Monday, April 17, 2017

Everyone has a Story

A father was travelling along with his 24 year old son in a train.

The son was seated near the window. But his behavior seemed to be crazy and disturbing to the co-passengers.

Looking out of the train’s window the boy shouted, “Dad, look at the trees, they are running behind!” and his Dad would smile

The other passengers felt that it was slowly getting beyond limits…

Now again the boy shouted, “Dad, look the clouds are running with us!”

The couple sitting opposite couldn’t resist anymore. They said to the old man, “You should have travelled with him in a cab rather than taking a public transport. Why don’t you take your son to a good doctor?”

The old man smiled and replied, “I did and we are just coming from the hospital, my son was blind from birth, he just got his eyes today. Moreover, I would have loved to take him in a cab, but I couldn’t afford as I have already spent whatever I had on his treatment.”

Every single person on the planet has a story.

Sunday, April 16, 2017

57 Cents

A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was too crowded. "I can't go to Sunday School?" she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by. Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.

Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings and the parents called for the kind hearted pastor, who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements.

As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, "This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday school."

For two years she had saved for this offering of love. When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion. He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building.

But the story does not end there! A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a Realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands. When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for 57 cents. Church members made large donations. Cheques came from far and wide.

Within five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00--a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid large dividends.

When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300 and Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained. Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday school children, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time. In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr. Russell H. Conwell, author of the book, Acres of Diamonds.

"Suffer the little children to come unto Me, for theirs is the Kingdom of God."

Monday, April 10, 2017

The Touchstone

When the great library of Alexandria got burned, only one book was saved. But it was not a valuable
book and a poor man who could read a little, bought it for a few coppers. The book wasn’t very interesting but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the “Touchstone”!

The Touchstone is a small pebble that could turn any common metal into Gold. 

The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this; The real Touchstone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold. 

So the man sold his few belongings, camped on the seashore and began testing the pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebbles hundreds of times. So, when he felt the one he picked up was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent the whole day doing this but none of them was the touch stone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick a pebble, throw it into the sea if it was cold. Pick up another, throw it into the sea….this went on and on…

The days stretched into weeks and week into months. But he was not ready to quit…He believed in what he was doing....

Finally, the day arrived….

About noon, he picked up a pebble that was warm….

….and he threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done.

He had formed such a strong habit for throwing the pebbles into the sea that when the one he wanted came along, he still threw it away.