TAKE QUICK LOOK AT THIS!

U.S. House & Senate have voted
themselves $4,700 and $5,300 raises.

1. They voted to not give you
a S.S. Cost of Living raise in 2010 and 2011.
2. Your Medicare premiums will
go up $285.60 for the 2 years and
you will not get the 3% COLA.

Your total 2 year loss and cost
is $1,600 or $3,200 for husband and wife.
3. Over 2 years they each get $10,000.
4. How’s that hope and change
workin’ out for ya?
5. Will they increase your cost
of drugs - doctor fees - local taxes -
food, etc.?

Maybe it's time for the 28th Amendment…

"Congress shall make no law that
applies to the citizens of the United
States that does not apply equally
to the Senators or Representatives,
and Congress shall make no law
that applies to the Senators or
Representatives that does not apply
equally to the citizens of the
United States."

WWJD

SACRIFICIAL LOVE

God is always ready to help
us and expects us to help
others

Scripture:

"Don't forget to do good
and to share what you
have with those in need,
for such sacrifices are
very pleasing to God."
Hebrews 13:16 NLT

In His steps

"Have you seen kids
wearing bracelets with
the initials WWJD—
"What Would Jesus Do?"
The story behind those
bracelets begins a century
ago, when a minister
named Charles Sheldon
wrote a novel titled In His
Steps. One Sunday morning
at First Church, Pastor
Henry Maxwell is preaching
a sermon about how to follow
Christ's example of sacrificial
love.

The service is suddenly i
nterrupted when a tramp
stands up. He's been out
of work for a year, he says,
yet not one person in town
has helped him find another
job. Twisting his shabby hat
in his hands, the tramps says,
"I was wondering if what you
call following Jesus is the
same thing as what he taught.…
I get puzzled when I see so
many Christians living in luxury
and remember how my wife
died in a tenement.…what
would Jesus do?" At that point,
to the congregation's horror,
the tramp collapses and dies.

The following Sunday, the
minister makes a stunning
proposal: He's looking for
volunteers willing to pledge
themselves for an entire year
to do nothing without first
asking, "What would Jesus
do?" Some fifty people make
the pledge, and a remarkable
series of events begins.

Some of these people pay a
high price for their obedience.
But they also learn the joy of
following faithfully in his footsteps.

A few years ago, a Holland,
Michigan, youth leader was
so inspired by this classic
story that she had bracelets
made bearing the letters WWJD
and gave them to the kids in her
church. The idea caught fire, and
today millions wear them.

adapted from How Now Shall We
Live? Devotional by Charles Colson
(Tyndale) pp 585-86

HANDBOOK 2010

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch
like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on
trees and plants and eat less food
that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy,
Enthusiasm and Empathy.
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than
you did in 2009.
8. Sit in silence for at least
10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk
daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others.
You have no idea what their journey is
all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or
things you cannot control. Instead invest
your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously.
No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy
on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already
have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind
your partner with his/her mistakes of the past.
That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating
anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't
spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness
except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are
here to learn. Problems are simply part of the
curriculum that appear and fade away like
algebra class but the lessons you learn will
last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument.
Agree to disagree.

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70
& under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile
each day.
30. What other people think of you is none
of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you
are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful,
beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, i
t will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress
up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning,
thank GOD for it.
39. Your Innermost Being is always happy.
So, be happy.

ABOVE ALL REMEMBER EACH DAY "GOD
LOVES YOU"

DO YOU HAVE JOY OR SADNESS?

Scripture:

[Jesus said,] "I have loved you even
as the Father has loved me. Remain
in my love. When you obey me, you
remain in my love, just as I obey my
Father and remain in his love. I have
told you this so you will be filled with
joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!"
John 15:9-11 NLT

Reflection:

Studying for my masters degree in
Divinity was one of the most difficult
periods of my life. Three long years of
research, studying, and test taking.
Learning a language that was no
longer used, Biblical Greek, was
really hard.
But I had a friend going through it
with me. This friend was an amazing
Christian. She was struggling even
more than me, and on top of that
she had a physical disability that
made it extremely hard for her.
But Joanie had a sense of joy
about her. She was never down
and always, I mean always, so happy
to be a Christian. Despite hard times
in her life, she was filled with over-
flowing joy. Nothing was more eye-
catching or more attractive than that.

