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		<description>Christian Fun Forums, To find more out about Christian fellowship , go to http://www.christianfunforums.com/ .</description>
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			<title>Butterfly Circus</title>
			<link>http://www.christianfunforums.com/forums/music-videos/10488-butterfly-circus.html</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:43:22 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[A 20 minute short Film  in 2 parts starring Nick Vujicic. 
"Come out of your Cocoon and Fly High!"...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>A 20 minute short Film  in 2 parts starring Nick Vujicic.<br />
&quot;Come out of your Cocoon and Fly High!&quot;<br />
<br />
Very inspiring, I wish this film were longer.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtxANzN2Woo" target="_blank">YouTube - The Butterfly Circus (Part One)</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4um8qubQh0" target="_blank">YouTube - The Butterfly Circus (Part Two)</a><br />
<br />
To see the entire short film uninterrupted, go to <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.thedoorpost.com/hope/film/?film=4dd298f102c77b625cf37a9e7744ac68" target="_blank">The Doorpost Film Project - The Butterfly Circus</a></div>

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			<dc:creator>JustAsIAm</dc:creator>
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			<title>07/30/10 - Our Daily Bread</title>
			<link>http://www.christianfunforums.com/forums/devotional-thoughts/10485-07-30-10-our-daily-bread.html</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:14:52 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Here is the link to today's reading of Our Daily Bread: 
 
 
Garbage Island - Our Daily Bread...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><font size="4">Here is the link to today's reading of Our Daily Bread:<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://odb.org/2010/07/30/garbage-island/" target="_blank">Garbage Island - Our Daily Bread</a></font></div>

]]></content:encoded>
			<category domain="http://www.christianfunforums.com/forums/devotional-thoughts/">Devotional Thoughts</category>
			<dc:creator>USNavyBlueAngel</dc:creator>
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			<title>How Thirsty?</title>
			<link>http://www.christianfunforums.com/forums/story-teller-doc/10484-how-thirsty.html</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:37:49 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>How Thirsty? 
 
Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>How Thirsty?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=KJV&passage=Matthew+5%3A6" title="Bible Gateway" target="_blank">Matthew 5:6</a>, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” In South Africa I have heard that you can sometimes see an amazing sight; deer defying lions in order to drink at the river. Their thirst will not be denied. They must have water or die.<br />
<br />
Spiritually as Christians we are either moving forward or moving backwards. There is no status quo for the child of God. In our own lives there will be spiritual starvation unless we have a continual intake of the spiritual, such as: the Word of God; prayer; and, fellowship with other Christians. The question we should ask ourselves is how thirsty are we? Are we thirsty enough to defy that old lion, the devil, who is going to and fro across this world seeking whom he may desire? Are we thirsty enough to go to church this Sunday? Are we thirsty enough to wake up each day and spend some time reading God’s Word and praying? Are we thirsty enough to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him?<br />
<br />
By Ed Wrather<br />
Submitted by Richard</div>

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			<title>How to Catch a Wild Pig</title>
			<link>http://www.christianfunforums.com/forums/story-teller-doc/10483-how-catch-wild-pig.html</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:36:08 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>How to Catch a Wild Pig 
 
There was a Chemistry professor in a large college that had some...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>How to Catch a Wild Pig<br />
<br />
There was a Chemistry professor in a large college that had some exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab, the Prof noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back, and stretching as if his back hurt.<br />
<br />
The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government.<br />
<br />
In the midst of his story, he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, ' Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'<br />
<br />
The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. <br />
 <br />
'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it, and begin to come every day to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again, and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that, and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, and you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd.<br />
<br />
Suddenly, the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.<br />
<br />
The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America. The government keeps pushing us toward Communism/Socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops(CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, free medical, etc., while we continually lose our freedoms - just a little at a time.<br />
<br />
One should always remember 'There is no such thing as a free lunch! Also, a politician will never provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself.<br />
<br />
Also, if you see that all of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America; you might want to send this on to your friends. If you think the free ride is essential to your way of life, then you will probably delete this email, but God help you when the gate slams shut!<br />
<br />
'A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to <br />
take away everything you have.' ........ Thomas Jefferson<br />
<br />
Author Unknown<br />
Submitted by Richard</div>

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			<title>How To Drive In New Jersey</title>
			<link>http://www.christianfunforums.com/forums/story-teller-doc/10482-how-drive-new-jersey.html</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:34:21 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>How To Drive In New Jersey 
 
