MountainWings:Saturday - The Ticket

MountainWings       A MountainWings Moment #2085          Wings Over The Mountains of Life -------------------------------------------------   The Ticket =========   Jack took a long look at his speedometer before slowing down: 73 in a 55 zone.   When his car had slowed to 10 miles an hour, Jack pulled over, But only partially off the road. Let the cop worry about the potential traffic hazard. Maybe some other car will tweak his backside with a mirror.   The cop that stepped out of his car was Bob; Bob from Church?   Jack sunk farther into his seat. This was worse than the coming Ticket, a Christian cop catching a guy from his own church.   Jumping out of the car, he approached a man he saw every Sunday, A man he'd never seen in uniform.   Jack - "Hi, Bob."   Bob - "Hello, Jack." No smile.   Jack - "Guess you caught me red-handed in a rush to see my wife And kids."   Bob - "Yeah, I guess."   Jack - "I've seen some long days at the office lately. I'm Afraid I was going a little fast. Diane said something about Roast beef and potatoes tonight. Know what I mean?" Jack toed at a pebble on the pavement.   Bob - "I know what you mean. I also know that you have a Reputation for speeding."   Ouch. This was not going in the right direction. Time to Change tactics.   Jack - "What'd you clock me at?"   Bob - "Seventy. Would you sit back in your car please?"   Jack - "Now wait a minute here, Bob. I checked as soon as I saw You. I was barely nudging 65."   Bob - "Please, Jack, in the car."   Flustered, Jack hunched himself through the still-open door. Slamming it shut, he stared at the dashboard. The minutes Ticked by. Why hadn't he asked for a driver's license? A tap on the door jerked his head to the left. There was Bob, With a folded paper in hand.   Jack rolled down the window a mere two inches, just enough room For Bob to pass him the slip.   "Thanks a lot!" Jack could not quite keep the sneer out of his Voice.   Bob returned to his police car without a word as Jack unfolded The sheet of paper. How much was this one going to cost?   Jack began to read: "Dear Jack, once I had a daughter. She was six when killed by a Car. You guessed it - a speeding driver.   A fine and three months in jail, and the man was free. Free to Hug his daughters (all three of them). I only had one, and I'm Going to have to wait until Heaven before I can ever hug her Again.   A thousand times I've tried to forgive that man for killing my Daughter. A thousand times I thought I had. Maybe I did, but I Need to do it again. Even now. Pray for me. And be careful. My son is all I have left.   Bob"   Jack turned around in time to see Bob's car pull away and head Down the road. Jack watched until it disappeared. A full 15 Minutes later, he too, pulled away and drove slowly home, Praying for forgiveness and hugging a surprised wife and kids When he arrived.   Life is precious so handle it with care. Drive safely and carefully.   Remember, cars are not the only things recalled by their maker.   ~by Bill Stephens~     This is important; please pass it along to your friends.    Forward this issue to a friend or click the link below to Print, Share by Email, Facebook, Blog or other services: http://www.mountainwings.com/past/2085.htm   MountainWings, POBox 43725, 120 Selig Dr., Atlanta, GA 30336 USA

DO OTHERS SEE JESUS IN YOU?

Was just sent this:-

Bill was a drunk, converted in a Skid Row Mission. Before his conversion, he had gained a reputation as a tramp and an alcoholic for whom there was no hope. But when he gave his life to Christ, everything changed.

He became the most caring person at the Mission and spent his days there doing whatever needed to be done. There was never anything he was asked to do that he considered beneath him, whether it was cleaning up vomit left by some sick alcoholic, or scrubbing toilets used by men who had left them filthy, Bill did it all with a heart of gratitude. He could be counted on to feed any man who wandered in from the streets, undress him and tuck him into bed, when he was incapable of taking care of himself.

One evening after the Mission Director had delivered his message to the usual crowd of solemn men with drooped heads, one of them came down to the altar and knelt to pray, crying out for God to help him change.

The repentant drunk kept shouting, “O God, make me like Bill! Make me like Bill! Make me like Bill!” The Director of the Mission leaned over and said, “Wouldn’t it be better if you prayed, ‘Make me like Jesus’?”

After thinking about it for a few seconds, the man looked up and asked, “Is he like Bill?”

Live, so that others see Jesus in you!

+++ Indian, Orthodox & Christian : How we live ...

Robin Brookes has sent you a link to a blog:

Worth musing over....

Blog: +++ Indian, Orthodox & Christian
Post: How we live ...
Link: http://one-christ.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-we-live.html

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Fwd: Words of LIFE: Goodwill Hunting with Dr. Eggerichs

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: LIFE Today <devotional@loi.org>
Date: Sun, 10 Oct 2010 03:00:23 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Words of LIFE: Goodwill Hunting with Dr. Eggerichs
To: rkbc1947@gmail.com

Words of LIFE

Goodwill Hunting with Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
by Michelle Brown

Sometimes people give me funny looks when they learn that I'm reading
a book on marriage.  As a single person who has never been
married this particular genre isn't one which fits my current
life.

Recently a copy of Dr. Emerson Eggerichs' latest book, The
Language of Love & Respect, came my way. The target audience is
married people, but there are many good points which are helpful for
all relationships.

Dr. Eggerichs addresses the issue of "goodwill" in the
fourth chapter of his book, stating:

A simple definition of goodwill is "the intention to do good
toward another person." But there is much more to it than that.
A spouse may intend to do good, but fail to deliver. Good intentions
do not necessarily guarantee good results.

As Jesus said to His disciples when they went to sleep on the
job in the Garden of Gethsemane, "the spirit is willing, but the
flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). Jesus knew His disciples had
goodwill toward Him even though their follow-through didn't
match their good intentions.