This is an example and reminder
that no matter what your current
difficulty, the more you are convinced
of Christ's unconditional love for you,
and the more you are committed to
loving Him, THE MORE YOU WILL
KNOW THE REAL LASTING JOY OF
JESUS CHRIST.

Prayer:

Oh Lord I want to know Your Love.
Rekindle my desire to be within Your
love, so that I may overflow with Your
Joy.
In Jesus name AMEN

"Life need not be easy to be joyful.
Joy is not the absence of trouble
but the presence of Christ."
(William Vander Hoven)

GOING FOR THE GOAL!

Scripture:

I don't mean to say that I have
already achieved these things
or that I have already reached
perfection. But I press on to
possess that perfection for
which Christ Jesus first
possessed me. No, dear
brothers and sisters, I have
not achieved it, but I focus
on this one thing: Forgetting
the past and looking forward to
what lies ahead, I press on to
reach the end of the race and
receive the heavenly prize for
which God, through Christ
Jesus, is calling us.
(Philippians 3:12-14) NLT


Reflection:

The Apostle Paul has one goal in life,
his goal is to know Christ, to be like
Christ and to be all Christ has in mind
for Him. This goal, that consumes Paul,
takes all of his energy, it even takes the
power of the Holy Spirit.
This is a helpful example for us.
We should not let anything take our eyes
off our goal, that of knowing Christ. With
absolute single mindedness just like an
athlete in training, we must lay aside
everything harmful and throw out
anything that may distract us from
being effective and loving followers
of Jesus Christ. WHAT'S HOLDING
YOU BACK?

DIARY OF A SNOW SHOVELER 3

Page Three

December 25
M E R R Y Christmas! 20 more inches
of the darn slop tonight - Snowed in.
The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil.
gosh, I hate the snow! Then the snowplow
driver came by asking for a donation and I
hit him over the head with my shovel. The
wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's
an idiot. If I have to watch "It's A Wonderful Life"
one more time, I'm going to stuff her into
the microwave.


December 26
Still snowed in. Why the heck did I ever move
here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting
on my nerves.


December 27
Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze;
plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him,
he only charged me $1,400 to replace all my pipes.


December 28
Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in. The
stinking cold and snow are driving me crazy!!!


December 29
10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the
roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I
ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?


December 30
Roof caved in. I beat up the snow plow driver,
and now he is suing me for a million dollars, not
only the beating I gave him, but also for trying to
shove the broken snow shovel up his backside.
The wife went home to her mother. Nine more
inches predicted.


December 31
I set fire to what's left of the house.
No more shoveling.


January 8
Feel so good. I just love those little white pills
they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

THE DIARY SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT EXPLANATION ENDED!!!!!!!!!!

HAVE A HAPPY, HAPPY WINTER!!!!!!!!

DIARY OF A SNOW SHOVELER 2

Page Two

December 16
Ice storm this morning. Fell on my behind
on the ice in the driveway putting down salt.
Hurt like heck. The wife laughed for an
hour, which I think was very cruel.


December 17
Still way below freezing. Roads are too
icy to go anywhere. Electricity was
off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets
on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare
at the wife and try not to irritate her.
Guess I should've bought a wood stove,
but won't admit it to her. Man I hate it
when she's right. I can't believe I'm
freezing to death in my own living room.


December 20
Electricity's back on, but had another
14 inches of the darn stuff last night.
More shoveling! Took all day. The
lousy snowplow came by twice.
Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel,
but they said they're too busy playing
hockey. I think they're lying. Called
the only hardware store around to see
about buying a snow blower and they're
out. Might have another shipment in
March. I think they're lying. Bob says
I have to shovel or the city will have it
done and bill me. I think he's lying.