1. You must first learn to pronounce the city name, it is New- erk...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>How To Drive In New Jersey<br />
<br />
1. You must first learn to pronounce the city name, it is New- erk not New-ark.<br />
<br />
2. The morning rush hour is from 5:00 AM to Noon. The evening rush hour is from Noon to 7 PM. Friday's rush hour starts on Thursday morning .<br />
<br />
3. The minimum acceptable speed on the Turnpike is 85 mph. On the Parkway it's 105 or 110. Anything less is considered &quot; Wussy.&quot;<br />
<br />
4. Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere. Jersey has its own version of traffic rules. For example, cars/trucks with the loudest muffler go first at a four-way stop; the trucks with the biggest tires go second. However, in Bergen county, SUV-driving, cell phone-talking moms ALWAYS have the right of way.<br />
<br />
5. If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be rear ended, cussed out, and possibly shot.<br />
<br />
6. Never honk at anyone. Ever. Seriously. It's another offense that can get you shot.<br />
<br />
7. Road construction is permanent and continuous in all of Jersey. Detour barrels are moved around for your entertainment pleasure during the middle of the night to make the next day's driving a bit more exciting.<br />
<br />
8. Watch carefully for road hazards such as drunks, skunks, dogs, cats, barrels, cones, celebs, rubber neckers, shredded tires, cell-phoners, deer and other road kill, and the Homeless feeding on any of these items.<br />
<br />
9. Mapquest does not work here -- none of the roads are where they say they are or go where they say they do, and all the Turnpike EZ Pass lanes are moved each night once again to make your ride more exciting.<br />
<br />
10. If someone actually has their turn signal on, wave them to the shoulder immediately to let them know it has been &quot;accidentally activated.&quot;<br />
<br />
11. If you are in the left lane and only driving 70 in a 55- 65mph zone, you are considered a road hazard and will be &quot;flipped off&quot; accordingly. If you return the flip, you’ll be shot. <br />
<br />
12. Do not try to estimate travel time -- just leave Monday afternoon for Tuesday appointments, by noon Thursday for Friday and right after church  on Sunday for anything on Monday Morning.<br />
<br />
Submitted by Richard</div>

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			<title>07/29/10 - Our Daily Bread</title>
			<link>http://www.christianfunforums.com/forums/devotional-thoughts/10481-07-29-10-our-daily-bread.html</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:05:13 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Here is the link to today's reading of Our Daily Bread: 
 
 
Show Your Colors - Our Daily Bread...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><font size="4">Here is the link to today's reading of Our Daily Bread:<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://odb.org/2010/07/29/show-your-colors/" target="_blank">Show Your Colors - Our Daily Bread</a></font></div>

]]></content:encoded>
			<category domain="http://www.christianfunforums.com/forums/devotional-thoughts/">Devotional Thoughts</category>
			<dc:creator>USNavyBlueAngel</dc:creator>
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			<title>How Much Do You Love Me</title>
			<link>http://www.christianfunforums.com/forums/story-teller-doc/10479-how-much-do-you-love-me.html</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:04:59 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>How Much Do You Love Me 
 
At Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington DC recently the sergeant...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>How Much Do You Love Me<br />
<br />
At Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington DC recently the sergeant Major of the Army, Jack Tilley, was with a group of people visiting the wounded soldiers. He saw a Special Forces soldier who had lost his right hand and suffered severe wounds of his face and side of his body. The SMA wanted to honor him and show him respect without offending, but what can you say or do in such a situation that will encourage and uplift? How do you shake the right hand of a soldier who has none? He decided to act as though the hand was not missing and gripped the soldier's wrist while speaking words of comfort and encouragement to him. <br />
<br />
But there was another man in that group of visitors who had even brought his wife with him to visit the wounded who knew exactly what to do. This man reverently took the soldiers stump of a hand in both of his hands, bowed at the bedside and prayed for him. When he finished the prayer he stood up, bent over the soldier and kissed him on the head and told him that he loved him. <br />
<br />
What a powerful expression of love for one of our wounded heroes! What kind of a man would kneel in such humility and submission? It was the wounded man's Commander-in-Chief, George W. Bush; a true leader. <br />
<br />
This story was told by the SMA at a Soldiers Breakfast held at Red Arsenal, AL, and <br />
recorded by Chaplain James Henderson, stationed there. Pass it on...the press won't. <br />
<br />
<br />
The Real Story<br />
For the past several months the Sergeant Major of the Army has been speaking to groups about his visits to Walter Reed Army Medical Center and other military hospitals to see soldiers injured in Afghanistan and Iraq. The story involves the SMA and a visit by the President of the United States. The SMA and the President have never visited soldiers at the hospital together. The SMA's story of President Bush's visit to one particular soldier was relayed to him by one of the Special Forces soldiers in the hospital that day. <br />
<br />
On one visit he spoke to a young special forces soldier who lost his hand in an accident involving a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. As he was leaving, the soldier stuck his limb to the SMA and SMA Tilley gingerly shook the bandages to not injure him further. He presented him a coin and said &quot;God Bless You.&quot; <br />
<br />
The same soldier was visited several days later by the President, who was awarding medals to many of the wounded soldiers. The soldier stuck his limb up to the President as he was leaving, and President Bush cupped his limb with both hands and said &quot;God Bless You.&quot; He then knelt down and kissed him on the forehead. <br />
<br />
The story that is spreading around the internet is a well-woven embellishment of the SMA's story. <br />
<br />
MSG Richard Puckett <br />
Public Affairs Advisor to the Sergeant Major of the Army <br />
Office of the Sergeant Major of the Army <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Author Unknown<br />
Submitted by Richard</div>

]]></content:encoded>
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			<dc:creator>The Story Teller</dc:creator>
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			<title>How Much Does Prayer Weigh?</title>
			<link>http://www.christianfunforums.com/forums/story-teller-doc/10478-how-much-does-prayer-weigh.html</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:03:14 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>How Much Does Prayer Weigh?  
 
Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>How Much Does Prayer Weigh? <br />
<br />
Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, they had seven children and they needed food. John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store. <br />
<br />
Visualizing the family needs, she said: 'Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can.&quot; <br />
<br />
John told her he could not give her credit, as she did not have a charge account at his store. <br />
<br />
Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer man that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family. <br />
<br />
The grocer man said in a very reluctant voice, &quot;Do you have a grocery list? <br />
<br />
Louise replied &quot;Yes sir&quot; <br />
<br />
&quot;O.K.&quot; he said, put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries.&quot; <br />
<br />
Louise, hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed. The eyes of the grocer man and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down. <br />
<br />
The grocerman staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, &quot;I can't believe it.&quot; The customer smiled and the grocerman started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more. The grocerman stood there in utter disgust. <br />
<br />
Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement. It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer that said: &quot;Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands.&quot; <br />
<br />
The grocerman gave her the groceries that he had gathered and placed on the scales and stood in stunned silence. Louise thanked him and left the store. The customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to John as he said, &quot;It was worth every penny of it.&quot; <br />
<br />
It was sometime later that John Longhouse discovered the scales were broken; therefore, only God knows how much a prayer weighs. <br />
<br />
Author Unknown<br />
Submitted by Richard</div>

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			<dc:creator>The Story Teller</dc:creator>
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			<title>How the Internet Began</title>
			<link>http://www.christianfunforums.com/forums/story-teller-doc/10477-how-internet-began.html</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:01:15 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>How the Internet Began 
 
 
In ancient Israel, it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>How the Internet Began<br />
<br />
<br />
In ancient Israel, it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham<br />
Com did take unto himself a young wife by the name of Dot.<br />
<br />
And Dot Com was a comely woman, broad of shoulder and long of leg.<br />
Indeed, she had been called Amazon Dot Com.<br />
<br />
She said unto Abraham, her husband, &quot;Why doth thou travel far from town<br />
to town with thy goods when thou can trade without ever leaving thy tent?&quot;<br />
<br />
And Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load, but simply said, &quot;How, Dear?&quot;<br />
<br />
And Dot replied, &quot;I will place drums in all the towns and drums in between to send messages saying what you have for sale and they will reply telling you which hath the best price. And the sale can be made on the drums and delivery made by Uriah's Pony Stable (UPS).&quot;<br />
<br />
Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums. The drums rang out and were an immediate success.<br />
<br />
Abraham sold all the goods he had at the top price, without ever moving from his tent.<br />
<br />
But this success did arouse envy. A man named Maccabia did secret himself inside Abraham's tent and was accused of insider trading. And the young men did take to Dot Com's trading as doth the greedy horsefly take to camel dung. They were called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Siderites, or NERDS for short.<br />
<br />
And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening sound of drums that no one noticed that the real riches were going to the drum maker, one Brother William of Gates, who bought up every drum company in the land. And indeed did insist on making drums that would work only with Brother Gates' drumheads and drumsticks.<br />
<br />
Dot did say, &quot;Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others.&quot;<br />
<br />
And as Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel, or as it came to be known &quot;eBay&quot; he said, &quot;We need a name that reflects what we are.&quot;<br />
<br />
And Dot replied, &quot;Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators.&quot;<br />
<br />
&quot;YAHOO,&quot; said Abraham.<br />
<br />
And that is how it all began. It wasn't Al Gore after all.<br />
<br />
Author Known<br />
Submitted by Richard</div>

