tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74777258956630243352023-11-15T05:13:29.289-08:00:: Inspiratio Center ::Placing ISLAM for WorldCemol-Kartolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17997028935104703538noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7477725895663024335.post-24725010197912395792007-06-18T20:20:00.000-07:002007-06-18T20:22:36.205-07:00Khalil Gibran"Your children are not your children; they are the sons and daughters of Life;<br />They came through you but not from you;<br />They are with you but they belong not to you;<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="fullpost"><br />You may give them your love,<br />But not your thoughts;<br />For they have their own thoughts;<br />You may own their bodies but not their souls;<br />For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,<br />which you cannot visit, even in your dreams;<br /><br />You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.<br />For life goes not backwards nor tarries with yesterday"<br /><br /><br />PoEtEsS<br /><br />"Prayer is the 'HEART'<br />of my Faith!"<br /></div>Cemol-Kartolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17997028935104703538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7477725895663024335.post-47846216594135494892007-06-18T19:48:00.000-07:002007-06-18T19:56:57.881-07:00Powerful prayerA voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert-like island. The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.<br /><br /><div class="fullpost"><br />The first thing the first man prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.<br />After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing. Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.<br /><br /><br />Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that his wife and he could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.<br /><br /> <br />As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from Heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"<br />"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered.<br />"His prayers were all unanswered, and so he does not deserve anything."<br />"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings."<br />"Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"<br />"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."<br /><br /><br />For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us.<br />When Jesus died on the cross he was thinking of you!<br /><br /><br /></div>Cemol-Kartolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17997028935104703538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7477725895663024335.post-43817414256599417922007-06-18T02:08:00.001-07:002007-06-18T02:08:57.882-07:00WHAT THEY SEEMTwo traveling angels stopped to spend<br />the night in the home of a family. The<br />family was rude and refused to let the<br />angels stay in the mansion's guest room.<br />Instead, the angels were given a small<br />space in the old basement.<br /><br /><div class="fullpost"><br /><br />WHAT THEY SEEM<br /><br />Two traveling angels stopped to spend<br />the night in the home of a family. The<br />family was rude and refused to let the<br />angels stay in the mansion's guest room.<br />Instead, the angels were given a small<br />space in the old basement.<br /><br />As they made their bed on the hard floor,<br />the older angel saw a hole in the wall<br />and repaired it. When the younger angel<br />asked why, the older angel replied,<br />"Things aren't always what they seem."<br /><br />The next night the pair came to rest<br />at the house of a very poor, but very<br />hospitable farmer and his wife. After<br />sharing what little food they had,<br />the couple let the angels sleep in<br />their bed where they could have a good<br />night's rest.<br /><br />When the sun came up the next morning,<br />the angels found the farmer and his wife<br />in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had<br />been their sole income, lay dead in the<br />field.<br /><br />The younger angel was infuriated and<br />asked the older angel, "How could you<br />have let this happen? The first man had<br />everything, yet you helped him!" she<br />accused. "The second family had little<br />but was willing to share everything,<br />and you let the cow die."<br /><br />"Things aren't always what they seem,"<br />the older angel replied. "When we stayed<br />in the basement of the mansion, I noticed<br />there was gold stored. He was so obsessed<br />with greed and unwilling to share his<br />good fortune, I sealed the wall so he<br />wouldn't find it.<br /><br />"Then last night as we slept in the<br />farmer's bed, the angel of death came<br />for his wife. I gave him the cow instead.<br />Things aren't always what they seem."<br /><br /></div>Cemol-Kartolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17997028935104703538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7477725895663024335.post-26601558491720521002007-06-18T02:07:00.000-07:002007-06-18T02:08:11.541-07:00SOME IMPORTANT LESSONS LIFE TEACHES YOU...1 ~ ALL ARE SIGNIFICANT<br /><br />During my second month of nursing school,<br />our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a<br />conscientious student and he breezed through<br />the questions, until I read the last one:<br />"What is the first name of the woman who<br />cleans the school?"<br /><br />Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen<br />the cleaning woman several times. She was tall,<br />dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I<br />know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving<br />the last question blank.