STORYTIME TAPESTRY

The Newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world

? 

? 

Aug 10, 2005? 

? 

We welcome another new African writing to Storytime Tapestry, Masimba Biriwasha, is writer # 228.?  Masimba truly is a rare find, and please welcome him in our usual Storytime tapestry manner.

? 

By now most have you have read about the crisis I am in.?  I need prayers and donations badly from anyone that can help in either category.?  I am being evicted.?  Because of a kitchen fire and kitchen flood caused by my son when I was on vacation.?  I have to get out by the end of the month and I need to find a place that I can afford and I need to get a moving truck etc, which I do not have money for.?  Please keep me in your prayers.

? 

Now on to the good stuff.......... 

? 

? 

Today's Queue Stories
~**~**~**~

? Gods Eyes

Robyn Cavalera

I have often written about how God sees us. How He looks on us with eyes of Mercy, Love, and Grace, He does not see us as we see each other. His eyes are not looking at the outward man, but the heart. He does not see color or cloths, He sees us as He created us to be eternally. How often do we make "snap" judgements about a person based on their cloths, hair, money, or lack of money, car, home, and position? How often do we push past the very ones who may be angels in disguise? How many times have we walked on the other side of the street or mall to avoid a person who "looked" strange, different, or "dangerous?" Who are you more likely to have lunch with? What do you "look" for when you are making an acquaintance, or meeting a person the first time? Do you intentionally change lanes in the store to avoid the smell of the one in front of you? Have you changed seats in "church" because the drunk or funny "colored" hair weirdo, or addict sat next to you? Of course you politely said some thing like "Oh, there is Marge. Excuse me, it is not personal, I am just going to sit with them." Good quick "Godly" cover up! Really, what do you see? What do you let your natural eyes tell you about people? I often think how blessed my two blind cousins really are. They make a friend etc. based on their spiritual eyes of sight into that person??™s laugh, character, personality, humility, generosity, Loving ways, or touch, and decide that way. Oh to be so naturally blind and Spiritually so as to see people, for whom they really are. Oh to be able to see WITH the eyes of Jesus! Lord; help me to feel with YOUR HEART. Touch with YOUR HANDS, Pray with YOUR MIND, hear with YOUR EARS, and SEE with YOUR EYES! Lord, OPEN THE EYES OF MY HEART, I WANT TO SEE YOU, in every person I meet.

? 

I know, that we know, there is a God; and that Jesus is HIM, manifest as the Word in the Flesh. We believe this by reading it in the Word of God, The Bible. By asking Him into our lives, which when done, with the heart, became a change of stone to flesh. Moreover, most of all by Faith. Yet, how many of us really have a hard time talking to hard core UN-believers about Jesus? Yet really, the way to approach them is so simple, it is great wisdom really.

Man??™s entire basis of life is evolution, or alien invasion; and seed planting by those aliens. The last group think it just BANG!!!! Appeared. That is called the "big bang" theory!! Heheheh (sorry) any way everyone has a small measure of Faith according to the Word. Now the hard part is, where will they decide to use that mustard seed of Faith? God created it in us, with the desire that we would seek HIM. This is the spot of Hope we have to hit. Faith! Sounds simple huh? Yet when someone hits us with..." how can you believe in a God you can??™t see?" We say, "by Faith" (thinking that is enough.) Until, they turn and say, "well I have Faith too, in aliens, and that they brought us here."

I am hopeing to be able to help your answer a little here by something I heard today. Evolutionists are really just bewildered. They actually believe the garbage that silly men spout. When those same sientists were asked point blank by students who believed in God. Now, they are the smart ones. The answer came this way:

Well, we can not actually prove evolution, however, we can show that men have evolved and that they have adapted to their world, so they must have evolved. Now let me tell you some thing to believe that takes more than a mustard seed of faith. Yes, they have proved an animal will change and adapt to his living situation. Whoopee! We did that too. We were born in water, lived in it for 9 months, then had to take a gasp of air, and learn to breath, REAL FAST! That is what it means to adapt. Oh they will say, but they have fish that have gone past that. Yep, they took some very large fish, and forced them to live in VERY small tanks for a couple generations of fishies! Funny.. They got smaller each birth of generation! Well, duh??¦ Put any living thing in a box and make it live and reproduce there and never allow the area to expand, it will ""adapt""to have smaller babies. As this country grew, so did we. We had a BIG country with no worry of room. What happened? Our generations have grown bigger (of course the hormones we eat help a lot too I am sure) in the 1800??™s a tall man was maybe 5??™10" Now we grow them 7 feet tall!! But the funny thing is this. The orientals are not changing at all in hight really. Why is that? Duhhh they don??™t have enough room to get any bigger, they would burst out of their little countries. I am not trying to be sarcastic here or bigited. I am stating facts like the brains do to support their theories. So eveolution is really a very easy one. If evolution were true, there would still be monkeys evolving into humans even today. I have yet seen anyone catch a monkey, and hold it for at least 100 years to see if it did ANY minute evolution at all. Folks we did not come from monkeys!!!

