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There werefine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage hadtaken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacyreturning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life tome. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacywas growing again. I didn't tell Dew about this. It became easier tocarry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout mademe stronger.She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a fewdresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all mydresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown sothin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenlyit hit me; she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart.Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head. Our son came in atthe moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mum out. To him, seeinghis father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of hislife. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged himtightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change mymind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from thebedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surroundedmy neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was justlike our wedding day.But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I heldher in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school.I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lackedintimacy. I drove to office... jumped out of the car swiftly withoutlocking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change mymind... I walked upstairs. Dew opened the door and I said to her,Sorry, Dew, I do not want the divorce anymore.She looked at me, astonished. Then she touched my forehead. 'Do youhave a fever?' She asked. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Dew, Isaid, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably becauseshe and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn'tlove each other any more. Now I realize that since I carried her intomy home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death doesus apart.Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and thenslammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and droveaway. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowersfor my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. Ismiled and wrote:'I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart'The small details of our lives are what really matter in arelationship. It is not the mansion, the car, the property, the bankbalance that matters. These create an environment conducive forhappiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to beyour spouse's friend and do those little things for each other thatbuild intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!If you don't share this, nothing will happen to you, but if you do,you just might save a marriage.Relationships are made not to exploit, not to be broken.We teach some by what we say, We teach some more by what we do,But we teach most by who we are- UnknownYou don't get to choose how you are going to die, or when, but, youcan decide how you are going to live, here and now.Remember:people will forget what you said ...people will forget what you did ...but people will never forget how you made them feel ...'You Have to Learn Lessons Also from Others Mistakes because you willNot Get Time to Do All the Mistakes on Your Own

Daily Rules from God - Appreciate this very much!

1. Wake Up!! Decide to have a good day. "Today is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalms 118:24
2. Dress Up!! The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7
3. Shut Up!! Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking. "He who guards his lips guards his soul." Proverbs 13:3
4. Stand Up!!... For what you believe in. Stand for something or you will fall for anything.. "Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..." Galatians 6:9-10
5. Look Up!!... To the Lord. "I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me." Phillippians 4:13
6. Reach Up!!... For something higher. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, And He will direct your path." Proverbs 3:5-6
7. Lift Up!!... Your Prayers. "Do not worry about anything; instead PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING." Philippians 4:6 Send this to the people you care about. I thought this was mighty special, just like you.

Read and pass this on and brighten someone's day, and remember: God answers Knee-Mail.

Daily Rules from God - Appreciate this very much!

1. Wake Up!! Decide to have a good day. "Today is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalms 118:24
2. Dress Up!! The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7
3. Shut Up!! Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking. "He who guards his lips guards his soul." Proverbs 13:3
4. Stand Up!!... For what you believe in. Stand for something or you will fall for anything.. "Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..." Galatians 6:9-10
5. Look Up!!... To the Lord. "I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me." Phillippians 4:13
6. Reach Up!!... For something higher. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, And He will direct your path." Proverbs 3:5-6
7. Lift Up!!... Your Prayers. "Do not worry about anything; instead PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING." Philippians 4:6 Send this to the people you care about. I thought this was mighty special, just like you.

Read and pass this on and brighten someone's day, and remember: God answers Knee-Mail.

Daily Rules from God - Appreciate this very much!

1. Wake Up!! Decide to have a good day. "Today is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalms 118:24
2. Dress Up!! The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7
3. Shut Up!! Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking. "He who guards his lips guards his soul." Proverbs 13:3
4. Stand Up!!... For what you believe in. Stand for something or you will fall for anything.. "Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..." Galatians 6:9-10
5. Look Up!!... To the Lord. "I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me." Phillippians 4:13
6. Reach Up!!... For something higher. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, And He will direct your path." Proverbs 3:5-6
7. Lift Up!!... Your Prayers. "Do not worry about anything; instead PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING." Philippians 4:6 Send this to the people you care about. I thought this was mighty special, just like you.

