STORYTIME TAPESTRY

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

Dec 6, 2005 

Today??™s Announcements:

As of today, I have 1,287 Christmas cards and letters heading for Iraq on Tuesday.  The DVD's will be shipped tomorrow.  I have over 400 DVD's boxed and ready to go.

If anyone would like to drop a note or letter to a troop, send it to me by email.  Some will go out on the Tuesday shipment, and the rest will go out on Friday, Dec. 9th.

Don't know what to say?  How about GOD BLESS YOU.  Let our troops know that you are thinking about them this Holiday Season.

I will send every email over with my last load.  Please have all notes and letters here to me no later than Thursday Dec. 8.

If all my area school kids can make a card as they have done, I'm hoping all American adults give me a hand with a greeting for all these troops.  I will print out every single greeting that I receive.  And remember, one letter will be seen by many soldiers as I send to camps.  My first camp has 380 troops.

I am concentrating on the Baghdad area this year.  We've all watch the news, we know what is going on in that area.  Let's cheer our troops up this Christmas.

If you want me to remove your email address, you must tell me.  If you want a soldier to respond to your letter or note, let me know.  The troops do respond and most have access to computers.

Please put  Letter to A Soldier on the subject line.

Thank you,

Sharon Bryant

"Operation We Care"

Congratulations goes out to Tim Kevin, the Irish Warlock, for being Senior Writer

Now on to the good stuff..........

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

 ~ The Church Choir ~

Joyce C. Lock

Church Choir: A church within a church, made up of many of the church's finest leaders ... the most likely place where a majority will bond together in friendship and unity, as they bond with the Lord.  In strengthening its members, the entire church is strengthened.  And, as they become one in heart, soul, and purpose ... God has promised His Spirit indwelling. The entire direction of a church can be changed through its choir.
 
Dear Choir Members,
 
     I want to write to you about the special abilities that the Holy Spirit gives to each of you, for I don't want any misunderstanding about them.
 
     You will remember that before you became choir members, you stayed at home during choir practice (watching TV).  Not one of you were singing a single note.  But now you are a meeting people who claim to sing messages from the Spirit of God.  How can you know whether they are singing for God or whether they are fakes?  Here is the test: no one singing by the power of the Spirit of God can curse Jesus, and no one can sing, "Jesus is Lord," and really mean it, unless the Holy Spirit is helping him.
 
     Now God gives us many kinds of special abilities, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all.  There are different kinds of service to God, but it is the same Lord we are serving.  There are many ways in which God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work in and through all of us who are His.  The Holy Spirit displays God's power through each of us as a means of helping the entire choir.
 
     To some the Spirit gives the ability to sing soprano; others may be especially good at second or alto, and this is His gift from the same Spirit.  To some He gives a special solo talent, and to others the power to harmonize.  He gives powers for singing tenor, and to others the power to sing bass.  He gives someone else the power to select and direct our music - that it is really the Spirit of God who is singing.  Still another person is able to operate our sound system, while others are given the gift of playing musical instruments.  It is the same and only Holy Spirit who gives us all these gifts and powers, deciding which each one of us should have.
 
     The choir has many parts, but the many parts make up only one choir when they are all put together. So it is with the "choir" of Christ.  Each of us is part of the one choir of Christ. Some of us are sopranos or seconds, some are altos, some are tenors and some are bass.  But the Holy Spirit has fitted us all together into one choir.  We have been chosen into Christ's choir by the one Spirit, and have all been given the same Holy Spirit.
 
     Yes, the choir has many parts, not just one part. If the alto says, "I am not a part of the choir because I am not a soloist," that does not make him any less a part of the choir.  And what would you think if you heard a youth say, "I am not a part of the choir because the choir loft is running out of room?"  Would that make him any less a part of the choir? Suppose the whole choir was a director, then who would sing?  Or if the whole choir just sang, who would play the instruments?

     But that isn't the way God made us.  He has many parts for the choir and has put each part just where He wants it.  What a strange thing it would be if it only had one part!  So He has made many parts, but still there is one choir.
 
     The alto can never say to the soprano, "I don't need you."  The choir can never say to the director, "I don't need you."  And some of the parts that seem weakest and least important are really the most necessary.  If one part suffers, all parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
 
     Now here is what I'm trying to say: all of you together are one choir of Christ and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.

Sincerely,
X
Paul 
(Written by Paul, Chosen by God to be Jesus Christ's missionary, and from brother Sosthenes.  To: All Choir Members everywhere -

whoever calls upon the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and theirs.  I Co. 12, adapted with God's blessings.)
  

