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What the Bible
Will Do For You!
By
Eddie Cooper
The story is told of an old sheepherder in the hills of
Idaho who was a faithful listener to one of the finer musical programs
on the radio. One night after listening to the concert, he wrote
a rather unusual request. He said: “I enjoy your program from New
York every week, and I am writing to ask you a favor. It’s rather
lonely up here in the hills, and I haven’t much to entertain me, aside
from the radio. No other human beings are near. Now I have
an old violin which I used to play, but it has gotten badly out of tune.
I wonder if you would take just a moment on your program next week and
strike “A” on the piano, so that I may tune my violin.”
Well, at first, they only smiled about the letter.
But then they began to see something more than humor in it. Was it
perhaps a symbol of what they should be able to do with good music on the
air? They decided to use the letter on the broadcast. And so
that night they actually interrupted the program long enough to strike
“A” on the piano in New York, while the old sheepherder in the hills of
Idaho got the right pitch for his violin. (Faith Amid Fear,
by Peter Eldersveld, pg. 3)
As I read that story the thought came to me that we need
something like that in a spiritual sense. Our world seems to be out
of tune with God, and that accounts for all the discord. We are making
noise, not music. There are wars and rumors of wars; national and
international tensions, crime, conflict, corruption, even in high places;
turmoil within and without; and a widespread feeling of fear in the hearts
of men.
Not only the world as a whole, but men as individuals
also give evidence of being out of tune with God. This accounts for
the parental delinquency, the crimes, the broken homes and the immorality
in the land. Much of the misery, wretchedness and woe of today is
caused by our people being out of tune with God. It is not necessary
to remain in a state of such discord, for the Lord gave us the Bible that
we might tune our hearts and lives to his will. If you will permit
it, the Bible will bring harmony and peace to your soul!
I’ve Learned . . .
I’ve learned . . .
that you cannot
make someone love you.
All you can
do is be someone who can be loved.
The rest is
up to them.
I’ve learned . . .
that no matter
how much I care,
some people
just don’t care back.
I’ve learned . . .
that it takes
years to build up trust,
and only seconds
to destroy it.
I’ve learned . . .
that it’s
not what you have in your life,
but who you
have in your life that counts.
I’ve learned . . .
that you can
get by on charm for about fifteen minutes.
After that,
you’d better know something.
I’ve learned . . .
that you shouldn’t
compare
yourself to
the best others can do.
I’ve learned . . .
that you can
do something in an instant
that will
give you heartache for life.
I’ve learned . . .
that it’s
taking me a long time
to become
the person I want to be.
I’ve learned . . .
that you should
always leave loved ones
with loving
words. It may be the last
time you see
them.
I’ve learned . . .
that you can
keep going
long after
you can’t.
I’ve learned . . .
that we are
responsible for what we do,
no matter
how we feel.
I’ve learned . . .
that either
you control your attitude
or it controls
you.
I’ve learned . . .
that regardless
of how hot and steamy
a relationship
is at first, the passion fades and
there had
better be something else to take its place.
I’ve learned . . .
that heroes
are the people who do what has to be done
when it needs
to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I’ve learned . . .
that money
is a lousy way of keeping score.
I’ve learned . . .
that my best
friend and I can do anything
or nothing
and have the best time.
I’ve learned . . .
that sometimes
the people you expect
to kick you
when you’re down
will be the
ones to help you get back up.
I’ve learned . . .
that sometimes
when I’m angry
I have the
right to be angry,
but that doesn’t
give me the right to be cruel.
I’ve learned . . .
that true
friendship continues to grow,
even over
the longest distance.
Same goes
for true love.
I’ve learned . . .
that just
because someone doesn’t love you
the way you
want them to doesn’t
mean they
don’t love you with all they have.
I’ve learned . . .
that maturity
has more to do with
what types
of experiences you’ve had
and what you’ve
learned from them
and less to
do with how many
birthdays
you’ve celebrated.
I’ve learned . . .
that you should
never tell a child
their dreams
are unlikely or outlandish.
Few things
are more humiliating, and what
a tragedy
it would be if they believed it.
I’ve learned . . .
that your
family won’t always be there for you.
It may seem
funny, but people you aren’t
related to
can take care of you and love you
and teach
you to trust people again.
Families aren’t
biological.
I’ve learned . . .
that no matter
how good a friend is,
they’re going
to hurt you every once in a while
and you must
forgive them for that.
I’ve learned . . .
that it isn’t
always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes
you are to learn to forgive yourself.
I’ve learned . . .
that no matter
how bad your heart is broken,
the world
doesn’t stop for your grief.
I’ve learned . . .
that our background
and circumstances
may have influenced
who we are,
but we are
responsible for who we become.
I’ve learned . . .
that just
because two people argue,
it doesn’t
mean they don’t love each other.
And just because
they don’t argue,
it doesn’t
mean they do.
I’ve learned . . .
that we don’t
have to change friends
if we understand
that friends change.
I’ve learned . . .
that you shouldn’t
be so eager to find out a
secret.
It could change your life forever.
I’ve learned . . .
that two people
can look at the exact same thing
and see something
totally different.
I’ve learned . . .
that no matter
how you try to protect your
children,
they will eventually get hurt and
you will hurt
in the process.
I’ve learned . . .
that your
life can be changed in a matter of
hours by people
who don’t even know you.
I’ve learned . . .
that even
when you think you have no more
to give, when
a friend cries out for you,
you will find
the strength to help.
I’ve learned . . .
that credentials
on the wall
do not make
you a decent human being.
I’ve learned . . .
that the people
you care about most in life
are taken
from you too soon.
I’ve learned . . .
that it’s
hard to determine where to draw the line
between being
nice and not hurting people’s feelings
and standing
up for what you believe.
Author Unknown, submitted by Mark McWhorter
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