HEAVENLY MANNA

  The following article was in the news a few years ago:      HANOI, Vietnam - After nearly two decades of ridicule, a father has agreed to change his son's name from "Fined Six Thousand and Five Hundred" -- the amount he was forced to pay in local currency for ignoring Vietnam's two-child policy.      Angry he was being fined for having a fifth child, Mai Xuan Can named his son Mai Phat Sau Nghin Ruoi after the amount he was forced to pay -- 6,500 dong (50 cents).  In 1999, local government officials tried to persuade Can to change the name because the boy was constantly being teased by classmates at school. But Can, a former People's Committee official, refused to back down, Thuong said. They appealed to him again recently, and this time it worked.      "I told him that as his son is growing up, he should have another name -- not that weird name -- and he finally agreed," Thuong said.      The son, now 19, finally got a n

    The following article was in the news a few years ago:      HANOI, Vietnam - After nearly two decades of ridicule, a father has agreed to change his son's name from "Fined Six Thousand and Five Hundred" -- the amount he was forced to pay in local currency for ignoring Vietnam's two-child policy.      Angry he was being fined for having a fifth child, Mai Xuan Can named his son Mai Phat Sau Nghin Ruoi after the amount he was forced to pay -- 6,500 dong (50 cents).  In 1999, local government officials tried to persuade Can to change the name because the boy was constantly being teased by classmates at school. But Can, a former People's Committee official, refused to back down, Thuong said. They appealed to him again recently, and this time it worked.      "I told him that as his son is growing up, he should have another name -- not that weird name -- and he finally agreed," Thuong said.      The son, now 19, finally got a

How did God make mothers? 1.  He used dirt, just like for the rest of us. 2.  Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring 3.  God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts. What ingredients are mothers made of? 1.  God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean. 2.  They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think. What kind of little girl was your mom? 1.  My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff. 2.  I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy. What would it take to make your mom perfect? 1.  On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery. 2.  Diet. You know her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue. If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be? 1.  She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that. 2.  I'

      A man was going up to bed, when his wife told him he'd left the light on in the garden shed - she could see it from the bedroom window.  But he said that he hadn't been in the shed that day.  He looked, and there were men in the shed, stealing things.  He rang the police, but they told him that no one was in his area, so no one was available to catch the thieves.      He said OK, hung up, counted to 30 and rang the police again. "Hello. I just rang you a few seconds ago because there were people in my shed?  Well, you don't have to worry about them now, I've just shot them all."      Within five minutes there were half a dozen police cars in the area, an Armed Response unit, the works.  Of course, they caught the burglars red-handed. One of the policeman said to this man: "I thought you said you'd shot them!"      He replied, "I thought you said there was no one available!"      The same thing happens frequent

The census taker knocked on the lady's door.  She answered all his questions except one.  She refused to tell him her age.      "But everyone tells their age to the census taker," he said.      "Did Miss Maisy Hill, and Miss Daisy Hill tell you their ages?" she asked.      "Certainly," he replied.      "Well, I'm the same age as they are," she snapped.      The census taker simply wrote on the form, "As old as the Hills."      You may have heard that our nation's oldest person, a 113-year-old woman, died recently just weeks before her 114th birthday.  The world's oldest person in the world, according to the Gerontology Research Group, is a Japanese man, who will turn 116 next week. The oldest person ever on record was a Frenchwoman who was 122 when she died in 1997.  All of these could easily be described with the phrase, "As old as the hills."      But they are all babies when compared with

The following story came to me by way of "Chicken Soul For the Soul".  Its source is listed as "Gentle Spaces News".      A wise old gentleman retired and purchased a modest home near a junior high school. He spent the first few weeks of his retirement in peace and contentment . . . then a new school year began. The very next afternoon three young boys, full of youthful, after-school enthusiasm, came down his street, beating merrily on every trash can they encountered. The crashing percussion continued day after day, until finally the wise old man decided it was time to take some action.      The next afternoon, he walked out to meet the young percussionists as they banged their way down the street. Stopping them, he said, "You kids are a lot of fun. I like to see you express your exuberance like that. Used to do the same thing when I was your age. Will you do me a favor? I'll give you each a dollar if you'll promise to come around every

