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[islandboy]

THE  PRAYER
by J. B. Cardwell

O' Lord, let me go up the mountainside of life carrying my part of the responsibility of my community, and may my load be heavy enough that I may well earn a place in the hearts of my fellowmen. And O Lord, may my load be heavy enough that at times I will have to reach up and take the outstretched hand of my fellowman, that he may help me over the rough and rugged pathway of life.
And O Lord, may my load be light enough that I may, in turn, stoop and take the uplifted hand of my brother, and help him over the same rough and rugged path, and thereby know the joy of loving and having been loved. And then, when I have reached the mountain peak of useful life, and there deposited my load of responsibility, and quietly slip over into the eventide, may my shoulders be stooped from the load it was my privilege to carry; may my temples be gray from the length of time it was my privilege to serve; and may my eyes be dimmed from searching for the straight and narrow path. O Lord, when I slowly descend the mountainside of life, and the sun is sinking low into the West, and the shadows are lengthening far into the East, and I come to that river that divides this life from the life beyond, may I not find there a pot of gold I have accumulated, nor great empire that I have built, nor nations I have conquered; but, O Lord, may I find there a monument, yea, a monument, reaching into the skies, and may the monument be build ed of the purest and finest stones, and may every stone be a friend, like you, and you.

[islandboy]

A friend gave me a copy of the following, which is sort of a way we might see how God sees us. It is out of a book called Faith by Sharon Salzberg. This book is about her discovery of eastern religions and so I was not interested in it for that reason, however, buried in the book I came across this story about a book she received for her fortieth birthday. The book was called ZOOM by a author I. Banyai.
Here I begin: Curious, I opened the book and on the first page saw an abstract image of something red and pointy. The next page showed a colorful rooster, whose comb was the image I'd just seen. "This is a book with no words in it, about a rooster, I mused. How very peculiar to receive this gift when I am turning forty, not four."  I turned the page and saw a picture of children looking through the window of a house at the rooster.  Oh, I thought, it's not a book about a rooster; it's about some children who live on a farm. As I turned more pages, the children and the house diminished in size until they proved to be pieces in a toy village being arranged by a little girl. Oh, now I understand, I though. It's a book about a child, and she is the central figure in this story; the other figures were just her toys. A page later, the girl playing with the houses turned out to be part of an illustration on the cover of a book being held by a boy. And so it went. As I turned the pages, I came to conclusion after conclusion about what the book was really about. Okay, now I get it. This is a story about a boy who is on an ocean liner holding a book with a cover picturing a child playing with a miniature village. But when the entire ocean liner turned out to be part of a billboard posted on the side of a bus, my confidence in my interpretations collapsed. The bus proved to be part of a scene on a TV screen being watched by a cowboy in a desert, which turned out to be the illustration on a postage stamp, which was on a postcard in the hands of a group of people standing on an island beach. Before I could try to reach another conclusion about the subject of this book, a turn of the page showed the island as seen by a pilot in a small plane. Several pages later, through swirls of clouds, I saw the earth, a jewel-like globe floating in infinite space, then simply a distant white dot. Opened to an immensity of perspective, my vision included every image in an expansive sweep of vision, but was not limited by any one of them. I looked up at my friend and said, "I feel like God."  (or I see as God sees).

[islandboy]

I have a list of folks I know, all written in a book,
and every year at Christmas time I go and take a look;
and that is when I realize that these names are all a part
not of the book they're written in, but of my heart.

For each name stands for someone who has crossed my path sometime,
and in the meeting they've become the "rhythm of the rhyme";
and while it sounds fantastic for me to make this claim,
I really feel I am composed of each remembered name.

And while you may not be aware of any special link,
just meeting you shaped my life more than you can think.
For once you've met somebody, the years cannot erase
the memory of a pleasant word or a friendly face.

So never think my Christmas cards are just a mere routine
of names upon a Christmas list, forgotten in between,
For when I send a Christmas card that is addressed to you,
it's because you're on that list of friends I am indebted to.

For we are but a total of the many friends we've met,
and you happen to be one of those I prefer not to forget;
and whether I have known you for many years or few,
in some way you have had a part in shaping things I do.

And every year when Christmas comes I realize anew
the biggest gift that life can give is meeting friends like you.
So may the spirit of Christmas, that forever and ever endures,
leave its richest blessings in the heart of you and yours.

Author Unknown

[May]

Hello islandboy Wish you a wonderful New Year 2010 in Jesus 'name
Hope you spent some good moments with your family.
The eve of New Year i spent it in the church with the people of God
What good news
sister May

[islandboy]

May, Thank you for the warm wishes for the new year. i can certainly use them today as the temp here is 36 degrees, with a colder wind chill factor. So staying inside today, near the roaring fireplace trying to stay warm. Good day for reading a book, watching a movie, drinking hot chocolate, tea, or coffee, working on computer, or best of all studying  and reading God's words of life. Many blessings sent your way, and hoping it is warmer there then here.

[islandboy]

THE   "U"  IN  JESUS

Before U were thought of or time had begun,
God put U in the name of His Son.
And each time U pray, you'll see it's true,
You can't spell out JesUs and not include U.
You're a pretty big part of His wonderful name,
For U, He was born; that's why He came.
And His great love for U is the reason He died.
It even takes U to spell crucified.
The stones split away, the gold trumpet blew,
And this word resurrection is spelled with a U.
When JesUs left earth at His upward ascension,
He felt there was one thing He just had to mention.
'Go into the world and tell them it's true
That I love them all---Just like I love U.'
So many great people are spelled with a U,
Don't they have a right to know JesUs too?
It all depends now on what U will do,
He'd like them to know,
But It all starts with U.