Read and pass this on and brighten someone's day, and remember: God answers Knee-Mail.

Life is SHORT to live on....Wish it would be LONGER!!

Too Busy for a Friend...

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name. Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down. It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers. That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual. On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. "Really?" she heard whispered. "I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!" and, "I didn't know others liked me so much," were most of the comments. No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on. Several years later, one of the students was killed in Viet Nam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature. The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin. As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. "Were you Mark's math teacher?" he asked. She nodded: "yes." Then he said: "Mark talked about you a lot." After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher. "We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket "They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it." Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him. "Thank you so much for doing that," Mark's mother said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it." All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home." Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album." "I have mine too," Marilyn said. "It's in my diary" Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this with me at all times," Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: "I think we all saved our lists" That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again. The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be. So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late. And One Way To Accomplish This Is: Read this and pass on the information. It's our responsibility to pass such information to help others, If we don't, we will have, once again, passed up the wonderful opportunity to do something nice and beautiful to others around us. If you've read this, it is because someone cares for you and it means there is probably at least someone for whom you care. If you're "too busy" to take a few minutes right now to share it wth others, this would be the VERY first time you didn't do that little thing that would make a difference in your relationships with others. The more people that you share this information, the better you'll be reaching out to those you care about. Remember, you reap what you sow. What you put into the lives of others comes back into your own.

Life is SHORT to live on....Wish it would be LONGER!!

Too Busy for a Friend...

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name. Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down. It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers. That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual. On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. "Really?" she heard whispered. "I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!" and, "I didn't know others liked me so much," were most of the comments. No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on. Several years later, one of the students was killed in Viet Nam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature. The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin. As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. "Were you Mark's math teacher?" he asked. She nodded: "yes." Then he said: "Mark talked about you a lot." After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher. "We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket "They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it." Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him. "Thank you so much for doing that," Mark's mother said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it." All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home." Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album." "I have mine too," Marilyn said. "It's in my diary" Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this with me at all times," Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: "I think we all saved our lists" That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again. The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be. So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late. And One Way To Accomplish This Is: Read this and pass on the information. It's our responsibility to pass such information to help others, If we don't, we will have, once again, passed up the wonderful opportunity to do something nice and beautiful to others around us. If you've read this, it is because someone cares for you and it means there is probably at least someone for whom you care. If you're "too busy" to take a few minutes right now to share it wth others, this would be the VERY first time you didn't do that little thing that would make a difference in your relationships with others. The more people that you share this information, the better you'll be reaching out to those you care about. Remember, you reap what you sow. What you put into the lives of others comes back into your own.

Life is SHORT to live on....Wish it would be LONGER!!

Too Busy for a Friend...

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name. Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down. It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers. That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual. On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. "Really?" she heard whispered. "I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!" and, "I didn't know others liked me so much," were most of the comments. No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on. Several years later, one of the students was killed in Viet Nam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature. The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin. As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. "Were you Mark's math teacher?" he asked. She nodded: "yes." Then he said: "Mark talked about you a lot." After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher. "We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket "They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it." Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him. "Thank you so much for doing that," Mark's mother said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it." All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home." Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album." "I have mine too," Marilyn said. "It's in my diary" Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this with me at all times," Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: "I think we all saved our lists" That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again. The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be. So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late. And One Way To Accomplish This Is: Read this and pass on the information. It's our responsibility to pass such information to help others, If we don't, we will have, once again, passed up the wonderful opportunity to do something nice and beautiful to others around us. If you've read this, it is because someone cares for you and it means there is probably at least someone for whom you care. If you're "too busy" to take a few minutes right now to share it wth others, this would be the VERY first time you didn't do that little thing that would make a difference in your relationships with others. The more people that you share this information, the better you'll be reaching out to those you care about. Remember, you reap what you sow. What you put into the lives of others comes back into your own.