                 Following God is easier when we are led by His Spirit rather than by our   emotions.   It is God's greatest desire that, as believers, you and I progressively   learn how to be led by His Spirit. However, there is a powerful enemy that   stands in the way: our emotions. Satan is the most powerful enemy we face   externally, but internally, it's our emotions that give us some of the   biggest problems.   Emotions are strong, complex internal responses that result in bodily   changes. They are sometimes helpful and at other times hurtful. They come   in positives and negatives. They are not evil, but they also are not holy.   Emotions can make you laugh one hour and cry the next. Not wanting them   doesn't stop them from coming, and wanting them doesn't make them come.   They are apt to quit on us when we need them most and flare up when we   wish they would go away.   The truth is, we are always going to have emotions, and it's no

  The Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured,   regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and   central component of the heart.   This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named   Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all   subsequent units.   This defect has been identified as "Subsequential Internal Non-morality,"   more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed.   Some of the symptoms include:         1. Loss of direction         2. Foul vocal emissions         3. Amnesia of origin         4. Lack of peace and joy         5. Selfish or violent behavior         6. Depression or confusion         7. Fearfulness         8. Idolatry         9. Rebellion   The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is   providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct   this defect.   The Repair Techn

if you want to be happy do the following: ·          Bury your negative past and refuse dress the grave.This is because the past can no longer be corrected. ·          Make the most of the present.this is one way to shut the devil out of your territory.any idle time you have, satan takes advantage of it to remind you of issues you can do nothing about. ·          Constantly see a brighter future ahead. ·          Finally, keep celebrating the future that you see.The proof that you can see tomorrow in your present is that you are celebrating it.therefore rejoice and be glad. it is well

A few months ago when I was picking up the children at school, another mother I knew well rushed up to me.  Emily was fuming with indignation. "Do you know what you and I are?" she demanded. Before I could answer, and I didn't really have one handy, she blurted out the reason for her question. It seemed she had just returned from renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office.  Asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation, Emily had hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself. "What I mean is," explained the recorder, "Do you have a job, or are you just a .....?" "Of course I have a job," snapped Emily. "I'm a mother." "We don't list 'mother' as an occupation... 'housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically. I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall. The Clerk was obvious

        When things go wrong as they sometimes will,          when the road you're trudging seems all uphill.          When the funds are low, and the debts are high,          and you want to smile, but you have to sigh,          When care is pressing you down a bit,          Rest if you must, but don't you quit.          Life is odd with its twists and turns,          as everyone of us sometime learns and many          a failure turns about,          when he might have won had he stuck it out,          so don't give up though the pace seems slow,          you may succeed with another blow.          Success is failure turned inside out,          the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,          and you never can tell how close you are,          it may be near when it seems so far.          So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit.          It's when things seem worst that you must not quit!

  The story is told of ten-year-old Johnny, who rushes home from school one day. He invades the fridge and is scooping out some cherry vanilla ice cream when his mother enters the kitchen.      She says, "Put that away, Johnny. You can't have ice cream now.  It's too close to supper time.  Go outside and play."      Johnny whimpers and says, "There's no one to play with."      Trying to pacify him, she says, "OK.  I'll play with you.  What do you want to play?"      He says, "I wanna play Mommy and Daddy."      To appease him, she says, "Fine,  I'll play.  What do I do?"      Johnny says, "You go in the living room and sit down."      Mom goes into the living room.  Johnny, feeling a bit bold, swaggers down the hall and opens the utility closet.  He dons his father's old fishing hat and overcoat.  He goes into the living room, sits down, picks up the remote and starts changing channel

  We can all thank God for His mercies. Let’s thank Him that we aren’t in   hell right now and that He did not “give us up” to our sinfulness and our   stubbornness (Rom. 1–2).   Let’s thank Him that we are still alive and for the thousands of other   mercies that God has granted to us along the way. The Bible says, “The   Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never   fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22–   23).   Because of His mercies, you should gratefully and gladly present your   entire body to the Lord. Present your eyes and what you look at to Him: “I   will set no worthless thing before my eyes” (Ps. 101:3). Don’t look at   “worthless things” on TV, in movies, in books and magazines, or in   pornography. Present your ears and what you hear through music, radio and   video. Present your mouth and your words: “Let no unwholesome word   proceed from your mouth” (Eph 4:29). Present your mind and what you

  "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for   you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." - James   1:2-3   Do you remember when we used to have those yellow triangle yield signs at   intersections? Have you seen one lately? Unlikely. The traffic police had   to make them all into four-way stops. Why? Because we stink at yielding.   Each person drives up to the corner and thinks, "Clearly it's my right to   go and clearly he needs to yield." So we have an epidemic of traffic   crashes because no one wants to yield.   More important than a crazy traffic sign, how good are you at yielding to   God? Do you think, "Clearly, my way is better. If I go that way, that will   take my life in a direction that isn't in my plan so I'm going to run the   sign." Ever stop to think, "What if that way signals God’s plan of taking   my life in a different direction?"   Hebrews 12:9

