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~pt.2~DONKEY TRACKS" ~~
~TRAILS OF LIVING~
BE A GENIUS...BE PATIENT!
Is patience difficult for you? A man in Los Angeles, California was arrested for negligent discharge of a weapon after shooting his toilet bowl five times with a 38 caliber handgun. He claims that he just got upset. He couldn't take it any longer. His daughter had flushed a hairbrush earlier in the day and clogged the pipes. So he shot the offending toilet. I have no word on the toilet's condition, but the man's patience was long gone.
I once learned a valuable lesson about patience. I came across a box turtle while walking home one day. I brought him home to examine a little more closely. My intention was to keep him for a few hours and let him go.
I put the turtle down and waited for him to come out of his shell. He didn't. I pulled up a chair and waited some more. He didn't budge. I sang to the turtle. Still no appearance. I told turtle stories. Icoaxed him with food. But nothing worked.
Finally, I had to leave. So I barricaded the porch in case the turtle decided to leave, too. After all, I still hadn't gotten a closer look.
The turtle decided he had had enough. When I returned, the porch was empty. He apparently didn't think much of my barricade.
I learned a valuable lesson from that turtle. He just bided his time and waited. He wasn't much interested in food, songs or stories. He only wanted me to go away. So he patiently waited until I left. Then he left, too.
It's been well said: "Hold on; hold fast; hold out. Patience is genius." Be a genius. Be patient Steve Goodier � 2004
~TRAILS of LIFE~
Learning what you need to know
We all know that in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Except that his Spanish name wasn't Christopher Columbus but Cristobal Colon. That's not all we may not know.
This morning's New York Times reports on the on-going controversy regarding Mr. Colon's final resting place. He died on May 20, 1506, in Valladolid, Spain. He had wanted to be buried in the Americas, so his remains were moved in 1537 to the Dominican Republic. But when the island was given to France in 1795, Spain removed his remains to Cuba, where they were interred until 1898, when Cuba fell from Spanish control. They were then brought to Seville, Spain. Or maybe not.
It seems some scholars believe the Spanish dug up the wrong grave back in 1795, and that Mr. Colon's remains remain in the Dominican Republic. In 1877, excavators found a lead box of bones in Santo Domingo bearing the inscription, "Illustrious and distinguished male, Don Cristobal Colon." These remains show clear evidence of the rheumatoid arthritis Mr. Colon is thought to have suffered, while those in Spain do not. DNA tests on the Seville remains have been conducted, but results announced this month have been inconclusive. So we still don't know if the man who "discovered" the Americas is buried there or not.
Contrast that news item with this report being carried on this morning's television news programs. Laura Hatch, a 17-year-old Seattle teenager, survived eight days after her car crashed and tumbled 200 feet down a ravine. Searchers had all but given up. Then Sha Nohr, the mother of a friend of Laura, said she had dreams of a wooded area and heard the message, "Keep going, keep going."
On Sunday morning, Nohr and her daughter drove to the area pictured in her dream. Something led her to stop and climb over a concrete barrier and more than 100 feet down a steep, densely vegetated embankment. There she spied the wrecked car in some trees. Laura's dehydration may have saved her life, as it prevented the brain swelling which would have resulted from her injuries. She is in serious but stable condition this morning. Mrs. Nohr is telling interviewers, "It's a miracle." She has no other explanation. None is needed.
The Lord seldom tells us everything we would like to know, but he wants to show us all we need to know. If the remains of Christopher Columbus were positively identified, the news wouldn't change my life or yours today. But the Father is ready to help you find a wrecked car or soul today. His word and Spirit will guide us to the "abundant life" his Son died for us to experience (John 10:10). How can we best discern his voice and discover his will? Let's continue tomorrow.
Copyright � 2004. Park Cities Baptist Church. All rights reserved.
~TRAILS of SCRIPTURE~
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
--Psalm 51:12 New International Version
In the face of sin and separation from God, grace is a refreshing stream that restores salvation. But the joy of salvation is found only when we realize and accept the forgiveness, grace, and restoration God has given us -- when we drink from the stream of grace. The joy of salvation is sustained in a changed lifestyle and an ongoing recognition
that we walk with God.
~TRAILS of PRAYER~
"Dear God, please help me to see and
experience the wonder of your handiwork in all of nature as well as in the every day issues of life. And above all, in the words of the songwriter, 'Open m eyes, Lord; I want to see Jesus, To reach out and touch Him and say that I love Him. Open my ears, Lord; please help me to listen. Open my
eyes, Lord; I want to see Jesus!'2 Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
~TRAILS of a RIDER ofGRACE~
Thank you for reading today's Donkey Tracks. I hope that you enjoyed it. We join with all our quadriplegic friends in honor and respect for a noble man, Christopher Reeves who gave his all, to a noble cause. May he indeed rest in peace. May God give comfort and peace to all his relatives and friends. Pray for a cure for spinal cord injury. I will appreciate your prayers.
God bless you all.
http://www.youens.com/mccoy/
"The White Donkey Society"
Internet Ministry of Grace for those that are disabled both physically & spiritually.
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