STORYTIME TAPESTRY

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

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Jan 24, 2006? 

Today's Queue Stories
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Times of Life

Bill Walker

wildbill6807@yahoo.com

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There is a lot of different times in a normal person's life.?  By normal? I mean the average person you will meet in the few years you are here.

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There is bad times in most normal peoples life.?  By that I mean, there will be a few unwanted bad things to happen. May be a whole long list of bad things. One after the other.?  We read that in history about people of some note. Bible tells us of this about a man name of Job.

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Job had much wealth, daughters and sons.?  He lost all over night. Job was a good man, did nothing wrong in the sight of God, but he lost it all.?  Job is not the only one to have had bad to happen that caused them great loss.?  Job also was given a sickness, great pain.?  His friends was no help at all. Isn't that the case today.?  You have wonderful friends while you are on top of the world. Slip to the pits, and you will find out a lot about friends. Friends are few and far between. Most of the time they will say Bill!!!?  Who is Bill??? Never heard of him!!!?  What??™s more, don't care to know him!!!? 

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Some time passed and Job recovered.?  He was blessed with much more wealth, sons and daughters.?  I guess friends also..?  Seems if you in the dough, have friends.?  Every one knows you. Bill, did you say Bill? Why yes I know Bill. He is a real nice guy. He is a very good friend of mine.

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We see much of this type of thing in life.?  You hit rock bottom, friends run the other way for fear you will ask for a crust of bread. The crust of bread can be can you help me in finding a job, to can you give me a dime for a stale donut. You see I haven't ate in three days.?  Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

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We also read in the Bible about people that never had the finer things of life. Some just got by, and it was bad at the best.?  One that comes to my mine was the beggar Lazarus. Seems the poor man for some reason, never had a good day.?  He asked for the crumbs at the table of the rich man. I have never heard a preacher take off on this other then to give one the idea of food. I think I can take it many different roads. Food is important that is for sure, but a person in this life has other needs. Many a great idea, never went any where because of the bean counters. A great lot of great ideas came from the have not. But how many great ideas went no where due to the fact bean counters was looking at what is in it for me, and my fellow bean counters?

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One reads in the Bible. Jesus who came into this earth life the same as you and I. Born of woman. Came with nothing, went out with nothing. That is came with nothing, no silver spoon in mouth. Went out with any either. He never had any fancy schooling. Never held a job of high pay. Never had means of travel, other then by foot. Never owned a house. Never had but the clothes on his back. Food was never much, just enough for the needs at time.

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Now you and I can maybe do better. The thing is all we gain, save, add to, and put away, does not go with us when the clock stops. I can take this many different ways here.?  All one lies, cheat, steal, or work for, it stays here in the end. Nothing you or I do and have, ? crosses the river with us in the end.

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In the end it really makes no difference, if you was rich, or poor. It was the way you lived, and treated others, and main thing believed in the man we called Jesus that counted. You see it says in the Bible. You and I came from dirt, there fore dirt you will return to. That is the body, we are dirt. Rich or poor, makes no difference, DIRT.?  The rich person can be put into the ground in a vault, fancy casket, all the stuff to keep body as it was at death, it is, will become dirt. Same will happen to the poor person, most of those just gets plainted.

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There will be much long winded speeches and services for the rich, power hungry ones at death. While very little said for the poor like the beggar Lazarus. All the services and fine words means nothing.?  You see the book on that person closed the minute the clock stopped.? 

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Tinker and Poo; The Boys Write

http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-35741-5

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~**~**~? 

Bless the Children

Joyce C. Lock

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? ? ? ? ?  Previous generations where raised under the premise that children are to be seen and not heard.?  If they altered in teaching, the next generation was heard.?  But, their words weren't taken seriously; as adults always think they know more than children do.

? ? ? ?  Following generations often have few to no guidelines, wherein children's behavior screams for someone to care enough to say, "No."

? ? ? ?  Though, what if God did that to us??  When we call out to Him, can you imagine God responding with, "I can't hear you"??  When we cry, what if He mocked our words, "Cry my hands full.?  You're nothing but a big baby"??  Or, we could be given blame for all that ails us, "All he does is wine", or even worse, "Come here and I'll give you something to cry about!"

? ? ? ?  What if God didn't care more about you than the comfort of the moment, "Sure, do whatever you want.?  I just want you to like me."?  Try some of that on church visitation and see how effective you are.?  But, instead, God takes great care in parenting, to do it right.?  He looks deeper, to meet the need of the heart.

? ? ? ?  Why should God listen to our prayers when we don't listen to our children?

? ? ? ?  Doesn't God love us enough to say, "No", when it will hurt us or someone else?

? ? ? ?  Still worse were the teachings of 'spare the rod, spoil the child'.?  During the days of preaching 'hell, fire, and brimstone', parents showed children what they thought God was like; drawing blood, in the name of the Lord.?  What happened to "thy rod and thy staff they comfort me"?

? ? ? ?  Is it any wonder adults think they can't come to God?

? ? ? ?  Once children "know" they have a consistent place of refuge they can depend upon, in time of need, many annoying traits of childhood disappear.

? ? ? ?  Few come to realize children are living souls first and children second.?  Taking God as a perfect example, we're to be spiritual parents.?  Only when children become willfully defiant, for non-need reasons, do we have the right to act in disciplinary fashions and, still then, with God's guidance.

? ? ? ?  If God offered us grace, then, why do we hold children accountable under our law (or His), without consideration of extenuating circumstances??  When we accuse and punish children, without considering their heart or getting facts straight, we could be shedding innocent blood.

? ? ? ?  "Children are an heritage of the LORD.?  (They're not possessions, but a gift to raise for Him.)?  The fruit of the womb is HIS reward," Ps. 27:3.

