by Ann Wells (Los Angeles Times)

My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister’s bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package. “This,” he said, “is not a slip. This is lingerie.”

He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite; silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical figure on it was still attached.

“Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special…

Bob was caught up in the spirit where he and the Lord stood by to observe baseball game. The Lord’s team was playing Satan’s team. The Lord’s team was at bat, the score was tied zero to zero, and it was the bottom of the 9th inning with two outs. They continued to watch as a batter stepped up to the plate whose name was Love. Love swung at the first pitch and hit a single, because Love never fails. The next batter was named Faith, who also got a single because Faith works with Love…

This 85 year old couple, having been married almost 60 years, had died in A car crash. They had been in good health the last ten years mainly due to her interest in health food, and exercise. When they reached the pearly gates, St. Peter took them to their mansion which was decked out with a beautiful kitchen and master bath suite and Jacuzzi. As they “oohed and aahed” the old man asked Peter how much all this was going to cost.

“It’s free,” Peter replied, “this is Heaven.”

Next they went out back to survey…

From Spurgeon
Rowland Hill illustrated the folly of sinners by the story of a butcher who was followed by the swine right into the slaughterhouse. As pigs do not usually go where they are wanted, it seemed a mystery how these animals were so eager to follow their executioner; but when it was seen that he wisely carried a bag of peas and beans with which he enticed the creatures onward, the riddle was solved at once. Unsuspicious of impending death the hogs cared only for the passing gratification of their appetites, and hurried to the slaughter. And…

In that place between wakefulness and dreams I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features except for the one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endlessly in either direction, had very different headings.

As I drew near the wall of files the first to catch my attention was the one that read “People I Have Liked”. I opened it and began flipping through the cards…

I think that I shall never see
A church that’s all it ought to be,
A church whose members never stray
Beyond the straight and narrow way.
A church that has no empty pews;
Whose pastor never has the blues;
A church whose deacons always “deak”
And none is proud and all are meek.
Where gossips never peddle lies
Or make complaints or criticize;
Where all are always sweet and kind
And all to other’s faults are blind.
Such perfect churches there may be…

On an old gravestone was inscribed–

“Pause, stranger, when you pass me by,
As you are now, so once was I.
As I am now, so will you be;
So prepare for death and follow me.”

A tourist wrote this at the bottom of the inscription–

“To follow you I am not content
Until I know which way you went.”

By Cindy Lu
A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might.

This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all…

Jesus and Satan have an argument as to who is the better programmer. This goes on for a few hours until they come to an agreement to hold a contest, with God as the judge. They set themselves before their computers and begin. They type furiously, lines of code streaming up the screen, for several hours straight.

Seconds before the end of the competition, a bolt of lightning strikes, taking out the electricity. Moments later, the power is restored, and God announces that the contest is over. He asks Satan to show what he has come up…

A minister passing through his church in the middle of the day, Decided to pause by the altar and see who had come to pray. Just then the back door opened, and a man came down the aisle. The minister frowned as he saw the man hadn’t shaved in a while, his shirt was kinda shabby and his coat was worn and frayed.

The man knelt, he bowed his head, then rose and walked away. In the days that followed, each day at noon came this chap. Each time he knelt just for a moment, a…

Dear Friend,

I just had to write to tell you how much I love you and care for you. Yesterday, I saw you walking and laughing with your friends; I hoped that soon you’d want Me to walk along with you, too. So, I painted you a sunset to close your day and whispered a cool breeze to refresh you. I waited you never called I just kept on loving you. As I watched you fall asleep last night, I wanted so much to touch you. I spilled moonlight onto your face- trickling down your cheeks…

Adapted from Spurgeon

O wicked men! wicked men! one word to you, all of you who know not God- I will give you a subject for your meditation tonight. It shall be a parable–

A certain tyrant sent for one of his subjects, and said to him, “What is your employment?”

He said, “I am a blacksmith.”

“Go home,” said the tyrant, “and make me a chain of such a length.”

He went home; it occupied him several months, and he had no wages all the while he was…

From Spurgeon

Look again at that noble youth, Mutius Scoevola. He goes into the tent of King Pyrrhus with the intention to put him to death because he is the enemy of his country; but he slays the wrong man.

Pyrrhus orders him to be taken captive. As he stands before Pyrrhus, a pan of hot coals is blazing in the tent- Scoevola puts out his right hand and holds it as his hand crackles in the flame. The young man flinches not, though his fingers drop away.

“There are 400 youths,” says he, “…;

By Michael Hamblin

The young pastor and his party were crossing the Rocky Mountains in a rush. They wanted to reach a fishing village in Oregon before the snow fall closed all the passes in the mountains. The Lord blessed their trip as they went on their journey.

However, an unseasonably early blizzard blew in from the Northwest. Traveling was harsh, and each day was a struggle. They were running behind their schedule. Food and water were being rationed, and they were already out of coffee. Only one week’s food remained.

They…

The sound of Martha’s voice on the other end of the telephone Always brought a smile to Brother Jim’s face. She was not only one of the Oldest members of the congregation, but one of the most faithful. Aunt Martie, as all of the children called her, just seemed to ooze faith, hope, and love wherever she went. This time, however, there seemed to be an unusual tone to the words. “Preacher, could you stop by this afternoon? I need to talk with you.”

“Of course, I’ll be there around three. Is that ok?”…

By Steve Milner

If in your life, the voice of God,
Is sometimes hard to hear.
With all the other voices calling,
His doesn’t touch your ear.
Then set aside your laptop and modem,
And all your fancy gear.
And open your Bible, open your heart,
And let your Father draw near.

I bind myself to the strong virtue of love and the obedience of angels and the prediction of prophets and the preaching of the apostles and the faith of confessors. I bind myself to the power of heaven, the light of the sun, the brightness of the moon, the splendor of fire, the flashing of lightning, the swiftness of wind, the depth of the sea, the civility of earth, and the compactness of rocks. I bind myself today to God’s power to guide me God’s might to uphold me God’s power to teach me God’s…

Jean Thompson stood in front of her fifth-grade class on the very first day of school in the fall and told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she looked at her pupils and said that she loved them all the same, that she would treat them all alike. And that was impossible because there in front of her, slumped in his seat on the third row, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed he didn’t play well with the other children, that his clothes were unkempt and…

From Spurgeon

About us are a thousand ‘entangling’ things.

This world is very much like the pools we have heard of in India, in which grows a long grass of so clinging a character that, if a man once falls into the water, it is almost certain to be his death, for only with the utmost difficulty could he be rescued from the meshes of the deadly, weedy net, which immediately wraps itself around him.

This world is even thus entangling.

All the efforts of grace are needed to preserve men…

Author Unknown

I’ll never forget Easter 1946. I was 14, my little sister Ocy 12, and my older sister Darlene 16. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us knew what it was to do without many things. My dad had died five years before, leaving Mom with seven school kids to raise and no money.

By 1946 my older sisters were married and my brothers had left home. A month before Easter the pastor of our church announced that a special Easter offering would be taken to help a poor family. He asked everyone…

Author Unknown

There once was this turntable bridge which spanned a large river. During most of the day, the bridge sat parallel with the river, allowing ships to pass freely on both sides. But at certain times each day a train would come along and the bridge would be turned across the river allowing the trains to cross.

A switchman sat in a small shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place as the train crossed.

One evening, as the…

Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address.

She read the letter:

Dear Ruth,

I’m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I’d like to stop by for a visit.

Love Always,

Jesus

Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. “Why would the Lord want…

By Susan Sauer

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…