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			<dc:creator>The Story Teller</dc:creator>
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			<title>07/28/10 - Our Daily Bread</title>
			<link>http://www.christianfunforums.com/forums/devotional-thoughts/10476-07-28-10-our-daily-bread.html</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:13:21 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Here is the link to today's reading of Our Daily Bread: 
 
 
Expert Repair - Our Daily Bread...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><font size="4">Here is the link to today's reading of Our Daily Bread:<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://odb.org/2010/07/28/expert-repair/" target="_blank">Expert Repair - Our Daily Bread</a></font></div>

]]></content:encoded>
			<category domain="http://www.christianfunforums.com/forums/devotional-thoughts/">Devotional Thoughts</category>
			<dc:creator>USNavyBlueAngel</dc:creator>
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			<title>How God Forgave a Murderer</title>
			<link>http://www.christianfunforums.com/forums/story-teller-doc/10474-how-god-forgave-murderer.html</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:15:59 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>How God Forgave a Murderer  
 
 
I was raised in a very abusive home. I was physically, mentally,...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>How God Forgave a Murderer <br />
<br />
<br />
I was raised in a very abusive home. I was physically, mentally, and sexually abused starting at age 3. It was the only life I had ever known. As I grew into my teen years, I even started abusing myself with drugs and alcohol. Later it was gangs and prostitution. Then one sad night I shot and killed my pimp. I was arrested and sent to jail without bond. Knowing there was a GOD and believing there was a JESUS, I decided to give them a try. Although I felt I wasn't worth their love, I also felt I had nowhere else to turn. So I began to pray, but I wasn't sure quite how. So I said, &quot;which one of you do I talk to?&quot; Then I waited silently. And within myself I heard a still quiet voice say &quot;MY SON AND I ARE AS ONE.&quot; That was a beginning. <br />
<br />
So I got a Bible from the jail minister, but I couldn't understand the words. So I prayed again for understanding of the words. To my amazement I could now understand a big majority of it. This book, the word of GOD, the Bible became my new best friend. I read about the sins of the saints in the Bible before they met CHRIST and I realized some of them were about as bad as me, also many people in there had been in jail. One man had even killed Christians before he met JESUS himself. But they were forgiven. That’s how much GOD loves us. Also knowing that being human we would fail him, GOD provided a way for us to be delivered from our sins. He sent HIS own SON JESUS CHRIST to die for our sins the final blood sacrifice for all mankind who would just believe. WOW!!! So I did give my heart completely to JESUS. I felt such peace. I was in jail, in more trouble then I could get out of , but I was happy. It was the peace that only comes from GOD. <br />
<br />
A few months later I started having dreams, and in these dreams, angels were talking to me. They were speaking in foreign languages. I couldn’t understand them, but they would leave me with one English word. The first time the word was &quot;benevolence.&quot; When I looked it up, I found that it meant to be kind and charitable. The second time the word was &quot;doxology&quot;. I found that word to mean words or songs of praise to GOD. WOW!!!! AGAIN!!! These angels were giving me instructions straight from the thrown of GOD!!!!! I knew GOD and JESUS were real!!! Not because the book said so, but because I really knew them. The best part is my terrible sins were forgiven. I was clean. Not because of what I did, but because of JESUS. So many miracles happened after that, that I wouldn’t even mention them all. I would just like you all to know that today I am free (from sin and prison) and I have a daughter, a wonderful husband, and a good home. I also have forgiven all the people in my past that abused me. Do you know what a relief it is to finally let go of so much hate??? It feels awesome!! The world is full of hurting people. If you are one of them, I pray this testimony shows you that NO ONE is too bad for the LOVE of GOD!!!!!!!!<br />
<br />
Author Unknown<br />
Submitted by Richard</div>

