JUST BUY THE MILK Pt. 2

"Prayer is not monologue, but dialogue; God's voice is its most essential part. Listening to God's voice is the secret of the assurance that He will listen to mine." - Andrew Murray

Continued from yesterday...

He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He was in a semi-commercial area of town. The businesses were closed and people were already in bed. Again, he sensed something, "Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street." The young man looked at the house. It was dark and he was sure the occupants were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat. "Lord, this is insane. The people are asleep if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid." Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk. Finally, he opened the door and said, "Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something but, if they don't answer right away, I am out of here."

He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do you want?" Then the door opened before the young man could get away. The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep.

The man asked, "What is it?"

JUST BUY THE MILK

“Prayer is not a cheque request asking for things from God. It is a deposit slip – a way of depositing God’s character into our bankrupt souls.” - Dutch Sheets

 

How many times do we read books, hear stories and wonder to ourselves; is it really true? You ask why doesn't it happen to me? You wonder, "does God really (still) speak to people?". You wonder sometimes, if it were true, how comfortable and interesting life would generally be, knowing before hand what to, or what not to do. The truth is God still speaks; matter of fact He speaks EVERY TIME!

A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible Study. The Pastor had spoken about "listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice." The young man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still speak to people?" After service he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message. Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways. It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray,"God, if you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey." As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, "God is that you?" He didn't get a reply, so he started on toward home. But again, the thought came to him... buy a gallon of milk. The young man thought about Samuel, and how he didn't recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli. "Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk." It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. So, he stopped and purchased the gallon

WATCH YOUR COMPANY!

“You will always reproduce after the anointing of your group” - Bidemi Akanle

The principal of association is a very powerful principal, studies have shown that you have a 90% chance of becoming or behaving in the same ways as the most predominant character or modus operandi of the group you most associate with, either positively or negatively. In simple terms if you hang out with fools you are soon going to become foolish or start behaving foolishly.

Neil Marten, a member of the British Parliament, was once giving a group of his constituents a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament. As he spoke to the group, highlighting the significance of the rich cultural heritage of the Parliament building, a member of the group fascinated by a grand old picture on one of the walls strayed away from the group, as the group walked on, they happened to meet Lord Hailsham, then lord chancellor, wearing all the regalia of his office. Hailsham recognized Neil Marten among the group and cried, "Neil!" Not daring to question or disobey the "command," the entire band of visitors promptly fell to their knees! The young man who had strayed away returned and was amazed to find his entire company kneeling down, troubled the young man walked up to the chancellor and inquired “sir should I join the group in kneeling?”, the chancellor replied “Son I have no idea why they are kneeling, I asked for Neil and they all knelt”.

DO YOU BELIEVE WHAT YOU SAY?

"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe." - Saint Augustine

Blondin on September 14, 1860, became the first person to cross a tightrope stretched 11,000 feet across the mighty Niagara Falls. People from both Canada and America came from miles away to see this great feat. He walked across, 160 feet above the falls, several times. Each time with a different daring feat - once in a sack, on stilts, on a bicycle, in the dark, and blindfolded. One time he even carried a stove and cooked an omelet in the middle of the rope! A large crowd gathered and the buzz of excitement ran along both sides of the river bank. The crowd “Oohed and Aahed!” as Blondin carefully walked across - one dangerous step after another - pushing a wheelbarrow holding a sack of potatoes. Then a one point, he asked for the participation of a volunteer. Upon reaching the other side, the crowd's applause was louder than the roar of the falls! Blondin suddenly stopped and addressed his audience: "Do you believe I can carry a person across in this wheelbarrow?" The crowd enthusiastically yelled, "Yes! You are the greatest tightrope walker in the world. We believe!" "Okay," said Blondin, "Who wants to get into the wheelbarrow." As far as the Blondin story goes, no one did at the time!

DON'T BE CAJOLED

"Initiative is doing the right thing without being told." - Victor Hugo

It's a common thing in this 21st Century, to be "so busy", that we neglect to do certain important things. Sometimes, we wait till we lose these "important things" to realize, we shouldn't have neglected them in the first place. These "important things", could be friendships, family, or even parents. "No man", they say, "is an island".

An elderly man in Oklahoma calls his son in New York and says, "I hate to ruin your day son, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are getting a divorce; 45 years of marriage...and that much misery is enough!" "Dad, what are you talking about?" the son yells. "We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the old dad explained. "We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Hong Kong and tell her!". Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. "Like heck they're getting divorced," she shouts, "I'll take care of this." She calls her elderly father immediately, and screams at him, "You are not getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, you hear me?" she yelled as she hung up the phone. The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Okay", he says, "it's all set. They're both coming for Christmas and paying their own air-fare."