<br /><br /><div class="fullpost"><br /><br /><br />Just before class ended, one student asked if<br />the last question would count toward our quiz<br />grade.<br /><br />"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your<br />careers, you will meet many people. All are<br />significant. They deserve your attention and<br />care, even if all you do is smile and say<br />'hello.'"<br /><br />I've never forgotten that lesson. I also<br />learned her name was Dorothy.<br /><br /><br />2 ~ PICKUP IN THE RAIN<br /><br />One night, at 11:30 PM, an older African<br />American woman was standing on the side of<br />an Alabama highway trying to endure a<br />lashing rain storm. Her car had broken<br />down and she desperately needed a ride.<br />Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the<br />next car.<br /><br />A young white man stopped to help her,<br />generally unheard of in those conflict-<br />filled 1960s. The man took her to safety,<br />helped her get assistance and put her into<br />a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry,<br />but wrote down his address and thanked him.<br /><br />Seven days went by and a knock came on the<br />man's door. To his surprise, a giant console<br />color TV was delivered to his home. A special<br />note was attached.<br /><br />It read:<br /><br />"Thank you so much for assisting me<br />on the highway the other night. The<br />rain drenched not only my clothes,<br />but also my spirits. Then you came<br />along. Because of you, I was able to<br />make it to my dying husband's bedside<br />just before he passed away. God bless<br />you for helping me and unselfishly<br />serving others."<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />Mrs. Nat King Cole<br /><br /><br />3 ~ ALWAYS REMEMBER THOSE WHO SERVE YOU<br /><br />In the days when an ice cream sundae cost<br />much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a<br />hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A<br />waitress put a glass of water in front of<br />him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?"<br />he asked.<br /><br />"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.<br /><br />The little boy pulled his hand out of his<br />pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well,<br />how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he<br />inquired.<br /><br />By now more people were waiting for a table<br />and the waitress was growing impatient.<br />"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied."<br /><br />The little boy again counted his coins.<br />"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.<br />The waitress brought the ice cream, put the<br />bill on the table and walked away. The boy<br />finished the ice cream, paid the cashier,<br />and left.<br /><br />When the waitress came back, she began to<br />cry as she wiped down the table. There,<br />placed neatly beside the empty dish, were<br />two nickels and five pennies. You see, he<br />couldn't have the sundae, because he had<br />to have enough left to leave her a tip.<br /><br /><br />4 ~ THE OBSTACLE IN OUR PATH<br /><br />In ancient times, a King had a boulder<br />placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself<br />and watched to see if anyone would remove<br />the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest<br />merchants and courtiers came by and simply<br />walked around it. Many loudly blamed the<br />king for not keeping the roads clear, but<br />none did anything about getting the stone<br />out of the way.<br /><br />Then a peasant came along carrying a load<br />of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder,<br />the peasant laid down his burden and tried<br />to move the stone to the side of the road.<br />After much pushing and straining, he finally<br />succeeded.<br /><br />After the peasant picked up his load of<br />vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the<br />road where the boulder had been. The purse<br />contained many gold coins and a note from the<br />king indicating that the gold was for the<br />person who removed the boulder from the<br />roadway. The peasant learned what many of us<br />never understand. Every obstacle presents an<br />opportunity to improve our condition.<br /><br /><br />5 ~ GIVING WHEN IT COUNTS<br /><br />Many years ago, when I worked as a<br />volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a<br />little girl named Liz who was suffering<br />from a rare and serious disease. Her only<br />chance of recovery appeared to be a blood<br />transfusion from her 5-year old brother,<br />who had miraculously survived the same<br />disease and had developed the antibodies<br />needed to combat the illness.<br /><br />The doctor explained the situation to her<br />little brother, and asked the little boy<br />if he would be willing to give his blood<br />to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only<br />a moment before taking a deep breath and<br />saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save<br />her..."<br /><br />As the transfusion progressed, he lay in<br />bed next to his sister and smiled, as we<br />all did, seeing the color returning to her<br />cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his<br />smile died. He looked up at the doctor<br />and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I<br />start to die right away?"<br /><br />Being young, the little boy had misunderstood<br />the doctor; he thought he was going to have<br />to give his sister *all* of his blood in<br />order to save her.<br /><br />You see, understanding and attitude, after<br />all, is everything.