Share stories/to encourage.

[moonglow]

(I got this from my sister...I have read it before years ago but then couldn't find it again...so I am glad to have it now and share it with all of you).

Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes when she pulled open the florist shop door, against a November gust of wind. Her life had been as sweet as a spring breeze and then, in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a "minor" automobile accident stole her joy.

This was Thanksgiving week and the time she should have delivered their infant son. She grieved over their loss.

Troubles had multiplied.

Her husband's company "threatened" to transfer his job to a new location. Her sister had called to say that she could not come for her long awaited holiday visit. What's worse, Sandra's friend suggested that Sandra's grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. "She has no idea what I'm feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder. "Thanksgiving? Thankful for what?" she wondered. "For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life, but took her child's?"

"Good afternoon, can I help you?"

Sandra was startled by the approach of the shop clerk. "I . . . I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra.

"For Thanksgiving? I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued. "Are you looking for something that conveys 'gratitude' this Thanksgiving?"

"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong."

Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."

Then the bell on the door rang, and the clerk greeted the new customer,

"Hi, Barbara, let me get your order." She excused herself and walked back to a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and what appeared to be long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no flowers.

"Do you want these in a box?" asked the clerk. Sandra watched - was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed.

"Yes, please," Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again," she said, as she gently tapped her chest.

Sandra stammered, "Ah, that lady just left with . . . uh . . . she left with no flowers!"

"That's right," said the clerk. "I cut off the flowers. That's the 'Special'. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet. Barbara came into the shop three years ago, feeling much as you do today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had just lost her father to cancer; the family business was failing; her son had gotten into drugs; and she was facing major surgery. That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk. "For the first time in my life, I had to spend the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too much debt to allow any travel."

"So what did you do?" ask ed Sandra.

"I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for the good things in my life and I never questioned Him why those good things happened to me, but when the bad stuff hit, I cried out, 'Why? Why me?!' It took time for me to learn that the dark times are important to our faith! I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of my life, but it took the thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort! You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."

Sandra sucked in her breath, as she thought about what her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."

Just then someone else walked in the shop.

"Hey, Phil!" the clerk greeted the balding, rotund man.

"My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement . . . twelve thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.

"Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind telling me why she wants a bouquet that looks like that?"

"Four years ago, my wife and I nearly divorced," Phil replied. "After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we trudged through problem after problem, the Lord rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she had learned from "thorny" times. That was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks for what that problem taught us."

As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"

"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life" Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too fresh."

"Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that the thorns make the roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember that it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns."

Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on her resentment.

"I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out.

"I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute."

"Thank you. What do I owe you?"

"Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me."

The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first."

It read:

"My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant."

Praise Him for the roses; thank Him for the thorns.

God Bless all of you. Be thankful for all that the Lord does for you.

"Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the
rest to God."

We often try to fix problems with WD-40 and Duct tape.

God did it with nails.

Facilitator insert: This is a great story. Suggesting that posters please feel free to share a story on this thread. See my post #7 on this thread.
thanks. wiseoldowl

[turtledove]

As I read the above story..these scripture verses from Hebrews came to mind:

"During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him ..."
(Hebrews 5:7-9) (NIV) :)

Yes, as the scripture above says Jesus "learned obedience from what he suffered." His life wasn't a bed of roses..and there were surely thorns. And we know where the thorns were at the end when he was crowned with them and mocked by the soldiers, beaten, and made to die on the cross...

He suffered and died for us... out of love.

:amen:

[SnakeWesker]

What a good story! It is true, though. It's easy to praise God when things are going well. However, we must also give thanks to Him when things are going bad, because we know He will get us through it.

[Jolie76]

I so needed to hear this right now.
I've had a bad couple of days. Thinking it was a test of faith and this story really mattered to me.
Thanks!

[moonglow]

I so needed to hear this right now.
I've had a bad couple of days. Thinking it was a test of faith and this story really mattered to me.
Thanks!

I am glad it helped. Thanks wiseoldowl for the scripture and SnakeWesker for the reply...the bible tells us to thank God for everything ...that literally means everything....easier said then done when things are going badly for sure...

God bless

[Soulangel]

:)Dear Moonglow, thanks for taking the time to share this wonderful story with us all, it was really touching and truthful.:hug:

[turtledove]

Hi Moonglow and others:

Facilitator blurb: :)

Because of your fine story about the "thorns" I put on my purple hat and changed the title of the thread to "Share stories/to encourage" so that this can be a thread for us to share other stories as well as reflect on the first one. Hope that is okay. Will also edit in a comment about this in your first post.

God bless all.

wiseoldowl :)

[moonglow]

Hi Moonglow and others:

Facilitator blurb: :)

Because of your fine story about the "thorns" I put on my purple hat and changed the title of the thread to "Share stories/to encourage" so that this can be a thread for us to share other stories as well as reflect on the first one. Hope that is okay. Will also edit in a comment about this in your first post.

God bless all.

wiseoldowl :)

Oh that is a great idea....:hug: Thanks...

