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A Little Humor...

Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother,
'Why is the bride dressed in white?''
The mother replied, 'Because white is the colour of happiness,
and today is the happiest day of her life.'
The child thought about this for a moment then said,
'So why is the groom wearing black?'
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A little girl, dressed in her Sunday best, was running as fast as she could,
trying not to be late for Bible class.
As she ran she prayed,
'Dear Lord, please don't let me be late! Dear Lord, please don't let me be late!'
While she was running and praying, she tripped on a curb and fell,
getting her clothes dirty and tearing her dress.
She got up, brushed herself off, and started running again!
As she ran she once again began to pray,
'Dear Lord, please don't let me be late...But please don't shove me either!'
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three boys are in the school yard bragging about their fathers.
The first boy says, 'My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem,
they give him $50.'
The second boy says, 'That's nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on piece of paper,
he calls it a song, they give him $100.'
The third boy says, 'I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper,
he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight people to collect all the money!'
~~~~~~~~~~~~
An elderly woman died last month.
Having never married, she requested no male pallbearers.
In her handwritten instructions for her memorial service, she wrote,
'They wouldn't take me out while I was alive,
I don't want them to take me out when I'm dead.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A police recruit was asked during the exam,
'What would you do if you had to arrest your own mother?'
He answered, 'Call for backup.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Sunday School teacher asked her class why Joseph and Mary took Jesus with them toJerusalem .
A small child replied, 'They couldn't get a baby-sitter.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds.
After explaining the commandment to 'Honour thy father and thy mother,' she asked,
'Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?'
Without missing a beat, one little boy answered, 'Thou shall not kill..'
~~~~~~~~~~~~
At Sunday School they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings.
Little Johnny seemed especially intent when they told him
how Eve was created out of one of Adam's ribs.
Later in the week his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill,
and she said, 'Johnny, what is the matter?' Little Johnny responded,
'I have pain in my side. I think I'm going to have a wife.'

God bless you and have a great day.

Keeping the vision

By  Mark Lubbock

Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained,  but happy is he who keeps the law.
Proverbs 29:18
Before launching  anything new The Rev. Trey Harris, pastor of NewSong UMC in Baton Rouge asks, "Why are we doing this?" He reasons  that before starting anything, it is important to have a clear, concise vision  of where we are going.

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward  call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:14

How  can you "press on toward the goal"  without establishing the destination? Yet, way too often we embark on personal  and ministerial tasks without taking the time to discern where God is leading  us.
        Think  about a recent work day. The men were motivated and energized because they were  working toward a specific goal.
        Now,  think about your ministry. Do you have a vision statement setting the course  and direction for your entire effort? Do you have a defined end in sight? Is  everybody in your group aware of this vision?
        When  you have developed your vision, share it with men who seem uninterested in your  group—the guys who decline to join.
        Upcoming  generations of men aren't interested in taking time out to attend a meet-and-greet  breakfast. But, they will support an activity when the vision is clearly  explained.
        If  you face challenges in your men's ministry I recommend asking Pastor Trey's  question. Before answering that question, take time to pray and listen to God! Then share the vision and  let it lead the way for everything that you do.
        Finally,  ask yourself, "Where am I going in this life? Do I have an overriding goal toward  which I will never cease to reach?"
        Remember,  God has a plan for a "future and a hope" for us all.
        Seek  and you will indeed ... find!

The Rev. Mark Lubbock,  deployed staff
General Commission on  United Methodist Men
MLubbock@gcumm.org

God Sends Country Boy

Lee Stanford visited our church for our homecoming. It Turns out that he attended few times as a youth many years ago. He brought a message to our congregation that we sorely needed. It was a message of believing, believe so much that if God asked you to leave everything tomorrow you would. Recently he was the focus of a Knoxville News Sentinel article and you can read it here.  I think they did a fine Job of  summing up his story.  I would like to thank Mr. Stanford for inspiring us to follow God with not only his life but his book which tells his life story. If we all had his faith in our all powerful God anything would be possible.
You can follow this link to buy a copy of the book
http://godsendscountryboy.com/
and this link to find out about His Hands Reaching Worship Center.
http://hishandsreaching.com/index.cfm

Creation Calls

Hope for Inmates