<br /><br />[Thanks, Jane]<br /><br /></div>Cemol-Kartolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17997028935104703538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7477725895663024335.post-2107160469469546132007-06-18T02:05:00.001-07:002007-06-18T02:06:52.038-07:00A THOUSAND MARBLESThe older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday<br />mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude<br />that comes with being the first to rise,<br />or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not<br />having to be at work. Either way, the first<br />few hours of a Saturday morning are most<br />enjoyable.<br /><br /><div class="fullpost"><br /><br /><br />A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the<br />basement shack with a steaming cup of coffee<br />in one hand and the morning paper in the<br /><br />other. What began as a typical Saturday<br />morning, turned into one of those lessons<br />that life seems to hand you from time to<br />time.<br /><br />Let me tell you about it.<br /><br />I turned the dial up into the phone portion<br />of the band on my ham radio in order to<br />listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along<br />the way, I came across an older sounding<br />chap with a tremendous signal and a golden<br />voice. You know the kind, he sounded like<br />he should be in the broadcasting business.<br />He was telling whoever he was talking with<br />something about "a thousand marbles."<br /><br />I was intrigued and stopped to listen to<br />what he had to say. "Well, Tom, it sure<br />sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm<br />sure they pay you well, but it's a shame<br />you have to be away from home and your<br />family so much. Hard to believe a young<br />fellow should have to work sixty or seventy<br />hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you<br />missed your daughter's dance recital."<br /><br />He continued, "Let me tell you something<br />Tom, something that has helped me keep a<br />good perspective on my own priorities."<br /><br />And that's when he began to explain his<br />theory of a "thousand marbles."<br /><br />"You see, I sat down one day and did a<br />little arithmetic. The average person lives<br />about seventy-five years. I know, some live<br />more and some live less, but on average,<br />folks live about seventy-five years."<br /><br />"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I<br />came up with 3,900, which is the number of<br />Saturdays that the average person has in<br />their entire lifetime. Now stick with me,<br />Tom, I'm getting to the important part."<br /><br />"It took me until I was fifty-five years<br />old to think about all this in any detail,"<br />he went on, "and by that time I had lived<br />through over 2,800 Saturdays. I got to<br />thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five,<br />I only had about a thousand of them left<br />to enjoy."<br /><br />"So I went to a toy store and bought every<br />single marble they had. I ended up having<br />to visit three toy stores to round-up 1,000<br />marbles. I took them home and put them inside<br />of a large, clear plastic container right<br />here in the shack next to my gear. Every<br />Saturday since then, I have taken one marble<br />out and thrown it away."<br /><br />"I found that by watching the marbles<br />diminish, I focused more on the *really*<br />important things in life. There is<br />nothing like watching your time here on<br />this earth run out to help get your<br />priorities straight."<br /><br />"Now let me tell you one last thing before<br />I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife<br />out for breakfast. This morning, I took the<br />very last marble out of the container. I<br />figure if I make it until next Saturday then<br />I have been given a little extra time. And<br />the one thing we can all use is a little more<br />time."<br /><br />"It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you<br />spend more time with your family, and I hope<br />to meet you again here on the band. 75 year<br />Old Man, this is K9NZQ, clear and going QRT,<br />good morning!"<br /><br />You could have heard a pin drop on the<br />band when this fellow signed off. I guess<br />he gave us all a lot to think about. I had<br />planned to work on the antenna that morning,<br />and then I was going to meet up with a few<br />hams to work on the next club newsletter.<br /><br />Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife<br />up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking<br />you and the kids to breakfast."<br /><br />"What brought this on?" she asked with<br />a smile.<br /><br />"Oh, nothing special," I said. "It's just<br />been a long time since we spent a Saturday<br />together with the kids. Hey, can we stop<br />at a toy store while we're out? I need to<br />buy some marbles."<br /><br />[Thanks, Donna]<br />from:groups.yahoo.com<br /></div>Cemol-Kartolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17997028935104703538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7477725895663024335.post-38475966567021578952007-06-18T02:01:00.000-07:002007-06-18T02:03:58.371-07:00DOES GOD STILL SPEAK TO PEOPLE?A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible Study. The<br />Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the<br />Lord's voice.<br /><br /><div class="fullpost"><br /><br /><br />The young man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still speak<br />to people?" After service he went out with some friends for<br />coffee and pie and they discussed the message. Several<br />different ones talked about how God had led them in different<br />ways.<br /><br />It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving<br />home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, "God.. If<br />you still speak to people speak to me. I will listen. I will<br />do my best to obey."