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Showing posts with the label patience

The Necklace

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  “SHE WAS one of those pretty, charming young ladies, born, as if through an error of destiny, into a family of clerks. She had no dowry, no hopes, no means of becoming known, appreciated, loved, and married by a man either rich or distinguished; and she allowed herself to marry a petty clerk in the office of the Board of Education. . . .  She had neither frocks nor jewels, nothing. And she loved only those things. She felt that she was made for them. She had such a desire to please, to be sought after, to be clever, and courted.” —THE NECKLACE Guy de Maupassant    France, 1884 (pic by Grok) Read this short story here:  https://americanliterature.com/author/guy-de-maupassant/short-story/the-necklace

Unruffled Patience

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A few years back we sought to expand our street ministry beyond simply doing the work of evangelism by holding a Bible study in a local coffee shop. Many weeks we enjoyed studying through the Gospel of John as we sat outside, drinking coffee or tea. Our study grew more exciting when those sitting nearby became engaged by what they were overhearing. Once we had as many as eleven people gathered around (these tables sat only sat four people per table)! That particular day, one fellow stayed after and poured out his heart, expressing grief over his sexual immorality and dissatisfaction of working as a bouncer at a local gay bar (located, incidentally, about a block down the street from this very coffee shop). One day, as we were just getting our study started, a personal familiar to me came up the sidewalk—a woman who had once been in my Adult Bible study class about two years previously. I remember her distinctly because as we studied the Gospel of Mark verse by verse, she sudden...

Randoms

I'm glad I'm not an elevator repair man because if I ever made a mistake, I'd be wrong on every level. Amazing what one learns from the creases and folds of a cowboy hat . (Dexter, I'm thinking of you, brother). Have you ever wondered how boards are cut from trees? Here's a sculpture to inform you. The case that helped forensics consider the science of fingerprinting . "Patience and Tranquility of mind contribute more to cure our distempers [than] the whole of medicine." (Wolfgang Amadeus  Mozart, written in English, to Johann Georg Kronauer, a language teacher, 30 March 1787)

Making life a prayer

“Lord, help me to glorify thee; I am poor, help me to glorify thee by contentment; I am sick, help me to give thee honour by patience; I have talents, help me to extol thee by spending them for thee; I have time, Lord, help me to redeem it, that I may serve thee; I have a heart to feel, Lord, let that heart feel no love but thine, and glow with no flame but affection for thee; I have a head to think, Lord, help me to think of thee and for thee; Thou hast put me in this world for something, Lord, show me what that is, and help me to work out my life-purpose: I cannot do much, but as the widow put in her two mites, which were all her living, so, Lord, I cast my time and eternity too into thy treasury; I am all thine; take me, and enable me to glorify thee now, in all that I say, in all that I do, and with all that I have.” (Spurgeon, Morning and Evening Feb. 15)