The apostle Paul captured the reality of good intentions but poor
follow-through when he wrote about his own struggles with the flesh in
Romans 7:19: "I don't do the good things I want to do. I
keep on doing the evil things that I don't want to do." (NIRV)

Take what Dr. Eggerichs says and put it in the context of any
relationship - friend, coworker, boss - and consider the
implications of these statements:

When your spouse fails to follow through on good intentions, your
definition of goodwill must also include the idea that goodwilled
people do not mean any harm; they do not intend real evil toward one
another. Your spouse may be neglectful, forgetful, or make a careless,
even thoughtless remark. As a result, you may be hurt or angry and may
lash out in some way to retaliate. But despite all these failings,
deep down you both care for each other. Beneath the turmoil on the
surface of what is going on, your goodwill remains intact.

We are goodwilled people - or at least want to be - but
sin still holds us in its grip. This is why, even though we have
goodwill toward our mate, we can still sin against our mate in all
kinds of ways. So, my counsel to married couples who are serious about
practicing Love and Respect is always the same: whenever your
spouse's good intentions fail to produce loving or respectful
actions toward you, you have only one good option, and that is to make
a deliberate choice to trust your spouse's goodwill.

What would happen if we based all of our responses on the premise that
the other person has goodwill toward us?

Let's say, for example, that a friend recently did or said
something to deeply hurt me. I could respond based on my feelings of
hurt, which say that my friend is an inconsiderate jerk who
doesn't care for anyone else's feelings, or I could choose
to believe that my friend genuinely has goodwill toward me.  If I
respond out of my hurt then it is likely that I will do or say
something equally hurtful which, as Eggerichs says, is "designed
to send the message, 'You hurt me, so I am going to hurt you so
you will stop hurting me!'"  In other words, I will
try to take some sort of emotional vengeance and perpetuate a cycle of
hurt - I get hurt and I hurt the other person in return.
However, if I choose to respond with belief in my friend's
goodwill toward me then, even though it doesn't negate the
emotional pain I feel, I am able to extend grace toward my
friend.  With grace we are able to work through the difficult
feelings and toward reconciliation.

Along with his Romans 7 confession of not being able to always do what
he wants and not do what he doesn't want, Paul also teaches
that, despite our weaknesses, goodwill is a reality. Following through
on our good intentions is possible when we seek to do God's will
from our hearts and "with good will render service, as to the
Lord, and not to men." (Ephesians 6:7)

Paul tells us not to pay back evil for evil, but to live honorably
and, as much as possible, peacefully with everyone (Romans 12:17-19).
If we hunt for the goodwill in others, we will find that our lives
work more smoothly.  Moreover, if we exhibit goodwill toward
everyone then we will love people the way Jesus loves them, which is
the same way He love us.

In the end, that is what our relationship with Christ is all about,
especially since we are His Bride and He is our Groom.  Dr.
Eggerichs' teachings about love and respect in marriage have a
broader application than the relationship between husband and wife. As
we choose to seek goodwill in every relationship, we begin to more
truly live out Jesus' directive to love our neighbor as
ourselves. That is the quintessential definition of goodwill.

Excerpts taken from The Language of Love & Respect: Cracking the
Communication Code with Your Mate by Emerson Eggerichs. (Thomas
Nelson)

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Fwd: A favour for a friend

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Tim Norman <tnorman1@mac.com>
Date: Thu, 07 Oct 2010 07:09:15 +0100
Subject: A favour for a friend
To: Tim Norman <timnorman1@gmail.com>

I'd like to ask a favour for a good friend of mine, if I may.

Professor Richard Wilding has been nominated for the European Supply
Chain Excellence Awards, which in itself is a great honour. However,
now in order to win it he needs votes – apparently anyone can enter
their vote.

So I wonder if you would spare a minute to support him. There is a
brief profile of him on the voting website and he also has his own if
you wish to know more. Winning the award would mean a lot to him and
his University – Cranfield School of Management.

http://www.supplychainexcellenceawards.com/Vote.aspx

If you are able to encourage others in your network including friends,
family or colleagues to vote for him it would be very much
appreciated!

Thank you so much. Please email me or him if you want to know more.

Many thanks

Tim Norman

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Fw: Help make the climate connection big

Welcome to Global Action email. There's only one month to go until the Big Climate Connection and we need your help to make it truly big. Big for MPs who have the power to push for more climate action. Big for our communities to gather together for a greater impact and big for poor people - our neighbours - who are being hit hardest by the changing climate. Click here to see what's happening in your constituency. HELP MAKE THE CLIMATE CONNECTION BIG Thanks to everyone who has already signed up to connect with their MP and their community as part of the Big Climate Connection on 5 and 6 November. You have to sign up via the map to join in, and people have flocked to do so - but we'd love to see it crammed full of even more people eager to call on their MPs for urgent climate action. We'll provide you with everything you need to talk to your MP including a briefing on the issues and email updates to help you prepare - ready and waiting for you at www.tearfund.org/lobby. With the impacts of climate change already hitting our poorest neighbours we need to speak up for urgent action at the climate talks this December and through the UK's Energy Bill. So, please connect in your community, connect with your MP, connect the issues and sign up today! Click here to add your name to the map. PS - don't forget that it's 10-10-10 this weekend, join millions of Christians around the world praying for a more just world. Whatsyourpromise.org.uk With thanks for all you do, Tom, Ben Helen, Jay, Laura and Heather. The Campaigns Team Follow Tearfund's campaigning on Twitter at www.twitter.com/superbadger and take the latest SuperBadger action at apps.facebook.com/superbadger Why not also sign up for twelve, Tearfund's monthly e-newsletter. News, views and wit delivered straight to your inbox every month. Visit www.tearfund.org/twelve today. ©Tearfund is a registered charity No. 265464 (England and Wales) No. SC037624 (Scotland)