  As you probably heard, between 40 and 50 inches of snow fell in the   Washington, D.C., area in early February. The record snowfall brought the   entire mid-Atlantic region to a halt —  paralyzing the government, this   time for snow.   A Washington Post online headline captured it: “Senate climate change   hearings canceled because of storm.”   The people most inconvenienced by the blizzards weren’t the residents of   this region, or the senators — it was the proponents of man-made global   warming. Scientists and activists insisted that people on this side of the   Atlantic ignore the evidence in their driveways and, instead, trust their   computer models.   Not only did they tell us that this winter’s weather didn’t disprove their   global warming data, they told us that the record snows were caused by   global warming. Really!   Of course, 10 years ago, they told us that, on account of the same global   warming, “snow is starting to disappear from our lives.” W

  Jesus is the beginning and the ending. He is the Almighty. When He told us   that in the Book of Revelation, He wasn't just giving us a general piece   of information about Himself. He was giving us a powerful truth we can   apply now, today!   Let me show you how. He said He is the beginning. So no matter what   challenge or situation you may be facing right now, you need to start with   Him. John 1:1 says Jesus is the Word. That means, if you're going to start   with Jesus, you're going to start with the Word. Don't do anything until   you find out what the Word has to say about it.   Then, stay on the Word. As Colossians 1:23 says, "Continue in the faith   grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel,   which ye have heard."   Continue in the faith. The only way the devil can defeat you is to   pressure you into throwing away the Word. Everything he does, every   challenge he brings you is intended to make you

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NIV) " If you're serious about change, find another believer you trust and say, ‘I have this problem. I've confessed it to God. I've asked forgiveness, and now I want to ask you to help me.’ " Don't make the mistake of thinking you have to clean up all your messes before you ask God for help. That's like curing yourself of a disease before you drive down and see the doctor. Go to God first and get his help in all your battles. Remember, Jesus provides the power to change your life! But he will also use these two things to help you change -- Avoid temptation -- It is just pure common sense: Don't put yourself in situations where you'll face temptation. If you struggle with alcohol, don't go into a bar. If you're struggling to lose weight, don't load the refrigerator with ice cream. Do wha

                     I heard about a customer who sent an order to a book club for the book they were offering that month.  The distributor noticed that the bill for a previous book hadn't been paid, so the collections manager sent a form letter saying, "We can't ship your new order until you pay for the last one."      The collections manager received a note a few days later, "Please cancel the order. I can't wait that long."      We live in a society where people expect to receive things without paying for them -- at least for a long, long time.  That's why credit cards are so popular.  You don't have to have any money.  Just hand them that little piece of plastic.  The bill will come later?  You can worry about it then.  A popular form of advertising says, "Buy now -- no payments for six months!" or "No payments until January 2014!"  Companies know that we are more likely to buy something if the payment can

   I saw one of those bumper frames for your license plate. It said,   "Happiness is being a grandparent." Oh, that's the truth! I mean, I   remember when I was a little kid. Happiness was having a grandparent with   you, especially my grandmother. Because it always meant surprises; it   meant going out to eat, and it almost always meant money! That's what   grandparents are for, of course, to spoil kids. Any time I knew that I   would be seeing Grandma I was excited to see what surprises she would   bring. If we're that way about grandma, we should really be looking   forward to what Father has for us today; that's Father with a capital F.   I'm Oluwafemi Olawale and I want to have A Word With You today about "An Air   of Expectancy."   As you know, life is divided into 24-hour chunks. We have this sort of   death and resurrection thing that takes place every day. You know, we sort   of die about 10:00, 11:00, or 12:00 o'clock

     A hunter was walking through the jungle when he found a huge dead elephant with a pygmy standing beside it.      Amazed, he asked, "Did you kill that?"      The pygmy said, "Yes."      The hunter asked, "How could a little bloke like you kill a huge beast like that?"      "I killed it with my club."      The astonished hunter asked, "How big is your club?"      The pygmy replied, "There's about 60 of us."      There is great value in having a "club" of people who will fight with you, work with you, and be there for you when you need assistance.  Solomon put it this way:      "If it is cold, two can sleep together and stay warm, but how can you keep warm by yourself?  Two people can resist an attack that would defeat one person alone. A rope made of three cords is hard to break." (Ecclesiastes 4:11-12)      God obviously knew that we need that support as we seek to follow Him