[May]

Hi Islandboy,

Hope you & are family are fine by God grace.
I know it is not easy for you about the weather
Here is Summer in Mauritius
Let us rejoice in Jesus name
JESUS CHRIST, THOUGH HE WAS RICH,BUT FOR OUR SAKES, HE BECAME POOR, THAT WE THROUGH HIS POVERTY MIGHT BE MADE RICH 2 Corinthians 8:9

[islandboy]

May, Sorry to be so long in thanking you for your warm wishes. The cold here in Florida is not as bad as up north of me where winter snow storms have buried roads and sidewalks and some people have lost their electric due to downed powerlines.  But here it is warmer now, sixty to seventy degrees, with rain expected.  One can send much  prayer  for those in Haiti, knowing the people are in great need  of help and compassion.
Hope all is well with you and family.

[islandboy]

WHAT  DOES  REDEEMER  MEAN

Genesis...........He is the Creator God
Exodus............He is the Redeemer
Leviticus..........He is your sanctification
Numbers..........He is your guide
Deuteronomy...He is your teacher
Joshua.............He is the Mighty Conqueror
Judges.............He gives victory over enemies
Ruth................He is your kinsman, your lover, your redeemer
1 Samuel..........He is the root of Jesse
2 Samuel..........He is the Son of David
1 Kings and 2 Kings.........He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords
1st and 2nd Chronicles.....He is your intercessor and High Priest
Ezra...............................He is your temple, your house of worship
Nehemiah.......................He is your mighty wall, protecting you from your enemies
Esther............................He stands in the gap to deliever you from your enemies
Job................................He is the arbitrator who not only understands your struggles, but has the power to do something about them.
Psalms............................He is your song and your reason to sing.
Proverbs.........................He is your wisdom, helping you make sense of life and live it successfully.
Ecclesiastes.....................He is your purpose, delivery you from vanity.
Song of Solomon.............He is your lover, your rose of Sharon.
Isaiah.............................He is the mighty counselor, the prince of peace, the everlasting father, and more.  He is everthing you need.
Jeremiah.........................He is your balm of Gilead, the soothing salve for your sin-sick soul.
Lamentations...................He is the ever-faithful one upon whom you can depend.

[islandboy]

Ezekiel.................He is your wheel in it he is the middle of the wheel, the one who assures that dry dead bones will come alive again.
Daniel..................He is the ancient of days, the everlasting God who nervier runs out of time.
Hosea..................He is your faithful lover, always beckoning you to come back, even when you have abandoned Him.
Joel.....................He is your refuge, keeping you safe in times of trouble.
Amos...................He is the husbandman, the one you can depend on to stay by your side.
Obadiah...............He is Lord of the Kingdom.
Jonah..................He is your salvation, bringing you back within His will.
Micah..................He is the judge of the nation.
Nahum................He is the jealous God.
Habakkuk.............He is the Holy One.
Zephaniah............He is the witness.
Haggai.................He overthrows the enemies
Zechariah.............He is Lord of Hosts.
Malachi................He is Merciful

[islandboy]

Matthew..............He is king of the Jews.
Mark....................He is the servant.
Luke...................He is the Son of Man, feeling what you feel.
John...................He is the Son of God.
Acts...................He is the Saviour of the world.
Romans...............He is the righteousness of God.
1 Corinthians.......He is the rock that followed Israel.
II Corinthians.....He is the triumphant one, giving victory.
Galatians.............He is your liberty, he sets you free.
Ephesians............He is the head of the Church.
Philippians............He is your joy.
Colossians............He is your completeness.
1 Thessalonian....He is your hope.
II Thessalonian...
1 Timothy............He is your faith.
II Timothy............He is your Stability.
Philemon..............He is your benefactor.
Hebrews..............He is your perfection.
James..................He is the power behind your faith.
1 Peter................He is your example.
II Peter...............He is your purity.

[islandboy]

1 John.............He is your life.
II John.............He is your pattern.
III John............He is your motivation.
Jude................He is the foundation of your faith.
Revelation.........He is your coming King. From the beginning of the world to its end, there is no place you can look and not see Jesus. He is everywhere. He is everything. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.  (Colossians 1 : 17)

[nChrist]

Amen Islandboy! - Nice Post!

[islandboy]

Thanks, Tom.  I get wonderful e-mails with amazing new ways to read and see and learn about the Bible, that I can't help but wish I knew the authors of these sayings, stories and poems. Creative ways to show God's love and history, in ways we all can enjoy.

[islandboy]

A child was asked to write a book report on the entire Bible, So through the eyes of a child, The Children's Bible in a Nutshell.

In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, "The Lord thy God is one, But I think He must be a lot older than that.
Anyways, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did. Then God made the world. He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet.
Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden...Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars.
Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.  Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.
One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a raincheck.
After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.
Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. Theses plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable.
God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include: don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's stuff. Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother.
One of Moses best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.
After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me.
After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore.
There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them.
After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of the New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, "Close the door!  Were you born in a barn?"  It would be nice to say, "As a matter of fact, I was.)
During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats. Jesus also had twelve opossums. The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.
Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount.
But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead.
Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.


This may be one of the dangers of teaching the Bible in schools.