Now the alien one, that is a little tougher! I mean, who really knows if they exist or not. The Bible does not say one way or the other about them. So I have to conclude they "may" exist, I don??™t know, and honestly don??™t care. I do NOT however believe they are the ones who created humans on this planet. Give me a break??¦. What you are saying is an alien race, far superior to us, (which by the way is NOT that hard) came her, and said "What a lovely planet to drop these humanoid creatures and see how they "evolve/adapt, on their own." We will come back now and then to check on them. Another good one is Jesus had to die a couple times on different planets for all the aliens. I have also heard Heaven is a planet that is headed this way even now!!! Now that one really does scare me. It scares me a lot to think the God I have always believed to keep the univers from colapsing on itself lives on a planet. It better be a REALLLY, REALLY, BIG, I MEAN HUGE, PLANET. Because my God Jesus is HUGE!!!!

Any way, back to the thought. We are told it is silly to have Faith in some thing we can??™t see, yet they do. They believe in an alien race they have never seen, except on TV. And concidering the way the shows/news have been here lately, they are not a real honest source all the time now are they? I guess what it comes down to is life and death really. Apes die end of story. Never had one come back and give a recount of the experience. Aliens die. I know this is true I watch fact or fiction, and x-files!!! They die. None have come back in reruns to tell of a place after death. Budda died, Allah died, Mohammad died, of course in his case many have taken the name. All the great gods, have died, and stayed dead. All but Jesus. He died and rose to life again in front of hundreds of people. Now that is enough comfirmation for me, I don??™t know about you, but for me, it will do. Ahhhh But the Bible is no the word of God they say??¦ Hum??¦ well neither is the Koran, or other books of thiers. Yet you do not even try to claim in your books he rose from the dead. Why is that? Is it not there because it wopuld be a lie?

Hey I would rather live my life fully for Jesus, die, and find there is nothing after death; then live my life without Him, and find out I blew it and go to hell. Seems pretty darn easy to me. You try Jesus, give Him a real HEART to HEART try. Ask Him to prove Himself to you. He will you know. But when He does, what then will you do? You see once He proves Himself to you, you will be left with only 2 choices. Life or death, blessings or curses. He is knocking at the door right now to your heart. Can you hear Him? Why don??™t you ask Him in for a chat and some coffee, and talk to him about you and Him. Talking to God is just as easy as that. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father, but through ME." "Repent therefor and be baptised in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Confess with your mouth "Jesus is LORD", and believe in your Heart God did raise Him from the grave, and you will be saved. For it is with the heart we believe, and with the mouth we confess unto Salvation. He comes to you, because He does not want you to get all dressed up or change any thing. He LOVES you right now! Exactly that way you are. To HIM, you are perfect and His Child!!! He just wants to love on you, and have you Love Him back. He is still knocking??¦ Please answer the door!!!!!!!!!

? "Jesus freak" Prayer Warrior, Demon Buster
robyajesusfreak @bellsouth.net

? 

~**~**~? 

? ~ Quenching the Spirit ~
? 
Joyce C. Lock? 
"Well, that's your opinion ..."
? 
Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God,
and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools:
for they consider not that they do evil.
? 
Ecclesiastics?  5:1
? 
? 
? 
Interrupting, "That's not Bible!"
before another has finished sharing.
? 
Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?
? 
John 7:51
? 
? 
? 
"We don't believe that way."
? 
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally,
and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
? 
James 1:5
? 
? 
? 
"You're absolutely right, you're NOT perfect!!!"
? 
God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.
? 
2 Samuel 22:33
? 
? 
? 
"Unsubscribe me, NOW!"
? 
So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
? 
Hebrews 3:19
? 
? 
? 
"Thus saith the Lord ..."
? 
I sent them not, nor commanded them:
therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord.
? 
Jeremiah 23:32
? 
? 
? 
"That's taking scripture out of context."
? 
Every word of God is pure:
he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
? 
Proverbs 30:5
? 
? 
? 
"You're not God!"
? 
He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me;
and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
? 
John 13:20
? 
? 
? 
Quench not the Spirit.
? 