ROLL THE STONE

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

What's is Faith? It's having complete trust or confidence in someone or something. Or having a strong belief in something or someone, based on spiritual conviction rather than proof.

There was once a small village, which had suffered from a severe drought for a long time. Their crops were dead, the villagers and their animals were dying and they had very little water to drink. Having tried all else and nothing seemed a solution to the drought, the village head called the villagers to gather at the village square to pray to God together for rain. Scornfully, but respectfully the villagers agreed to the request; many murmuring about how that was the solution to the problem. The villagers gathered at the square as agreed on the said day. They all prayed aloud as required. Sure enough, within a few moments it began to rain. The whole was overjoyed and danced happily in the rain. The chief noticed that among the joyous crowd was a little boy, clutching an umbrella as a token of faith. The chief admired this little boy, who had brought an umbrella in total faith that the Lord would surely hear his prayers and send rain. Out of curiosity, the chief approached the boy, "why did you come with an umbrella", he asked. "My mummy just

CLOSER THAN YOU THINK

Have you ever felt all alone in the world, with your pain seeming like they weren't budging, yet you felt you were all alone? At times like this, we somehow manage to live life.

Mark’s heart broke to hear these words, but he knew what had to be done. He promised Susan that each morning and evening he would ride the bus with her, for as long as it took, until she got used to it. For weeks, Mark, military uniform and all, accompanied Susan to and from work each day. He taught her how to rely on her hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt to her new environment. He helped her befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for her, and save her a seat each time. Susan finally decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own. Monday morning before she left, she threw her arms around Mark, her temporary bus-riding companion, her husband, and her best friend. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his patience, and his love. She said good-bye, and they went their separate ways. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday…Each day on her own wasn't bad, and she'd never felt better. She was going to work all by herself. On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was paying the fare to exit the bus, the driver said, “Boy, I sure do envy you.” She wasn’t sure if he was speaking to her or not. "Who would envy a blind woman, struggling to live", she thought. Curious, she asked the driver, “Why do you envy me?” “It must feel good to be taken care of and protected like you are.” He said. Having no idea what the driver was talking about, she asked, “What do you mean?” “You know, every morning for the past week, a fine-looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the corner watching you as you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the street safely and he watches until you enter your office building. Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You are one lucky lady.” Tears of happiness poured down Susan’s cheeks.

WHAT IS STRESS?

"God will never give you anything you can't handle, so don't stress." - Kelly Clarkson

You've probably heard people say, "Wow, I'm really stressed out" or "This is making me totally stressed." Maybe you hear adults say those kinds of things all the time. The truth is everyone (even kids) have lots of things going on in their lives that can cause stress.

Have you ever felt sick to your stomach during a test? Have you had days when you were so loaded down with "stuff to do" that you had trouble sleeping? Have you ever been so worried about something that you ended up with a terrible headache? If so, then you know what it's like to feel stress.

But What Is Stress?

IS KNOWLEDGE TRULY POWER?

“knowledge of what is, does not directly open the door directly to what should be.” - Albert Einstein

I am certain that you have heard the saying that ''knowledge is power'' over and over again, the only thing I doubt is if you have ever taken some time to examine the viability of this statement, for those of you who have then this is a reminder, for the rest of us who have not this is certainly food for meditation. isn't it interesting that we live in an age called the knowledge transfer age, in fact there has been no time in history that knowledge has been more prevalent, one survey states that at the speed which information moves if you read 24 hours a day, from age 21 to 70, and retained all you read, you would still be several years behind when you finished.

Burghardt DuBois, the great black educator, sociologist, and historian, upon completion of studies at Fisk, Harvard and the University of Berlin, was convinced that change in the condition of the American black could be effected by careful scientific investigations into the truth about the black in America. So he proceeded. His research was flawless and his graphs and charts impeccable. After waiting several years and hearing not the slightest stir of reform, Dr. DuBois had to accept the truth about Truth: knowledge being available does not mean it will be appropriated.

IMPROVISE A PROSTHETIC

"Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibility: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak." - Thomas Carlyle

Qian Hongyan

Life is constantly throwing rocks at us just to slow us down, and/or halt us, as we attempt to fulfill destiny and live our lives on a daily basis. Everyday we get up from the bed there are a dozen reasons to give up on life; but we must realize that "obstacles are for defeating"!

In 2000, a little girl, Qian Hongyan, was injured tragically in a car accident. She was only 3 years old at the time. To ensure her survival, the doctors were forced to amputate her legs. Qian’s family, living in Zhuangxia, China, was unable to afford modern prosthetics and instead used half a basketball to get around on. Once on the ball she uses two wooden props to help her move around. She struggled to live her life with a basketball as an under prop,walking to school and back by herself. Qian Hongyan, who was forced to use half a basketball as her prosthetic body, inspired millions with her ambition to

compete as a swimmer in the 2012 Paralympics in London. The girl’s story got widely reported in the country, and drew the attention of the Ministry of Public Security and China Rehabilitation Research Center. She now has a pair of proper prosthetic legs, but still says, she likes to use the basketball from time to time, "it's easier for me to get in and out of the pool that way", she says.