December 22
Bob was right about a white Christmas
because 13 more inches of the white stuff
fell today, and it's so cold, it probably
won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes
to get all dressed up to go out to shovel
and then I had to the bathroom. By the
time I got undressed, went to the bathroom
and dressed again, I was too tired to shovel.
Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck
for the rest of the winter, but he says he's
too busy. I think the jerk is lying.


December 23
Only 2 inches of snow today. And it warmed
up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the
front of the house this morning. What is she,
nuts?!! Why didn't she tell me to do that a
month ago? She says she did but I think s
he's lying.


December 24
6 inches - Snow packed so hard by snowplow,
I broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart
attack. If I ever catch the jerk who drives that
snowplow, I'll drag him through the snow by his neck
and beat him to death with my broken shovel.
I know he hides around the corner and waits for
me to finish shoveling and then he comes down
the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow
all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted
me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our
presents, but I was too busy watching for the
stinking snowplow.

TOMORROW PAGE THREE (FINAL PAGE)

THIS IS A MUST READ FOR THE NEXT 3 DAYS!

DIARY OF A SNOW SHOVELER 1

Page One

December 8 - 6:00 PM
It started to snow. The first snow
of the season and the wife and I
took our cocktails and sat for hours
by the window watching the huge
soft flakes drift down from heaven.
It looked like a Grandma Moses
Print. So romantic we felt like
newlyweds again. I love snow!


December 9
We woke to a beautiful blanket
of crystal white snow covering
every inch of the landscape.
What a fantastic sight! Can
there be a more lovely place
in the whole world? Moving
here was the best idea I've ever
had! Shoveled for the first time
in years and felt like a boy again.
I did both our driveway and the
sidewalks. This afternoon the
snowplow came along and
covered up the sidewalks and
closed in the driveway, so I got
to shovel again. What a perfect
life!

December 12
The sun has melted all our lovely
snow. Such a disappointment!
My neighbor tells me not to worry-
we'll definitely have a white
Christmas. No snow on Christmas
would be awful! Bob says we'll have
so much snow by the end of winter,
that I'll never want to see snow again.
I don't think that's possible. Bob is
such a nice man, I'm glad he's our
neighbor.


December 14
Snow, lovely snow! 8 inches last night.
The temperature dropped to -20. The
cold makes everything sparkle so.
The wind took my breath away, but I
warmed up by shoveling the driveway
and sidewalks. This is the life! The
snowplow came back this afternoon
and buried everything again. I didn't
realize I would have to do quite this
much shoveling, but I'll certainly get
back in shape this way. I wish I
wouldn't huff and puff so.


December 15
20 inches forecast. Sold my van and
bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow
tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels.
Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a
wood stove in case the electricity goes
out. I think that's silly. We aren't in
Alaska, after all.

TOMORROW PAGE TWO

ONE UNIQUE JOB APPLICATION!

Jesus' Job Application
Ron Walters

Can you imagine if the Savior of the world
were asked to fill out a job application?
Think of it! How would the incarnate God
answer the simple questions required for
a job interview? After all, His resume is
not run-of-the-mill.

Put yourself in that employment office.
Take a look over His shoulder and follow
along as He completes His application.
It might look something like this:

NAME: Jesus Christ

APPLICANT BACKGROUND:
I am pre-existent, appearing numerous
times before my birth.I also participated
in the creation.

FAMILY BACKGROUND:
Jewish on my mother's side and Divine
on my Father's side. Mother was a virgin
at the time of
my birth.

LIST YOUR REFERENCES:
Myriads of myriads and thousands of
thousands of angels, and a few fishermen.

CLOSEST RELATIVE:
The eternal God, who has said,
"This is My beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased."

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR
GREATEST STRENGTHS?
I can forgive sin and raise the
dead. From time to time I walk on water.

WHAT IS YOUR EDUCATIONAL
BACKGROUND?
I taught doctors and elders when I was
in Junior High School.