? ? ?  And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake.?  And be at peace among yourselves.

? ? ?  Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.?  See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

? ? ?  Rejoice evermore.?  Pray without ceasing.?  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

? ? ?  Quench not the Spirit.?  Despise not prophesyings.?  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
? 
? ? ?  Abstain from all appearance of evil.?  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
? 

1 Thessalonians 5:12-23
? 
? ?© 2004 by Joyce C. Lock
http://our.homewithgod.com/heavenlyinspirations/
? ? ? ~**~**~ 

? 

At The End Of The Rainbow

Roger Dean Kiser

? 

"There's a rainbow in the sky," hollered one of the boys who lived in the orphanage with me.

We children had just finished eating our breakfast and were walking back to our dormitory, when Kenny saw the beautiful rainbow. There were about fifteen of us; we were a bunch of eight, nine and ten-year-old boys standing there staring at the heavens.

I suppose to most children a rainbow is nothing more than something colorful in the sky, but to us the rainbow was very important. However, it only lasted several minutes, but it was something different for us to do. When you live in an orphanage, there are no toys, stereos, computers or video games. Therefore, a rainbow, or an airplane overhead was a very big deal.

"They say there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow," said Wayne.

"Then that means there??™s two pots of gold, 'cause there is two ends on the rainbow," I replied.

Everyone began to look at each other with puzzled looks on their faces.

"You think we can find the gold?" asked one of the young boys.

Within minutes, it was decided that we would divide into two groups, leave the orphanage grounds, and head out to find the pots of gold. We began to run knowing the rainbow would not last very long. Faster and faster, we ran towards the right side of the rainbow.

"It looks like that side is disappearing," said Tommy.

Sure enough, the right side of the rainbow was now becoming lighter and lighter. We were now running at full speed.

"Put down a stick," yelled Wayne.

We stopped and looked at Wayne to see what he was talking about.

"What's a stick gonna do?" I asked.

"It will mark the direction to the end of the rainbow after it disappears."

"But, we still won't know how far it is?" I said.

"It don't matter. We just keep walking in a straight line until we get to all the gold. The rainbow disappears, but the gold doesn??™t."

We found several straight sticks and laid one in the direction of the end of the rainbow. We left one boy at the first marker and walked several hundred yards before we stopped. We would have the boy tell us what direction to leave the next stick, and then he would run to catch up, bringing the first stick forward.

Soon the rainbow was gone. Nevertheless, we continued with our search. The entire time we talked about nothing except what wonderful lives we could have, should we find the golden treasure. We could run away from the orphanage, be happy, and have everything that we always wanted.

The farther we traveled the harder it was to navigate. We crossed roads, went around houses, and at one point even around a large shopping center. Soon it became apparent that our search was hopeless.

"We are in bad trouble with Mother Winters now. We been gone for a long time," said little Billy Smith.

All at once, it began to rain, so we made a dash for cover at a gas station. It rained so hard you could not see the passing cars. We sat down against the wall and waited for the storm to pass. Within fifteen minutes, the rain had stopped and the sun began to shine. As soon as everyone had used the bathroom, we headed back toward the orphanage, which was now several miles away.

"Look, there's the rainbow again," I screamed.

Everyone stopped dead in his tracks.

"We didn't get lost. We went the right direction after all," said Wayne. "The rainbow ends in that big field!" He was pointing across the road to a large, grassy fenced area.

We began to run at full speed. Cars were honking their horns at us as we ran across the large highway. We crossed through the barbed-wire fence, and headed out into the field to claim our pot of gold.

As fast as the rainbow had appeared, it disappeared. We stood looking up into the sky, our eyes a big as saucers.

"I am sure it was right over there," I told the group.

We all got in a line holding each other's hands, and we began to walk across the wet grassy field. Within a hundred yards, we had found the gold at the end of the rainbow.

The five of us stood there looking at what we had found.

Considering how many children, raised at the Children's Home Society Orphanage in Jacksonville, Florida ended up in prison, became drug addicts, prostitutes or committed suicide; it is no wonder that the prize we found at the end of the rainbow was nothing more than a dead cat.

? 

Poetry Section

~**~**~

MY SON

By,

Carol Brosowske

I have a son - so special to me,
And treasured by all of this family,
A part of us - he's chosen not to be.

I pray the Lord to comfort me.

I have tried for so many years,
Yet, all it does is bring me tears,
My aching heart is full of fears.

