"Christian Voices" (1-22-04)

June 24, 2010

HUMOR

The Great Lakes Laboratory employed a licensed boat captain to man its research vessel. Reportedly, the captain couldn't swim. A newcomer,

learning of this, approached him about it.

"Is it true?" the newcomer asked incredulously. "You, a boat captain, can't

swim?"

"No, I can't," the captain replied. "Can pilots fly?"

.....forwarded by Gretchen Patti by way of Mikey's Funnies (funnies-owner@lists.MikeysFunnies.com) and "Christian Voices" (www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.net)

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THOUGHT PROVOKING – INSPIRATIONAL

CONNIE

Is it possible to mourn someone you’ve never even met? Is it possible to cry for someone you have never even seen? My friend Connie passed away recently. She was just 68 years old. I had never met her face to face or even seen her picture. I had never heard her voice on the phone. I had never had the chance to give her a hug. She and her husband Charlie lived several states away from me and we never were able to visit each other although we had hoped to one day.

Connie and Charlie ran a newsletter about angel stories online and wrote me an e-mail once asking to use one of my articles. I agreed and with most people that would have been the end of it. Connie, however, had a joyous, youthful, laughing, loving, and playful spirit that found its way into everything from her marriage, to her friendships, to her work, and even to her letters. She and Charlie then quickly became my online friends. Soon they were sharing my writings with their readers every month. With each thing I wrote and shared I would get a letter of encouragement from Connie and Charlie. They were a gift sent by God above and I cherished their friendship. They touched my heart, uplifted my spirits, lightened my soul, and helped me to be a better person with just their simple e-mails.

When their e-mail address stopped working a few weeks ago I feared that their old computer had crashed. Sadly, it was something far worse. Connie has now passed into paradise, but the pain and loss lingers on for Charlie and all of us who knew her. Her love, her joy, and her light will outlast the pain, though. It will live on in all of us who knew her, forever.

Is it possible to mourn someone you’ve never even met? Is it possible to cry for someone you have never even seen? Yes it is. God bless you, Connie. Thank you so much for blessing all of us with your life.

.....Joseph J. Mazzella (joemazzella@frontier.com) by way of "Christian Voices" (www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.net)

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Upload, Download

For a not-too-techie type person such as myself, computer lingo sounds like a foreign language most of the time. It even took awhile to distinguish ‘download’ and ‘upload’. Here’s my definition of download: something comes in from somewhere in cyber space that has data. I’m sure that is nowhere near correct, but it helps me differentiate.

Recently I was thinking about how we receive downloads from God all the time. Primarily His Word, the Bible. Then, other books, other Christians, and circumstances.

Which then brought to mind the question about uploads. Well, our prayers. And just as the experts say no email is ever really lost or trashed, none of our prayers ever get lost or erased, either. In Revelations 5, we read about a scene in the throne room of God: “Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”

Right now I need some supernatural wisdom. I need the mind of Christ God’s insight and direction. I’m so thankful that I can go to Him, in prayer, and lay everything out before Him, and ask. Ask for what I need at the moment. And I am so thankful that He doesn’t shut me out or shut me down. He knows the cries of our hearts; He listens, and He answers.

Upload- our prayers; download- from the Lord.

That is good news.

.....Sally I. Kennedy, ©2009 Irish Thursdays Weekly Devotionals (http://www.sallyikennedy.com) (sallyikennedy@bellsouth.net) by way of "Christian Voices"(www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.net) Sally writes Irish Thursdays, More Little Parables, Words from the Heart©, Poppy the Penguin® and Kwackie the Wonder Duck©

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