Qian has been able to inspire millions, the world over with her resolve to not give up - her will power. I suggest that you pause for a moment to count your blessings, tally them against your problems. If your problems outnumber your blessings, count again. There are very many usefully important things you take for granted that were not added.

Will you be like Qian Hongyan, walk around fulfilling destiny on your "Basketball", or sit at the side of the road of "Destiny" on a mat, begging alms. Oscar Pistorus, is termed, the "world's fastest man without limbs". No obstacle is great enough to stop you. Look at Stevie Wonder, Cobhams Asuquo, Oscar Pistorus, and Qian just to mention a few. Dust yourself up, and hit the road-there's work to do!

A STOP INBETWEEN NOWHERE!

“Don't get caught in the cross hairs of indecision for that's what kills opportunities.” - Rodger Halston

 

I have not seen any other factor more responsible for failure and mediocrity than indecision. I dare say, you would be a lot more successful in life if you learn and master the act of decision making. The greatest people on the planet are astute in the act of decision making. Interestingly, I can guess the question running through your mind, “what if my decisions are wrong?” It is better to make a wrong decision than to be stuck in the valley of indecision; it is really a stop in-between nowhere.

The story is told of the new president of a highly successful bank who met with his predecessor and asked, "I would like to know what have been the keys to your monumental success?" The older gentleman looked at him and replied, "Young man, I can sum it up in two words: Good decisions. 

"To which the young man responded; "I thank you immensely for that advice, sir, but how does one come to know which are the good decisions?" "One word, young man," replied the sage. "Experience." "That's all well and good," said the younger banker, "but how does one get experience?" "Two words," said the elder. "Bad decisions."

MISSED A TAKE?

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing." - George Bernard Shaw 

In life sometimes, to learn how to do something we have to learn how not to do them; that is, do it the wrong way, or make a mistake. From the mistakes, if we're humble enough we'll realize many lessons embedded in the experience. Thomas Edison tried two thousand different materials in search of a filament for the light bulb. When none worked satisfactorily, his assistant complained, “All our work is in vain. We have learned nothing.” Edison replied very confidently, “Oh, we have come a long way and we have learned a lot. We know that there are two thousand elements which we cannot use to make a good light bulb.”

Some lessons to learn after a Mistake:

"SPIRITS"

"I got sober. I stopped killing myself with alcohol. I began to think: 'Wait a minute - if I can stop doing this, what are the possibilities?' And slowly it dawned on me that it was maybe worth the risk." - Craig Ferguson

In the sixteenth century, alcohol ( “spirits”) was used largely for medicinal purposes. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the British parliament passed a law encouraging the use of grain for distilling spirits. Cheap spirits flooded the market and reached a peak in the mid-eighteenth century. In Britain, gin consumption reached 18 million gallons and alcoholism became widespread. In 1920 the US passed a law prohibiting the manufacture, sale, import and export of intoxicating liquors. Today, an estimated 15 million Americans suffer from alcoholism and 40% of all car accident deaths in the US involve alcohol.

Alcoholism almost always leaves a trail of tragedy in it's path; it has claimed the lives of many; including gifted artists, musicians and writers etc, over the past decades. Take a look;

John Bonham (1948–1980): Excessive alcohol led to the tragic death of Led Zeppelin drummer John “Bonzo” Bonham, best known for his drum solo on the song “Moby Dick.” He was found dead of asphyxiation from vomit after a night of heavy drinking, on his way to rehearsals for an upcoming tour.

Steve Clark (1960–1991): Guitarist for Def Leppard. A heavy drinker, he died in his London home of a lethal combination of alcohol and drugs.

Michael Clarke (1946–1993): American musician, drummer for The Byrds. He died of liver failure after three decades of heavy alcohol consumption.

WHAT LIQUOR?

"Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction." - Bob Marley

He was a good teacher of the final year class of a school. But he had a bad habit; he liked alcohol. In his last class the students had come with gifts for their beloved teacher. They presented their gifts to the teacher, in turns, after the class. One of the students; the son of a large shop owner, whose shop had all types of expensive liquor. He boy approached the teacher with a large packet with several small holes. The teacher was happy to see the packet, which he expected to contain some exquisite liquor. He accepted the packet with joy and thanked the boy. He carried the packet very carefully in his car, keeping it close to him. After driving some distance through a busy street, he felt that a liquid was leaking out from the packet. He assumed that the bottle of liquor was accidentally opened or broken during the drive, spilling the liquor. He was terribly upset and was reluctant to waste the liquor. Due to heavy traffic, he could not stop the car there. So he collected the leaking liquid in his left hand and licked it with lust. The taste was unfamiliar. But he presumed that it was some special liquor that he'd never tasted before. Reaching a convenient spot, he stopped the car and opened the packet in a hurry. He was surprised to find a nice little puppy in the packet. He'd licked the puppy’s urine!

