A Great Joy

This is a story that I wrote about a friend of mine. It is another "thinking" one...sorry.

A Great Joy That Will Be For All People

He hung up the phone and blankly stared out the window. His friend of many years had slipped into a coma and the doctors did not expect him to make it though the day. They had never been that close, but it seemed like the paths of their lives crossed at major events in their lives.

They had met over twenty years ago at a church then drifted apart, but at the loss of a child they saw each other. The next time was during a divorce and then a while passed and the other one divorced. Then they saw each other quite often for a time and that was when the news came that he had an inoperable brain tumor. He had to quit work and then moved in with his son.
He had gone to visit him just a couple of days ago and his condition was disturbing. The tumor was pressing on his brain and he had lost much of his motor skills and could not walk. His speech was slurred making it difficult for him to understand his friend.

He thought about the holidays. Today was Christmas Eve. He thought about the family that was missing from his life. His own daughter, his mother, a nephew, the countless friends that had lost family and how much his friend’s family would miss him. Out the window the breeze blew the leaves around the yard, they swirled and piled in the corner Christmas would not be white this year.

His thoughts drifted back to the visit with his friend. He could not say enough about the joy of the Lord and he was excited to be with the Father. He knew that he was going to die, but he always left an opening for healing and really wanted God to prove the doctors wrong. He was ready though, tired from the fight and the pain. The joy, he could not get over the joy that his friend had. It amazed him. But after all, his friend was waiting to go home and he knew how much he liked to go home after a long while away.

He listened to the Christmas music playing quietly on the radio. “This really is what it is all about isn’t it?” he asked himself out loud. A child born in a lowly stable two thousand years ago so a man that was dying of a brain tumor could have hope and a future. The joy that his friend was feeling was the joy that the angels spoke of to the shepherds that were tending their flocks.

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child. "

“…A great joy that will be for all the people.” This is the joy that his friend had and was feeling. This is the joy that will be for all the people. He thought how he had put the cares of the day before the joy that he knew was his and asked for forgiveness. He wondered how many others were stressed at the thought of the holidays because of missing friends and family.
A great joy that will be for all people. That Great Joy was born 2000 years ago and is now available for all people. He has been asking man to accept this gift from the Father. A free gift for which the price was paid for by the Great Joy later in His life.

Today and tomorrow he will celebrate the life of the Son who came to rescue us. Later this week he will celebrate the life of his friend and next Christmas, his friend, John will celebrate with the one whom we celebrate the season for. His joy will have been made complete and he felt slightly envious.

Just then it started to snow.

Sorrow

This piece was written by my niece who is in college and it is the not the light hearted, easy reading, no think stuff that I like to write, but it will make you think. If you like it let her know, if you don't, keep it to yourself Bucko! After all she is my niece.

One of my profs asked my class today to write a letter to our future children about the Inauguration of our president, Barack Obama. So here's mine. Hope it clears some stuff up.


To my dear children,

Today would be called a triumph by many. And yet as your conservative mother, I only felt great sorrow and grief. While much of the world celebrated the election of our first black president, Barack Obama, I mourned. You might think it strange, that I choose to wear black on such a patriotic way. But the issue for me is not racism, even though the entire election was based on racism. The benediction given at the Inauguration was racist as well. My vote is not hinged upon someone's race.

Yes, today I wear black in mourning. I mourn for the unborn. I mourn for those who will die with the Freedom of Choice, which is partial birth abortion, which will be signed on January 22, 2009. I mourn for babies of all races whose lives will be cut short before they even begin.


I am so sorry, dear children, that I brought you into a world that celebrates the right to kill an innocent child. I am sorry that I could not stop abortion. My hope is that you and your generation, and the generations to follow, will be strong in the Lord, and that you will help bring healing to our bloody world. We have the blood of innocents on our heads and our hands. I pray you will stay pure as doves, yet be as wise as serpents.


Do not look upon my generation in distaste, dear children. There were many conservative Christians who tried to stop the evil, tried to stop the genocide of our nation’s children. Please believe me when I say this, that we did care. I do not leave you without hope though. Though the evil in this world is strong, the LORD is stronger. He will avenge the deaths of the children. He will prevail in the end!


With love,
~your mother



Check these out:
http://www.abort73.com
http://www.nerighttolife.org/
http://www.nrlc.org/
http://www.focusonthefamily.com/socialissues/sanctity_of_life/abortion.aspx
Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments by RandyAlcorn

Why Pro-Life? by Randy Alcorn




Contact your local crisis pregnancy center to see how you can help. Pray for the next few days, that President Obama would not sign the Freedom of Choice Act.

Why Agility?

This is Tyler. Tyler and I are training to compete in a dog sport called Agility. Tyler is rather agile. I am not. I am 50 some years old and would rather be sitting than standing. Now Tyler sleeps 16 to 20 hours a day, but when he is moving he is really moving on the other hand I do not.

Tyler came to stay with me on November 4th 2006 when he was 4 months old. He was out at the Humane Society and just needed a better place to live. I had never had an Australian Cattle Dog before, so I did what I usually do when I just don't know and I bought books about the subject. One of the re-occurring themes from all three authors was that these dogs need a job to do and if you do not give them one they will find one and most likely you will not like it.

I set up a dog crate at my office and took Tyler to work with me everyday just so that he would not have the chance to be destructive and he never was. He is death on some of his toys, but he has never destroyed anything that was his to do so with. That boy can “skin” a tennis ball in about 3 minutes.

The next spring I had heard of an agility class forming through the local parks and recreation department and as they say “the rest is history”. We are not great at it, but we have collected a few qualifying rounds called “Q's”, but more important than that we have a great time.