? ? ? ?  "Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit," Mt. 12:33.?  The relationship children have with parents will affect their relationship with God.?  For, however we perceive earthly parents is how we perceive God.

? ? ? ?  "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils??  And in thy name done many wonderful works??  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity," Mt. 7: 21-23.

? ? ? ?  As is with everything, the only way to parent perfectly is to ask God every time (letting Him be our parent).?  "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.?  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock," Mt. 7:21, 24.

? ? ? ?  "If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.?  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.?  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.?  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus," Ph. 2:1-5.

? ? ?  In every way God loves us, we're to love others in return and that includes the children; grace for grace, Jn. 1:16.?  It's our opportunity to give thanks.
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?© by Joyce C. Lock
http://our.homewithgod.com/heavenlyinspirations/

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Yusuf - He's My Brother

Inspired by Yusuf and written by Keith Ready

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Just recently I flew from Sydney to Melbourne for an early morning meeting followed by a series of additional meetings, all in the same office. It was one of those ' down and back in one day trips ', so fortunately I only needed to carry my brief case so I could go direct to the express check in, saving myself up to half an hour in a queue.

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Upon arriving in Melbourne at just after 7.15 a.m. I headed straight for the taxi rank to pick up a cab.?  As I walked out into the morning light I was greeted with a skyline filled with dense smoke, the product of the most recent horrific bushfires in Victoria.?  As I gazed in amazement at this scene and compared it in my mind to my last visit to Los Angeles, a voice broke my preoccupation.

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' Good morning sir, do you need a cab ' came from a Yellow cab parked at a slight angle to the curb just in front of me, the window was wound down and a bright smiling face look out at me. I said yes in a flash and jumped into the cab.

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When I told the driver where I wanted to go - his eyes seemed to brighten even more and he asked, ' sir, what time do you need to be there '. I replied by 9.00 a.m. for a series of meetings and he nodded, turned on the meter and off we drove.?  Within minutes he said that it was a very long drive, probably an hour and half and he would do his very best to get me there before 9.00 a.m.

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I knew my destination was a long way from the airport and had opted for a cab, because I was not sure that if I hired a car I would be able to navigate my way to the destination and still get there on time at 9.00 a.m.?  As I settled in for the long trip, the driver and I began to talk about the bush fires, the business environment, his family, his love of Australia plus a whole host of topics and issues.?  Needless to say he also got to know a lot about me, including the fact that I was in Melbourne for the day and would be returning to Sydney on a 6.30 p.m. flight.?  As you could expect by the end of the trip we were on a first name basis.

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We arrived at my destination at 8.50 a.m. I signed my charge docket, which was big enough for me to think that Yusuf may have to ring American Express for a credit clearance.?  As I was about to get out of the cab, Yusuf handed me a Yellow cab card. He indicated that his mobile number was written on the back and that if I gave him a call around a half an hour before I needed to leave to catch my flight, he would come and pick me up. I thanked him and headed off for my meeting.

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My day was a busy one and by 3.15 p.m. I had completed my meetings and was ready to make the long trip back to the airport. So I gave Yusuf a call on his mobile and he said ' thank you Keith, I will pick you up in 30 minutes ' and guess what - he did.

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On the way back to the airport I spent the first half-hour picking up a number of phone messages and returning calls.?  When I had finished Yusuf and I talked about his day working the area. He told me that after he had dropped me off, he had decided to spend the day in the area, knowing that at around 4.00 he could well have a fare back to the airport. He mentioned that it had been a good day for him with lots of short fares to keep him busy.

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As we got closer to the airport, Yusuf said to me ' you seem to know a lot about business, can you suggest how I can be a better cab driver '. I looked at him for a moment, then said - ' Yusuf, just keep doing what you are doing '.

He looked back at me as if to ask for further explanation of what I had said. I went on to say, ' handing me your card and offering to come and pick me up, tells me that you already know how to be a better cab driver and you are doing it '. We chatted for the next forty minutes and then it was time for me to sign the cab charge docket and again think about the need for a call to American Express.

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As I was about to get out the cab on the departures level at Melbourne airport, two ladies came rushing up and asked if could Yusuf take them to the city, as they were in a hurry to get there. Yusuf said yes and they jumped in. Now I knew from my discussions with Yusuf that I had been his first fare for the day and that he was due to finish his shift at 7.00 p.m. He had also told me that he lived very close to the city. So this fare would take him close to home and he could finish the day at 7.00 p.m. and get home early enough to spend some quality time with his wife and six children.

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Before embarking on his fare to the city, Yusuf got out of his cab and said ' Thank you Keith - my brother, the next time you are coming to Melbourne, give me a call the day before and I will come and pick you up '. He smiled as he jumped in his cab, then he was on his way in the still smoke filled Melbourne atmosphere.

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The moral in this real life experience

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The more time you spend with your customer, get to know them personally, talk and listen to them and treat them with genuine courtesy and respect; the more business they will give you. Very often that same customer will also lead you to even more business of similar quality.

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I still have Yusuf's card and the next time I am travelling to Melbourne, you can be sure that I will give him a call. That is the second part of the moral in this story - satisfied, happy customers become return customers and they tell lot's of other people about their experience . . . And I just did.

Keith Ready is an Australian based business adviser and trainer whose specialty is working
with his clients to improve top and bottom line business performance in a measurable way, through people.
Keith can be contacted via e-mail at? kready@netspace.net.au or you can visit his website at www.agiftofinspiration.com.au

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Writers Feedback

Carol your story When Needy People Become Controlling ??“ is a difficult situation, obsessive and possessive personality.?  I had to deal with a person similar to your description of this man.?  It was quite an ordeal.?  Gabrielle.

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