I pray the Lord to comfort me.

I don't always know where he stays,
And pray one day he'll change his ways,
My wish for him is happy days.

I pray the Lord to comfort me.

I ask the Lord if this is a test,
This is too hard - I need to rest,
Make us whole again, it would be best.

I pray the Lord to comfort me.

A Mother.....

? 

? 

? ~**~**~

? 

My Heart

Masimba Biriwasha

Alone.

My heart grabs me in the darkness - and leads me on

Towards a narrowed doorway

Look. It says.

Look at the scorpions you've kept for so long.

Look at the light you've runaway for so long.

? Convinced.

I take steps out of the shadows.

Then hide my face in the shadows again.

I relish in the worms and vomit of past nightmares

Afraid to catch onto the flame of my glory

? Silently.

My heart urges me in whispers -

It tells me to swing and dance in the wind

Like a morning butterfly - so sweet, so free, so there.

? I try.

But the old cobwebs surround me

Darkening my sky of possibilities with the swiftness of

hungry skunks.

Drowning me in their? murky and muddy stink

? I weep.

I want to be free - I says to my heart

I want to be free - free from all the ghosts

? 

Chief K.Masimba Biriwasha
154 Samora Machel Avenue
Belvedere
Harare
Zimbabwe
Africa
Tel: +263 4 700832/795337/775520
Email: mbiriwasha@zan.co.zw
Website: www.zan.co.zw
Postal Address:

? 

"The function of an artist is to reveal an inner divine realm. This essential divinity is tragically submerged in humanity. To ignore this divine impulse is to destoy one's potential for achieving authentic selfhood and psychological maturity."

? 

? 

? ~**~**~

Years ago (in '96) when I came on the internet I was very fortunate to
find a garden chat room filled with some of the most amazingly wonderful
people.

Many of us remain friends to this day and many, over the years, have had
a chance to meet each other in person.

The original group still gets together for an annual Garden Party in
various locations around the US and Canada.

The following poem was written to celebrate one of the many birthdays
that we celebrated?  ~ and we celebrated everyones!!

A Great Big Birthday Wish to the "Angel of the Garden"

Evening gathers...
The stars appear...
Friends come in...
Their thoughts to share.

Some stay for awhile...
Some are here long...
One is steady and true...
And knows where she belongs.

She gives us laughter...
And shares our tears...
A heart made of gold...
To hold us all there.

We enjoy her trips...
Dumpster diving's a treat...
The little blue truck...
And Abner's antics too.

So angel don't leave...
You'd be sorely missed...
Who would we turn to....
With a question like this.

Evening gathers...
Stars appear....
Oh, look everyone....
Gardenangel is here!

Happy Birthday, Gardenangel with Love n Huggs from Blu.

?© Karen L. Brookbank?  7/22/97? ? 

? 

? 

? 

Writers Feedback

"Aimee and The Nursing Home" is a touching story, Bob.?  It is wonderful how a dog can transmit so much love and comfort.?  Perhaps it is their unbridled acceptance of a person.?  I recently lost my dog, Jaz, and I miss her terribly.? ? ?  Thanks,?  Gabrielle Morgan.

? 

Bob's story was beautiful and heart breaking at the same time.? 

Even in the midst of this terrible disease, the love of the human

spirit shines though, however. Joe Mazzella

? 

? 

Loving dogs are the best therapists that money CAN'T buy.

Mark Crider

? 

Wonderful story. Thank you so much for sharing.

My blind black lab, Little Bit, and I used to do Pet Therapy for the CT Humane Society. The elderly absolutely adored him. One woman who was in advanced stages of Alzheimer Disease said she didn't remember "dog." After five minutes of petting Little Bit, pulling his ears, and putting her hand in his mouth, she suddenly cried "I remember dog!" She then told me a little about a dog she once had. She cried while she held Little Bit, and after about 10 minutes, I could tell she was gone again.

But to know that Little Bit helped this woman remember a beloved pet, even for a few minutes, was worth the visit.

Arlene & Little Bit

aro

? 

First, I'm so sorry to hear of your father's illness - I know this is terribly difficult for the entire family.

? 

But, you must bring Aimee to visit often - for him as well as the other folks in the home.? 

You may have read a story I wrote a yr. or so ago "Shiloh's Social Call'...about visiting the nursing home.?  How a rowdy, yappy schnauzer can turn into such a well behaved lady is amazing to me - it's as if they know they must be gentle with these fragile folks.?  She brought lots of smiles to them, as well as some tears.........it's such wonderful therapy.?  She's made numerous trips since that first time......it just makes the day better for everyone involved..........