<br /><br />As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the<br />strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook<br />his head and said out loud, "God is that you?" He didn't get<br />a reply and started on toward home.<br /><br />But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk. The young man<br />thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice of<br />God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli. "Okay, God, in case<br />that is you, I will buy the milk." It didn't seem like too<br />hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He<br />stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off<br />toward home.<br /><br />As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, "Turn<br />down that street." This is crazy, he thought, and drove on<br />past the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn<br />down Seventh Street.<br /><br />At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down<br />Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud, "Okay, God, I<br />will". He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like<br />he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around.<br /><br />He was in the semi-commercial area of town. It wasn't the<br />best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods, either. The<br />businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark,<br />like the people were already in bed. Again, he sensed<br />something - "Go and give the milk to the people in the house<br />across the street."<br /><br />The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked<br />like the people were either gone or they were already asleep.<br />He started to open the door and then sat back in the car<br />seat.<br /><br />"Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake<br />them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid."<br />Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk. Finally,<br />he opened the door, "Okay God, if this is you, I will go to<br />the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to<br />look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I<br />guess that will count for something. But if they don't answer<br />right away, I am out of here."<br /><br />He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear<br />some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What<br />do you want?" The door opened before the young man could even<br />think of getting away.<br /><br />A man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked<br />like he had just gotten out of bed. He had a strange look on<br />his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger<br />standing on his doorstep. "What is it?"<br /><br />The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, " Here, I brought<br />this to you."<br /><br />The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway, speaking<br />loudly in Spanish. Then, from down the hall, came a woman<br />carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following<br />her, holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears<br />streaming down his face.<br /><br />The man began speaking and half crying, "We were just<br />praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of<br />money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just<br />praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk."<br /><br />His wife in the kitchen yelled out, "I ask him to send an<br />Angel with some. Are you an Angel?"<br /><br />The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the<br />money on him and put it in the man's hand. He turned and<br />walked back toward his car and now the tears were streaming<br />down *his* face.<br /><br />He knew now that God still answers prayers.<br /><br />[Thanks to my daughter, Alyson, for sending this classic]<br /><br /><br />From:groups.yahoo.com<br /><br /></div>Cemol-Kartolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17997028935104703538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7477725895663024335.post-25402980231233525432007-06-18T01:59:00.000-07:002007-06-18T02:05:39.769-07:00AN ANGEL TO HOLD YOUR HANDIt's amazing what can truly happen,<br />How your life can be so grand;<br />When you give up trying on your own<br />And let an angel hold your hand.<br /><br /><br /><div class="fullpost"><br /><br /><br />All the loneliness inside of you<br />Will completely disappear;<br />When you realize you're not alone,<br />That your angel is very near.<br /><br />Your life will become more meaningful,<br />As well as totally rearrange;<br />You'll be amazed at all that you can do,<br />At the blessings of the change.<br /><br />You will be able to handle anything,<br />There is nothing you can't face;<br />With your angel there to lead you<br />Your entire life will fall in place.<br /><br />Just give up trying on your own,<br />And allow your angel to lead;<br />All of Heaven's blessings will come to you,<br />Nothing else you'll ever need.<br /><br />No matter what you are called to do,<br />How simple or complex the task;<br />Your angel will be there to show the way,<br />All you have to do is ask.<br /><br />Don't ever let yourself feel discouraged,<br />Feel this thought within your soul;<br />All the things you've ever dreamed of<br />Will become a reachable goal.<br /><br />So let your angel hold your hand,<br />Your life will be so complete;<br />Prepare to conquer the tasks of life,<br />There will be no battle you can't defeat.<br /><br />[Thanks to my friend, whose name really *is* Angel!]<br /><br />from:groups.yahoo.com<br /><br /></div>Cemol-Kartolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17997028935104703538noreply@blogger.com0