LIST YOUR DUTIES IN PREVIOUS JOBS:
I've catered full dinners to large crowds with
low overhead. Once, during a wine shortage
at a wedding, Improvised with a water substitute.
Also, at a local funeral for a friend, I provided
the life for the party.

HOW DO YOU GET ALONG WITH OTHERS?
It varies. Sometimes they shout "Messiah"
to me, and the next day they yell, "Crucify Him."

ARE YOU ABLE TO WORK WEEKENDS?
All but one. I have a prior commitment at
Mt. Calvary, but I'll return on Sunday.

SALARY REQUIREMENTS:
None. Although I haven't a home or even
a pillow to lay my head, I do own the universe.

HOW IS IT WITH YOUR SOUL TODAY?

Scripture:

"For you are my hiding place;
you protect me from trouble.
You surround me with songs
of victory."
Psalm 32:7 NLT

If you do this, you will experience
God's peace, which is far more
wonderful than the human mind
can understand. His peace will
guard your hearts and minds as
you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7 NLT

Peace like a river

"H.G. Spafford was a businessman
in Chicago. He was a dedicated
Christian. He had some serious
financial reversals and, during the
time of readjustment, he lost his
home. He realized his family needed
to get away for a vacation. Spafford
decided to take the entire family to
England.

He sent his wife and four daughters
ahead on the SS Ville du Havre. In
midocean the French steamer carrying
his loved ones collided with another
and sank within twelve minutes; 230
people lost their lives. The four
daughters drowned, but Mrs. Spafford
was rescued. She wrote her husband,
"Saved alone."

Mr. Spafford was almost overcome
with grief. He had lost his property,
his four precious daughters were buried
beneath the deep waves of the sea,
and his wife was prostrate with grief
on the other side of the world. But he
put all his trust in God and wrote a
song that has comforted thousands
since that time:

When peace like a river attendeth
my way, When sorrows like sea
billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou
has taught me to say,"It is well, it
is well with my soul."

from 1001 Great Stories and Quotes
by R. Kent Hughes (Tyndale) p 304

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS!

U.S. House & Senate have voted
themselves $4,700 and $5,300 raises.

1. They voted to not give you
a S.S. Cost of Living raise in 2010 and 2011.
2. Your Medicare premiums will
go up $285.60 for the 2 years and
you will not get the 3% COLA.

Your total 2 year loss and cost
is $1,600 or $3,200 for husband and wife.
3. Over 2 years they each get $10,000.
4. How’s that hope and change
workin’ out for ya?
5. Will they increase your cost
of drugs - doctor fees - local taxes -
food, etc.?

Maybe it's time for the 28th Amendment…

"Congress shall make no law that
applies to the citizens of the United
States that does not apply equally
to the Senators or Representatives,
and Congress shall make no law
that applies to the Senators or
Representatives that does not apply
equally to the citizens of the
United States."

MY EPIPHANY

Scripture:

Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalms 72:1-2,7-8,10-13;
Ephesians 3:2-3,5-6; Matthew 2:1-12

"We saw His star as it rose and
have come to do Him homage"
(Matthew 2:2).

The wise men followed a star to find
a baby. They found the King of the
Universe, the King of all that was,
all that is and all that will be, the
King of every king who lived in a
palatial palace was born in a smelly,
stinky, stable.
The wise men fell to their knees and paid
Him homage. The star had lead them
into the presence of God.
As a believer, I too seek the presence
of God. What excites me, is my
epiphany when I'm in God's presence.
It's hard for me to explain but Gods
presence involves my total being. My
God and Savior touches me inwardly
as well outwardly. My Gods presence
gives me freedom from the bondage of
loneliness and aimlessness. My Gods
presence gives me purpose.
MY EPIPHANY IS THE PRESENCE OF
GOD IN MY LIFE!

REMEMBER IN 2010

"BEFORE YOU ECHO AMEN IN YOUR HOME
OR PLACE OF WORSHIP, THINK AND
REMEMBER, A CHILD IS LISTENING TOO."

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REMEMBER CHILDREN IN 2010

KIM