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			<dc:creator>The Story Teller</dc:creator>
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			<title>How I Stopped Drinking</title>
			<link>http://www.christianfunforums.com/forums/story-teller-doc/10473-how-i-stopped-drinking.html</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:13:59 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>How I Stopped Drinking 
I splurged on the angel with auburn hair. She seemed to be meant for me  
...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>How I Stopped Drinking<br />
I splurged on the angel with auburn hair. She seemed to be meant for me <br />
<br />
by Karen B.<br />
Four years ago, in the dreary lull that comes with the New Year, I was battling a familiar foe: depression. I’d gone into town to run a few errands, but the looming gray hills only added to my gloom. I bought beer and put gas in the car. Squeezing the metal handle of the nozzle, I tried not to dwell on the parallel between a car’s need for fuel and my dependency on alcohol.<br />
<br />
Depression and alcoholism ran in my family. Knowing that my feelings were inherited did little to make them more bearable. It was worse, in fact, to think that I was powerless over how I felt, especially at this time of year when people are supposed to feel hopeful about what’s to come. What did the New Year hold for me but more unhappiness?<br />
<br />
The pump shut itself off with a thunk, stirring me from my half-attentive state. I screwed the cap on the gas tank, got in my car and started the engine, not really wanting to go back to my empty house and the couch where I found myself sitting and drinking so often that it almost seemed a physical part of me.<br />
<br />
Next to the gas station was a country store that catered to tourists. The sign outside proclaimed big markdowns on Christmas items. I pulled into the parking lot.<br />
<br />
The store was like most rural tourist stops, crowded with candleholders, quilts, hand painted signs. There were two tables of ornaments. My attention was drawn to several angel figures, about eight inches high, with clay heads, hands and wings. Their robes were of     papier-mâché. One in particular, with flowing auburn hair like my own, seemed to call to me. I reached out and picked her up. All of a sudden the strangest feeling welled up, a feeling of peacefulness and reassurance that momentarily overrode my depression. I glanced at her price tag—too much even at 20 percent off. Putting her back, I started to walk away when the thought struck me, No. That angel is meant for you.<br />
<br />
I returned to the table and picked up the figure again. Turning her over, I noticed that inside her skirt were the initials KB, same as mine. None of the other angels had any writing on them. “This must be for me, after all,” I muttered, pulling out my credit card to pay.<br />
<br />
Back home, after putting away the groceries and beer, I decided to place the angel     on my living room mantel. I cleared a spot and set her down carefully. At that instant, a powerful thought formed in my mind, completely unbidden: Please help me stop drinking.<br />
<br />
What was I thinking? I had no concept of myself as someone who did not drink, and the notion of facing my feelings without the buffer of alcohol was completely unnerving. Almost in defiance of the thought, I cracked open another beer and flopped on the couch, staring up at the angel while I drank.<br />
<br />
And I kept drinking as the weeks passed, most nights until I nodded off on the couch or stumbled to bed in a depressive fog. I’d go to work in the morning, alcohol still coursing through my system. I did my work well despite the gruesome daily hangover, but relations with my colleagues deteriorated. “Karen,” my boss told me during one confrontation, “it’s not your work that’s the problem, it’s you.”<br />
<br />
I didn’t want to hear it, even though it was looking like this would be another job lost, my fourth in as many years. With my family far away, and no friends to speak of, work was about the only place I interacted with anyone at all. Now    that was about to fall apart, and I really didn’t care. I couldn’t care. About anything.<br />
<br />
Lying on the living room couch, I’d sometimes find myself staring up at the angel on the mantelpiece. Why did I bring her here? What was that mystifying calmness I’d felt the first time I held her in my hands? Was God trying to tell me he cared about me or was it just a trick of the mind?<br />
<br />
By summer I knew I was losing control. I’d always looked at my drinking through a prism of rationalization. I told myself that if I held a job and owned a home, my drinking couldn’t be that bad. But now, as bills and job woes mounted and the drinking took a greater physical toll, I finally admitted that the alcohol I had used for so many years to take the edge off my depression was making it worse.<br />
<br />
One night after work, I was sitting in my usual spot on the couch fighting the feelings of shame and worthlessness that lately seemed to be on the verge of smothering me, when I broke down in deep, spasmodic sobs. I didn’t even try to stop. I don’t know how long I cried, but at some point I heard myself say, “Please, God, destroy my desire to drink!” Yet the very next night I was back on the couch drinking more desperately than ever.<br />
<br />
My prayer seemed to open the floodgates wide. Almost at once my drinking became completely reckless. I abandoned the couch and became careless about drinking and driving. And that was what set the stage for my miracle.<br />
<br />
The flashing lights of the state trooper’s patrol car were a blue blaze in my rearview mirror that night. I was smart enough, at least, to pull off the road and submit to arrest for drunk driving. The trooper took me to the county jail, where I was given a Breathalyzer test, fingerprinted, photographed and locked in a cell for six hours to sober up. As clarity returned, the true state of my life was laid bare for me. I realized I was killing myself. I wanted to go home. I wanted to see the angel on my mantel. I wanted to sit on my couch and look at her and think.<br />
<br />
I had to give the cab driver a hundred dollars in advance to take me the 50 miles home. I walked in the door, sat down on the couch and looked up at the angel figurine. I’d thought of her all the way home. Now I simply stared and stared until I felt something inside me give. The tears came again, but they were tears of relief. Another one of those powerful thoughts I’d been having since the first of the year took hold, and it was as sure as anything I knew: Thank God I don’t have to drink anymore.<br />
<br />
In that instant, my life changed, and only the word miracle can describe it. I came to the end of a long maze after years of being lost within it. Yet staring at my angel, I understood fully that a higher power had guided me through.<br />
<br />
Recovery has been a bumpy road, but my life is full of rewards. Quitting alcohol was just the first step in a series of steps I’ve taken in the last four years. My job is more satisfying, my health is strong, I have friends. My last performance review at work included “good relations with coworkers” as a strength. One big amazing step I took recently was with a man I met at a hiking club. I felt the same strange powerful draw to him that I had felt in the country store. Now the angel on the mantelpiece has two people to watch over, my husband and me.<br />
<br />
God has used many ways to show he loves me, that he’s always loved me. But it was a clay figurine with auburn hair, on sale for 20 percent off, that he used to save my life.<br />
Submitted by Richard</div>