?© by Joyce C. Lock
http://our.homewithgod.com/heavenlyinspirations/

~**~**~ 

 ValueSpeak
A Weekly Column
By Joseph Walker

Valuespeak@msn.com

MIRACLE OF THE QUESADILLAS

You should probably know that as I write this I??™m smiling a huge smile.
 I know ??“ creepy.  But I can??™t help it.
 I??™ve got this permanent ??“ or at least semi-permanent ??“ grin plastered on my face, thanks to a couple of tortillas, a little cheese, a dash of salsa and a lot of compassion.
 Think of it as the Miracle of the Quesadillas.  Hold the jalape?±o.
 The Miracle has been more than a week in the making.  Anita and I have been traveling in Spain, her ancestral homeland, a trip for which she has been preparing for years.  We??™ve been taking in the sights with members of her family and immersing ourselves in the local culture.  We??™ve seen every cathedral between Madrid and the Rock of Gibraltar, which means I??™ve spent more time in church during the past seven days than the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Combined.
 One of the critical elements of this baptism by cultural immersion is food.  We decided before we came here that we were going to do this right.  That meant we would try to avoid the McDonald??™s and Burger Kings and Pizza Huts that dot the Spanish landscape, and focus instead on local cuisine.  And for the most part, we??™ve done pretty well.  Oh, sure, I had a Big Mac meltdown a couple of days ago, and today we had lunch at a Chinese restaurant (it was the only place we could find open because it was ???medeodia,??? during which the entire country pretty much shuts down for the traditional mid-day meal and siesta).  You haven??™t lived until you??™ve heard a Chinese server speak Spanish to a bunch of Americans.  Marco Polo would be proud.
 Other than that, we??™ve stayed pretty close to a traditional Spanish diet.  Chocolate and churros for breakfast.  Fried potatoes and chorizo sausage for lunch.  Spanish bread (???pan???), fruit and cheese for dinner.  And an occasional box of ???conguitos??? for a snack.
I??™ve enjoyed most of it, although the ???paella??? took some getting used to.  Paella is a traditional Spanish dish that consists of rice, saffron, vegetables, meats and fishes, all mixed together and baked in a big pan.  The saffron flavor is strong, and I??™ve never been a big fan of fish that tastes really . . . you know . . fishy.  But this was good.  It would have been better with ketchup, I think, but I didn??™t dare ask.  The server was wearing a little sword, and the Spanish can be a little crazy when it comes to matters of honor ??“ especially with regards to paella.
 With all of the interesting foods here, the one thing I??™ve found myself missing is Mexican food.  I don??™t know why, but for some reason I expected Spanish food to bear some resemblance to the tacos, burritos and enchiladas that I love.  It doesn??™t.  Not a whit.  I have yet to have melted cheese on anything here, let alone guacamole.  There are no refried beans, and a Spanish tortilla is a quiche-like dish made of potatoes and eggs ??“ tasty, but not what I was hoping for.
 I??™ve tried not to whine, although I did tear up a little when someone mentioned Taco Bell the other day.  And I think Anita noticed, because this evening when she came home from shopping with her mother, she opened her bags and with great flourish pulled out Mexican tortillas, shredded cheese and salsa that she had found at the supermercado.  Then she went down to the hotel kitchen and prepared some quesadillas for me and the rest of our party.  We devoured them with relish.  AND salsa.  And we??™ve all been smiling ever since.
 All night long I??™ve been thinking about how great those quesadillas tasted, and how wonderful they made me feel.  When I thank Anita, she scoffs at what a little thing it was ??“ no big deal.  But to me it was a big thing.  And it occurs to me that that is often the case.  It usually doesn??™t take much effort to say ???I care.???  Just a smile, a kind word, a gentle touch, a simple gesture.  It??™s no big deal ??“ except to the person who receives it.  And to them, it??™s huge.
 Especially in the ???smiles??? department.

Poetry Section

~**~**~

HOPE

Janice Bumbalough Marler

In the oasis of my dreams I'm alone.

Bewildered by life,

caught up in my own thoughts

and opposing themes

I toss to and fro;

On the horizon I see 

a radiance of light,

A Heavenly glow,

My hope, my salvation;

God the Father,

God the Son,

God the Holy Spirit:

They neither slumber

nor sleep;

They speak as one.

 My spirit is quiet,

Sweet repose,

I??™m confident that ALL

is well with my soul.

Janice Bumbalough Marler

?© First Serial Rights

November 26, 2005

Poetrybyjan@aol.com
 

 ~**~**~

~ Holding Out ~

Tim Kevin
-
Both knowing what they want
And each will continue to taunt
The other by not willing to give,
Can they not just live and let live
-
Both always holding out for more.
An not knowing what may be in store
Wanting their demands to be fulfilled.
Neither ever willing or able to give in.
-
In a stalemate both filled with greed,
Neither wins, deaf to the other??™s need
Never able to meet on middle ground.
How can this love affair ever be sound
-
What is it making both so unwilling
This dire need to be forever winning
Never able to give or to bend even a little
And never able find an end to this riddle

The Irish Warlock  

irishwarlock@webtv.net

About Me:- Tim Kevin, is the owner of the Yahoo adulthumor group, BICs_Jokers_Wild and resides in Punta Gorda, Florida

Writers Feedback

My heart goes out to that little boy and to the millions of thrown-away children.  We seem to forget that our kids are our future.  As I get older it becomes more important to me.  It is sad to know so many parents can't care for these so called problem children.  Sharon Bryant, you are an angel.  God bless, Sharlett Hunt  

Sharon keep your pictures to hold the memories of your furry
children. They will be there to meet you.
What would we do without the comforts they serve us daily?
Mark Crider

 SENIOR WRITERS

Chief Writer: Sharon Bryant

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

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

Deming, Barb; Doherty, Maria; Goodier, Steve; Halley, Ellie Braun;

Harris, Kathy Anne; Hunt, Sharlette; Hymes, Christina

Jacobson, Gary; Kevin, Tim; Kiser, Roger Dean; Kerens, Claudia; Jenkins, Pamela;

Liles, Norma; Lilly, Jodi Flesberg; Lock, Joyce; Mazzella, Joe; Morris, Deepak;

Ojeigbe, Georgewaters;

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

Walker, Bill; Walker, Joe; Warner, Gorden K; Walsh, Sue

Weymouth, Barbara; Whirity, Kathy; White, Robert;

STORYTIME TAPESTRY STAFF

Publisher: Carol Roach-founder

Moderator: Thelma Hartselle-co founder

Moderator: Clara Westerfer

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