ATTEMPT AGAIN TODAY!

“Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead." - Louisa May Allcott 

YES, I am sure you tried it last year, last month, last week and even yesterday and when the facts are examined it was a monumental failure. In fact, some people said you are not intelligent enough, not skilled enough, it’s not for people like you, your background does not support what you are attempting to achieve. Yet, others say you're over ambitious and braggadocious, but let me beg to differ, I dare you to attempt it again today.

Let me borrow an extract from Theodore Roosevelt’s speech in 1899 at the Hamilton Club in Chicago. "It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who does actually try to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion

HE STOOPS TO CONQUER

There is an interesting story behind the statue of resurrected Christ today behind the altar in the ‘Church of Our Lady’ Cathedral in Copenhagen, Denmark. The statue made by Karl Albert Bertel Thorvaldsen in clay, a Danish sculptor of international repute. The original statue had its head held high, gazing upward towards heaven. The hands were also held high and outstretched as if to bless the whole humanity. He finished the work and went home leaving the clay to dry and harden, but during the night, a dense mist spread from the sea. A heavy rainstorm dampened the whole area. The dampness entered his studio and altered the appearance of the statue. The head that was held high, bent forwards and faced downwards. The arms raised high in a commanding gesture, now fell low and stretched forward in an inviting gesture. At first, the sculptor felt depressed as this masterpiece appeared to be damaged and ruined beyond repair by the weather. From further observation and meditation, he learned that the altered figure depicted the true image of our loving Lord. It now displayed the "Compassionate Saviour". The sympathetic arms were outstretched as if to embrace the sad and needy humanity. On the pedestal in the cathedral the words, “Come unto me” were inscribed later, based on the verse in Matthew 11:28. If one wants to see the face of Christ in the statue clearly, he must get down on his knees and look upwards. This statue has been described as the most perfect statue of Christ in the world. When Thorvaldsen unveiled this statue in the Copenhagen Cathedral 1828, it is recorded that "crowds of astonished onlookers marveled at the grandeur and sublimity of the work."

WHOSE IS BIGGER?

"Maybe you don't like your job, maybe you didn't get enough sleep, well nobody likes their job, nobody got enough sleep. Maybe you just had the worst day of your life, but you know, there's no escape, there's no excuse, so just suck up and be nice." - Ani DiFranco

A doctor entered the hospital in hurry after being called in for an urgent surgery. He answered the call, changed his clothes and went directly to the surgery block. He found the boy’s father pacing in the hall waiting for the doctor. On seeing him, the dad yelled:

“Why did you take all this time to come? Don’t you know that my son’s life is in danger? Don’t you have any sense of responsibility?”

“I am sorry, I wasn’t in the hospital and I came as fast as I could after receiving the call... And now, I wish you’d calm down so that I can do my work”, the doctor replied with a smile.

“Calm down? What if it were your son in this room right now, would you calm down? If your own son dies now what will you do?” the father replied, raising his voice.

“I will say what Job said in the Holy Book, 'from dust we came and to dust we return, blessed be the name of God'. Doctors cannot prolong lives. Go and pray for your son, we will do our best by God’s grace” still smiling, the doctor replied and walked away.

“Giving advice when we’re not concerned is easy” Murmured the father.

The surgery took some hours after which the doctor went out happy, “Thank goodness!, your son is saved!” And without waiting for the father’s reply he carried on his way running. “If you have any questions, ask the nurse!”

“Why is he so arrogant? He couldn’t wait some minutes so that I ask about my son’s state” Commented the father when seeing the nurse minutes after the doctor left.

The nurse answered, tears coming down her face:

“His son died yesterday in a road accident, he was at the burial when we called him for your son’s surgery. And now that he saved your son’s life, he left running to finish his son’s burial.”

How many people - because you never knew how their life was or what they’re going through - have we talked dis-respectfully and rudely to? How many times have we, in the midst of our own issues, been nice and sensitive enough to watch the words we say to them?

I have come to discover or realize, that in life EVERYONE is going through issues; if it were possible to see people's thoughts or worries from their appearance we'd realize that our own issues are "rice grain sized", as compared with other people's "mountain Everest" sized issues. We all have issues, and as long as we keep living such issues will keep coming...briddle your tongue today and learn to be more sensitive