Clapps Chapel United Methodist Men: 8/21/11

APHORISM

A SHORT, POINTED SENTENCE THAT EXPRESSES A WISE OR CLEVER OBSERVATION OR A GENERAL TRUTH....

1. The nicest thing about the future is .. . .. that it always starts tomorrow.

2. Money will buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail.

3. If you don't have a sense of humor, you probably don't have any sense at all.

4. Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.

5. A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you're in deep water.

6. How come it takes so little time for a child who is afraid of the dark to become a teenager who wants to stay out all night?

7. Business conventions are important . . . because they demonstrate how many people a company can operate without.

8. Why is it that at class reunions you feel younger than everyone else looks?

9. Scratch a cat . . . and you will have a permanent job.

10. No one has more driving ambition than the teenage boy who wants to buy a car.

11. There are no new sins; the old ones just get more publicity.

12. There are worse things than getting a call for a wrong number at 4 a.m. - like, it could be the right number.

13. No one ever says "It's only a game" when their team is winning.

14. I've reached the age where 'happy hour' is a nap.

15. Be careful about reading the fine print . . . There's no way you're going to like it.

16. The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket.

17. Do you realize that, in about 40 years, we'll have thousands of old ladies running around with tattoos in strange places? (And rap music will be the Golden Oldies!)

18. Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Cadillac than in a Yugo.

19. After 60, if you don't wake up aching in every joint, you're probably dead.

20. Always be yourself because the people that matter don't mind .. . . and the ones that mind don't matter.

21. Life isn't tied with a bow... but it's still a gift.

Mothers are treasures to be adored

By Larry Coppock

Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her
Proverbs 31:28

My mother has lived with my family for 23 years. That covers moves from three cities and two states, watching our youngest son go from first grade to being married. Her progeny includes seven grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. My mom is 87 and drove the same Plymouth for 25 years. She obviously represents the thriftiness of her generation.
        When my war-veteran father was dying from chronic kidney disease in 1960, she was not only a loving wife but the care giver; somehow, along the way, she managed to raise me and my two sisters. Mom made sure we were in church every Sunday, drove me to baseball games and—with that motherly touch—put a damp wash-cloth on my forehead when I was sick. She worked as a sales clerk and helped me get my first job selling men's clothing where I worked alongside her.
        I mention my mom and describe these seminal events as 18 months ago she was diagnosed with cancer. Recently, she was in Louisiana visiting my oldest sister when we got word the cancer had spread. The doctors give her 3-6 months to live. We have found a hospice care facility and made final arrangements.
        I ask you to lift up my mother in your daily prayers. Many of you have been through difficult times like this with your own mothers. These events serve as a reminder to cherish these special memories and reflect on the grace God gives us through the gift of a Godly mother.
        While we as men are often compared to our fathers in terms of stature and strength, perhaps we can attribute other positive traits to the one who gave us life.
        Today is a good day for all mothers to be celebrated, remembered and adored.

Larry Coppock, national director of scouting ministries and director
of the Strength for Service Publication Fund
General Commission on UM Men
LCoppock@gcumm.org
www.StrengthforService.org

What goes around comes around

One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry.

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was those chills which only fear can put in you.

He said, 'I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.'

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, 'And think of me.'

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

A f ew miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps.. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan ...

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: 'You don't owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.'

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the Money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard....

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, 'Everything's going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.'

Friend For Life

Supporting A Brother's Victory

By John Dowell

At a competitive event such as a track and field meet or a spelling bee, it isn't difficult to recognize the families of the individual participants. They are huddled together living each victory or defeat. Their emotions mirror what's happening on the field or the stage. They are as engaged in the competition as their loved ones. Often, the parents take as much, if not more joy in the victories of their children than they do in their own.
        Isn't that as it should be? Isn't that the design of the family of God? Isn't that what God intends for His children? Isn't that what Paul tells us?
And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it, if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. (I Corinthians 12:6)
        This is God's design for the church and therefore His design for small groups, which includes the United Methodist Men.
        I see this frequently happening with UMM fellowships where members have, in many cases become closer than blood brothers by friendships developed over many years.
        To illustrate this, the five jurisdictional presidents and I participate in monthly conference calls to share problems and to discuss pressing issues. This hour or so has provides quality time for all of us.
        Over the months, personal concerns have surfaced. One member and his wife had simultaneous health problems. The father of a president suddenly passed away. And one member experienced difficult issues in his local church.
        In each case—even though the group was spread across the country—the men came together through e-mail and phone calls to support the distressed brother with prayers, encouragement and yes, sympathy.
        The support these men shared is no different than family members huddled together cheering on a son or daughter on the field of competition.
        This is what the church and men's ministry urgently needs today—men who are in tune with the heart of God, who take great joy when a brother achieves a victory and who support him when he is disappointed or injured.
        We can do this can't we?
        Peace and Joy.

John Dowell, president
National Association of Conference Presidents
of United Methodist Men
jdowellumm@aol.com