Well this story about the thorns makes me think of the story I heard about Corrie ten Boom who was in a Nazi concentration camp. She was trying to do daily bible studies and prayers with those in the same bunk house as her but the guards were always lurking about making it difficult to do this so she prayed and asked God to help her with this. So He sent fleas! :lol: The fleas were so bad it kept the guards away from her bunker so she was able to freely do bible studies and prayers without worrying about being caught and killed for this.

So sometimes when it appears the Lord allowed something bad to come into our lives, it could really be something good...

God bless

[turtledove]

It was 1983 and my first Sunday in charge of the Sunday school program and as a paid staff member. I had held a teacher's workshop the previous week. Our theme for the month was from the story of Noah and the Ark in Genesis.

But that same week they were rebuilding the entryway to the church (upstairs) and above my office (which was in the church basement) and tearing apart the floor boards. The morning we were set to start it began to rain heavily. By the time I arrived my office ceiling was leaking like big amounts of water. And by the time church began there were several leaks in the classroom part of the downstairs and all over the floors. :B The electricity went off. We canceled the Sunday school that day and church services were held without lights (except for daylight through the windows) and there was no organ music.

The next week the workman apologized for not covering the floor better and everything got cleaned up and put in place. We had to move my office to a bigger room (actually converted one of the classrooms) because my old office was damp and in much need of repair. It turned out to be a real blessing as I could also set up a training center for teachers and adult bible study classes in the new office. :)

And the children's program got launched the next week without hitches and it turned out to be really a good year that year. We sure did a lot of praying as I remember. I thought it more than a coincidence that the biblical theme at that starting month was based on the Old Testament story of Noah and the Ark (the great flood, right?) but God came through with His rainbow and we never had a flood again. Of course, we did have other challenges. :spin:

Getting past the dismay, frustration, and discouragement of that first week was a real growing experience for me. I did learn a lot from it and that, no matter how things seem, God will come through and God is in charge.

Hope this little tale is encouraging! :)

[moonglow]

(I checked this out on snopes figuring it was a made up story, but its true! http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/bell.asp)

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.00 each.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
************************************
This was done as marketing survey of all things...how people responded to things depending on their setting. Apparently trying to make a living playing music in a subway is not a good place...:lol:

But him on a stag in a concert hall is!

So this makes me wonder...do we only look for God in certain places like a church? Do we miss His messages to us because they come in places we don't expect them to be? Do we look for Him only when we are upset, miserable or suffering? Do we not see Him in our own homes?

God bless

[moonglow]

It was 1983 and my first Sunday in charge of the Sunday school program and as a paid staff member. I had held a teacher's workshop the previous week. Our theme for the month was from the story of Noah and the Ark in Genesis.

But that same week they were rebuilding the entryway to the church (upstairs) and above my office (which was in the church basement) and tearing apart the floor boards. The morning we were set to start it began to rain heavily. By the time I arrived my office ceiling was leaking like big amounts of water. And by the time church began there were several leaks in the classroom part of the downstairs and all over the floors. :B The electricity went off. We canceled the Sunday school that day and church services were held without lights (except for daylight through the windows) and there was no organ music.

The next week the workman apologized for not covering the floor better and everything got cleaned up and put in place. We had to move my office to a bigger room (actually converted one of the classrooms) because my old office was damp and in much need of repair. It turned out to be a real blessing as I could also set up a training center for teachers and adult bible study classes in the new office. :)

And the children's program got launched the next week without hitches and it turned out to be really a good year that year. We sure did a lot of praying as I remember. I thought it more than a coincidence that the biblical theme at that starting month was based on the Old Testament story of Noah and the Ark (the great flood, right?) but God came through with His rainbow and we never had a flood again. Of course, we did have other challenges. :spin:

Getting past the dismay, frustration, and discouragement of that first week was a real growing experience for me. I did learn a lot from it and that, no matter how things seem, God will come through and God is in charge.

Hope this little tale is encouraging! :)

That is a cute story...with Noah's ark then it flooded your church! lol. Probably a good thing you didn't pick another story from the bible! :lol:

But I bet for the children it sure helped them understand what a flood was...lol

God bless

[moonglow]

This morning I was reading Matthew 26 ...the Last Supper...and saw this verse I never noticed before though I have read that passage many times before:

30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

I was thinking...Jesus sang? He really sang a song? wow! Of course I wondered what His voice would sound like...then I decided to do a search on the net to see what I could find...apparently they even know what hymn was sung too!

What did He sing?

All writers agree that it was Psalm 118.

For two thousand years the Jews have concluded the Passover by singing this Psalm. If you glance over it you will see how appropriate it is, and it came in course at the Passover. What shall we sing? The Lord will tell you as occasion calls for.

Apparently I am not the only one that never noticed that before too...lol.

Enjoy this very interesting article about when Jesus sang:http://pjmiller.wordpress.com/2007/09/16/when-jesus-sang/

God bless

[Dravenhawk]

My walk with the LORD has not been an easy one. Satan wants us to stumble so he can draw us away from Christ. It was the middle of October 2008 I had gotten baptized. The Sunday after I rededicated my life to Christ I went to church as usual and after services I was walking back to my truck and stumbled over the uneven pavement and landed flat on my face. My brand new pants were torn and my knee was bleeding. Others were heading out of services but I dont think they noticed what had happened as I was way ahead of the others exiting the church.