? 

My best,

Kathy Baker

? 

Announcements

? 

? 

? 

Prayer Requests and Updates

? 

? Good morning everyone,

I have a prayer request for one of our members.?  Her name is Lisa Ann.?  Her husband Leo wrote to me and she is in the hospital and has been for a while.?  She had a blood clot in her knee and one in her arm.?  She will be leaving the hospital soon and going to North Carolina to spend some time with her Mother and her Mother will be taking care of her.?  Leo is so busy with his job that he can't take the time away to care for all her needs.?  So, please include him and Lisa Ann's Mother in your prayers.?  I would give you Lisa Ann's and Leo's email address, but I know his time is spread very thin and he wouldn't have the time, so just pray for the three of them if you would.?  And may I also ask that you don't write me, as I am on dial up and I have so many emails as it is.?  I know there are a wonderful bunch of members in the group and we all believe in the power of prayer.?  We have seen it happen too many times here in the group.?  I know Joyce, can testify to that when we prayed for her son.

I am getting DSL in this area the first of September and I am on the list to be connected once they have it going, then you can email me whenever you wish to.

Love and hugs to all of you and thank you so much for praying for the family I just mentioned.

P.S.?  Lisa Ann loves cats and kittens so I chose this letter especially for her.

? 

? 

? My grandmother is....how should I say that? She is like depressed...

Okay, I better explain is. My granny, Karolina Regina, just called Karla, gets 80 this week. She is healthy and a very cute small little lady. She has about 40 kilos and is about 151 cm tall. She looks really cute. But she always had the problem that she was scared that she could loose the people she loves. I remember when I was a kid and slept in her house, I sometimes heard her shouting in her dream for me and my brother. Later she told me that she has those dreams where she sees me, my brother and my grandpa and my mon walking through fog. She walks a few meters behind us. She tries to come to us, but she can't. No matter how fast she is, she can never come closer to us. And so she screams out our names, but we do not turn around. We do not hear her. It is like we are in a different world, eventhough she can see us.

So my granny always had fears like that. But when she was younger, she had more control over them by the light of day. But then my older brother died when he was 17. An accident. Since then it became worse.

My granny lost her father when she was still a little girl. Her mom raced her alone, which was not easy to that time. Then later my granny lost twins. She is just too small to have kids. She is such a little lady. But she got my mom. And my mom gave her three grandchildren... But then one of us died. She cannot get over it. And now her fears are hunting her all the time.

She calls us often. She calls my mum, who lives next door, every ten minutes to see if she is still alive. When we have to drive to go shopping, she almost drives crayz, because she is so scared we could not come back. She sits next to the phone then praying.?  She cannot sleep anymore. You should see her, the pain in her eyes. That almost breaks my heart! I love my granny, but I cannot be around her every minute, nobody of us can. We have to work, to do other things...... But the pain in her eyes...... Last week I slept in her house. I told her I would go to the bathroom and wash my hair. She walked in the bathroom about 5 minutes later. She said she was scared. She thought I would have burned myself with the water..... Again 5 minutes later she walked in, to tell me where the tous are.....Poor granny!

That is why I want to ask for prayers for her! She needs light and hope! And that is what I ask for.

Thank you!

Love,

Saskia

? 

SENIOR WRITERS

Chief Writer: Sharon Bryant

? 

Agee, Vance;?  Apted, Violet;?  Baker, Kathy;?  Batt, Al;?  Berry, Nell;

Boda, Ginger;? ?  Buhagiar, Victor; Cassady, B.J.;?  Crider, Mark;? 

Deming, Barb; Goodier, Steve;?  Harris, Kathy Anne;? Hunt, Sharlette;? 

Jacobson, Gary;?  Kiser, Roger Dean; Kerens, Claudia; Jenkins, Pamela;

Liles, Norma;?  Mazzella, Joe;? Ojeigbe, Georgewaters;

?  Petry, Dianna Doles; Roberts, Susan;?  Shiveley, Debra; Shaw, Bob; Sims, Richard; Swarner, Ken; Vaknin, Sam; Verhoeff, Jan

Walker, Bill;?  Walker, Joe;? Warner, Gorden K;

Whirity, Kathy;?  White, Robert;

? 

? 

STORYTIME TAPESTRY STAFF

Publisher: Carol Roach-founder

Moderator: Thelma Hartselle-co founder

Moderator: Clara Westerfer

? 

? 

? 

Send all inquires about the newsletter including submission requirements:

? 

?