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			<dc:creator>The Story Teller</dc:creator>
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			<title>How Love Raises Children</title>
			<link>http://www.christianfunforums.com/forums/story-teller-doc/10472-how-love-raises-children.html</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:11:38 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[How Love Raises Children  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
 
When you thought I wasn't looking,...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>How Love Raises Children <br />
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- <br />
<br />
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I wanted to paint another one. <br />
<br />
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I thought it was good to be kind to animals. <br />
<br />
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me, and I knew that little things are special things. <br />
<br />
When you thought I wasn't looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I believed there is a God I could always talk to. <br />
<br />
When you thought I wasn't looking, I felt you kiss me goodnight, and I felt loved. <br />
<br />
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry. <br />
<br />
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be. <br />
<br />
When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked . . . . and wanted to say thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.<br />
<br />
Author Unknown<br />
Submitted by Richard</div>

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			<title>US Masterchef ???</title>
			<link>http://www.christianfunforums.com/forums/lounge/10471-us-masterchef.html</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:39:25 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>I saw it starts on the 27th .... anyone going to watch it? and looks like Gordon Ramsay is the host...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>I saw it starts on the 27th .... anyone going to watch it? and looks like Gordon Ramsay is the host :scratch:<br />
<br />
Our second series just finished on Sunday :cry:and now we are waiting on Junior Masterchef featuring 8-12 year olds - but no dates on that yet</div>

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			<dc:creator>Ariella</dc:creator>
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			<title>07/27/10 - Our Daily Bread</title>
			<link>http://www.christianfunforums.com/forums/devotional-thoughts/10470-07-27-10-our-daily-bread.html</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:54:43 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Here is the link to today's reading of Our Daily Bread: 
 
 
Lessons Of Obedience - Our Daily Bread...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><font size="4">Here is the link to today's reading of Our Daily Bread:<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://odb.org/2010/07/27/lessons-of-obedience/" target="_blank">Lessons Of Obedience - Our Daily Bread</a></font></div>

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