"See nobody even noticed you fell let alone helped you up" Satan hissed in my ear. "What a load of garbage this church junk is. Your brand new pants are ruined and your knee is bleeding and nobody cared to ask if you were allright." continued the hissing.

"I had picked myself up and dusted myself off before anyone was in line of sight.", I countered

"These people are like all the rest you know and, you know better than to trust anyone. Besides how can you trust in a God who has done nothing but hand down nothing but a life filled with grief" Satan continued to whisper. "You know what you need is to get high and forget about all this"

"Yeah you're right", I said

Around October I start getting the painful associations with the hollidays
The hollidays are a particular painful time for me Every job I have ever been laid off from happens between Thanksgiving and Christmas, My divorce was finalized just two weeks before Christmas. I was dumped in the group home a week before Thanksgiving and raped at 15 just after Christmas in the group home. Most of my childhood memories are of beatings and shamings that occured at Thanksgiving and Christmas. and it is at this time I want escape the most.

It was not hard to find weed Satan made sure someone was there to just give it to me. As I indulged in a debatucherous mixture of porn and marajuana the LORD spoke to me and showed me the truth of what I was doing and I felt a deep shame. I had let Him down and he softle experssed His disappointment in me. He told me He loved me so much that He sent His only Son Jesus to purchase my salvation and I was knowingly throwing this away! Although I had heard what the Holy Spirit was telling me I would have nothing to do with it and smoked more weed to maintain a deaf ear.

I looked for sex as my ex-wife was stingy here Satan had convinced me I needed to make up for lost ground. I met a woman online and we went out to dinner. Through our conversation I discovered she was seperated which means MARRIED which equals adultry. Once again the Holy Spirit reminded me how adultry displeased God and what it felt like to be on the recieving end of this sin. After Christmas I broke off the relationship with this woman.

I repented in my heart and asked God to forgive me just after New Years. The spirit of the LORD entered me and revealed to me that there is a war that is waged each and every day and just how involveed I was in a battle of God vs Satan. I was shown how Satan causes Christians to stumble and how he twists the facts to draw me away from Christ. It was in that moment of revelation I was shown just how much I matter to God. It was no longer empty words Pastor Bernie says on Sunday, it was real, the flesh and blood of a living God who cares so much about me he sent his only son to stand in my behalf on the day of Judgement.

Dravenhawk

[moonglow]

Dravenhawk that was an awesome testimony...very touching too. First I wanted to say I am so very sorry you were hurt in so many different ways by people in your life...I know you know what a sin filled world we live in.

You gave a wonderful example of the spiritual war we are all in.

I am also so very happy for you that the Lord reached out to you in this way and is showing you what true love is...and that its possible and very healing...you deserve to be healed from this wounds.

Thank you for posting this.

God bless

[Dravenhawk]

Just as scripture says "satan is like a roaring lion seeking whomever he can devour" If you ever had a chance to observe a lion hunting in nature films or even the common house cat hunting one can gain insight into how the enemy persues us
The story of Adam and Eve in the garden shows how the enemy uses our pride, and weaknesses. Even back then Satan uses legal arguments that appeal to our innate covetous desire to posess that which we do not have.

Gen 2:17 but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil for when you eat of it you will surely die.

In Gen 3:1 - 3:6 we see the argument satan gives when speaking with Eve: Gen 3:1 Did God really say you must not eat form any tree in the garden? Notice that his first strike attack is upon the mind as he twists logic. Gen 3:2 The woman said to the serpent "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden 3:4 but God did say you must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.

Eves rebuttal to Satan is a diluted version of what God actually commanded. Satan sees the point of weakness in Eve's doubt. Satan heard what God had comanded of Adam and Eve. He had to have heard the scoop because his opening question stated so. Satan continues to exploit Eve's doubt in Gen 3:4 -3:5 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God knowing good and evil" AND appeals to her curiosity and covetious nature as well as pride by telling Eve that she would gain an advantage to be on equal with God. Satan stirs up an emotional brew of jealosy, pride, covetiousnes all the while dangling the prize of "knowlege" in front of her.

Once sold on the idea through the mind now the fruit appears "good" as is told in Gen 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desireable for gaining wisdom she took some and ate it....In the scripture that follows Eve did not drop dead after taking a bite AND her eyes were opened and so Satans words also seemed to have an element of truth.

Satans game is old school and still works as well today as it did thousands of years ago.

1.) Satan attacks through the mind appealing to our logic
2.) Satan exploits doubt
3.) Satan drives it home through emotions of curiosity, pride, envy, and a desire to covet.
4.) Satan always has a tempting prize that is dangled in front of us.

This scam works so well it is the benchmark of confidence scams that use this recipie to lure in victims and advetisers who use it to hawk everything from hamburgers to skyscrapers. The next time you see a commercial on TV or hear about the latest ponzi scam, look for Satans signature.

Dravenhawk