My Child,
Before time began, I knew you. Before there was light, I loved you. And I still do. I made you and know everything about you. You're on my mind every minute of the day. I know your hurts, your joys, your secrets. Yes, I know everything you have done... And I still love you. I want you to know me as your Father. I want you to know just how wonderful life really is. My arms are open wide for you.
What you owed me has been paid in full. I want you to be with me forever. I will never lie to you, or play mind games with you. I will never bring up past sins I have forgiven to degrade you. I am your father. And I will never leave you. I will always be with you ... at school, at work, and at home. In the silent corners of your mind when you don't feel loved, I am with you. You see, you are special to me. I want you to know how much I love you, and I want you to really understand what I have done for you.
You are my chosen child, adopted to be the heir of all I have. When you are scared or have questions, come to me. I accept you just as you are. And because my compassion for you is so deep, I won't settle for leaving you the way you are. With love I will mold you and change you, and transform you to be like my Son Jesus. Please ask my Son Jesus into your heart. You will never be sorry.
In the meantime, trust me and enjoy being my child. I love being your Father!
God
Can you match the people in column one with their father?
1. Abram
2. Alexander & Rufus
3. Cain & Abel
4. David the King
5. Manasseh & Ephraim
6. Ezekiel
7. Ezra
8. Hosea
9. Isaac
10. Isaiah
11. Esau & Jacob
12. James
13. James & John
14. Jeremiah
15. Jesse
16. John the Baptist
17. Jonah
18. Jonathan
19. Joseph & Benjamin
20. Joshua
21. Judas Iscariot
22. Lot
23. Mahlon & Kilion
24. Nehemiah
25. Noah
26. Obed
27. Perez & Zerah
28. Rehoboam
29. Samuel
30. Simon Peter
31. Solomon
32. Zechariah
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A. Abraham
B. Adam
C. Alphaeus
D. Amittai
E. Amoz
F. Beeri
G. Berechiah
H. Boaz
I. Buzi
J. David the King
K. Elimelech
L. Elkanah
M. Hacaliah
N. Haran
O. Hilkiah
P. Isaac
Q. Jacob
R. Jesse
S. John (Jonas)
T. Joseph
U. Judah
V. Lamech
W. Nun
X. Obed
Y. Saul
Z. Seraiah
AA. Simon
BB. Simon of Cyrene
CC. Solomon
DD. Terah
EE. Zebedee
FF. Zechariah
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Answers
After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns, the church's pastor once again slowly stood up, walked over to the pulpit, and gave a very brief introduction of his childhood friend. With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit to speak:
"A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific Coast," he began, "when a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to shore. The waves were so high, that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright, and the three were swept into the ocean."
The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in his story.
He continued, "Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life....to which boy he would throw the other end of the line. He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian, and he also knew that his son's friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves. As the father yelled out, 'I love you, son!' he threw the line to his son's friend. By the time he pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beyond the raging
swells into the black of night. His body was never recovered."
By this time, the two teenagers were sitting straighter in the pew, waiting for the next words to come out of the old man's mouth.
"The father," he continued, "knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus, and he could not bear the thought of his son's friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son. How great is the love of God that He should do the same for us."
With that, the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room. Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old man's side. "That was a nice story," politely started one of the boys, "but I don't think it was very realistic for a father to give up his son's life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian."
"Well, you've got a point there," the old man replied, glancing down at his worn Bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face, and he once again looked up at the boys and said, "It sure isn't very realistic, is it? But I'm standing here today to tell you that THAT story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His Son for me.
You see....I was the son's friend."
Author Unknown
This is an unbelievable twist of fate! At the 1994 annual awards dinner given for Forensic Science, AFS President, Dr. Don Harper Mills, astounded his audience with the legal complications of a bizarre death. Here is the story:
On March 23, 1994...the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus, and concluded that he died from a shotgun wound to the head. Mr. Opus had jumped from the top of a ten-story building intending to commit suicide. He left a note to the effect, indicating his despondency. As he fell past the ninth floor, his life was interrupted by a shotgun blast passing through a window which killed him instantly. Neither the shooter nor the deceased was aware that a safety net had been installed just below the eighth floor level to protect some building workers and that Ronald Opus would not have been able to complete his suicide the way he had planned.
"Ordinarily," Dr Mills continued, "Someone who sets out to commit suicide and ultimately succeeds, even though the mechanism might not be what he intended, is still defined as committing suicide." That Mr. Opus was shot on the way to certain death, but probably would not have been successful because of the safety net, caused the medical examiner to feel that he had a homicide on his hands.
The room on the ninth floor, where the shotgun blast emanated, was occupied by an elderly man and his wife. They were arguing vigorously, and he was threatening her with a shotgun! The man was so upset that when he pulled the trigger, he completely missed his wife, and the pellets went through the window, striking Mr. Opus. When one intends to kill subject "A" but kills subject "B" in the attempt, one is guilty of the murder of subject "B."
When confronted with the murder charge, the old man and his wife were both adamant, and both said that they thought the shotgun was not loaded. The old man said it was a long-standing habit to threaten his wife with the unloaded shotgun. He had no intention to murder her. Therefore the killing of Mr. Opus appeared to be an accident; that is, assuming the gun had been accidentally loaded.
The continuing investigation turned up a witness who saw the old couple's son loading the shotgun about six weeks prior to the fatal accident. It transpired that the old lady had cut off her son's financial support! and the son, knowing the propensity of his father to use the shotgun threateningly, loaded the gun with the expectation that his father would shoot his mother.
Since the loader of the gun was aware of this, he was guilty of the murder even though he didn't actually pull the trigger. The case now becomes one of murder on the part of the son for the death of Ronald Opus.
Now comes the exquisite twist...Further investigation revealed that the son was, in fact, Ronald Opus. He had become increasingly despondent over the failure of his attempt to engineer his mother's murder. This led him to jump off the ten-story building on March 23rd, only to be killed by a shotgun blast passing through the ninth story window. The son, Ronald Opus, had actually murdered himself. So the medical examiner closed the case as a suicide.
(A true story from Associated Press!!)
- A dad is good for helping you learn to ride a two-wheel bike, because he can run alongside and catch you when you fall.
- A dad is good for telling your great-aunt you don't want her to kiss you in public.
- A dad is good for explaining to your mom why it's not a huge crime to tear your pants sliding into second base.
- A dad is good for showing you how to tie a tie when your mom makes you wear one.
- A dad is good for fixing your wagon and your bike and your car racing set.
- A dad is good for teaching you how to play catch.
- A dad is good for letting you run the power mower while your mom is sitting on the porch praying.
- A dad is good for talking to you about things you're too embarrassed to ask your mom about.
- A dad is good for carrying you when you are tired and you can't get your mom to stop shopping.
- A dad is good for holding you up so you don't get water up your nose when you're trying to learn how to swim.
- A dad is good for helping your mom understand why you can't be clean all the time.
- A dad is good for chauffeuring you where you want to go, especially if you can teach him not to talk much after you're 13 and your friends are in the car,
Author Unknown
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