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Seeds of Hope Newsletter
Vol 6
A Bi-Monthly Publication by France Aprahamian
All items in this newsletter are copyrighted by their authors,
please do not reprint unless you have express permission.
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This edition includes:
I. Editors Note
II. Survey
III. Poem-Why God Gave Us Friends
IV. Article-Blessed are the Merciful
V. Fun Stuff
VI. Article-Let's Make Courtesy Common
VII. Poem-The Pasture
VII. Thought for Today
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This newsletter is associated with the
www.francelene.netfirms.com The Encouragement Place.
Our goal is to uplift, entertain (a bit),demonstrate through
inspiring stories, scripture, and poems etc.,that God is
very much alive and active in human events. Where there is
life there is hope.
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'WHY GOD GAVE US FRIENDS'
God knew that everyone needs
Companionship and cheer...
He knew that people need someone
Whose thoughts are always near.
He knew they needed someone kind
to lend a helping hand...
Someone to gladly take the time
To care and understand...
That's why God gave us friends
God knew that we all need someone
To share each happy day...
To be a source of courage
When troubles come our way...
Someone to be true to us
Whether near or far apart...
Someone whose love we'll always hold
And treasure in our hearts...
That's why God gave us friends.
- Author unknown -
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Notes from a Life, Poems of Faith and Love
Availabe for a limited time for only
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Blessed Are the Merciful
by Marnie Pehrson
This past weekend I took all five of my children into a
crowded hair salon for my three boys to get buzz-cuts.
After my second eldest son had his shaved, he sat down
next to me and complained that his ear hurt. There was
just a slight abrasion where the lady cutting his hair
had grazed a bit of his ear with the hair clippers. It
wasn't really bleeding, but was pink. I said, ''Oh well,
it was an accident, you'll be ok.''
My oldest daughter was incensed that this woman through
her negligence had damaged her little brother's ear and
began to go on and on about what an atrocity this was and
how rude the lady had been to try to take a phone call
while cutting hair. She concluded that something simply
must be done. I tried to explain that the poor woman had
a crowded shop and had been cutting hair all morning and
that it was just an accident and really wasn't that bad
anyway. But she wouldn't hear of it. To her, this woman
had been rude and negligent and needed to have this brought
to her attention.
Perhaps half being a person who hates to rock the boat and
half wanting to teach my children a lesson in mercy, I
refused to make a scene or even mention it to this lady.
kept putting myself into her shoes. I could make or break
that poor woman's day with my decision to complain or not.
No matter how hard I tried to explain to my children to
get them to put themselves into the position of this lady,
it still didn't help my offended son and daughter understand
what I was trying to say. To them, I was just a lazy mother
who didn't care enough about her son to bring something to
a beautician's attention.
I'm sure other mothers would have reacted differently
in this situation and I'm not saying I handled it
perfectly, because evidently the teaching moment fell flat.
And maybe the lady did need to know she needed to be more
careful. Each person has to evaluate their own situation
as best they can.
As I was studying about what to write for this week's
lesson, the pages turned to Matthew 18 and I remembered
the incident in the hair salon. Jesus tells the story of
the servant with an immense debt. He owed 10,000 talents
to a king – the equivalent of $10 million today. The king
commanded that the servant be sold along with his wife and
his children and all he had to pay the debt.
''The servant therefore fell down and worshipped him,
saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee
all. Then the lord of the servant was moved with compassion,
and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.'' (Matt. 18:26-27)
But then the servant went out and found one of his
fellowservants who owed him an hundred pence (the
equivalent of $17 today), took the man by the throat and
demanded that he pay what he owed.
The man fell down at his feet, begged for mercy: ''Have
patience with me, and I will pay thee all.'' But the
servant wouldn't listen and had his fellow servant put
into prison til he could pay the debt.
When the man's fellow servants saw what he had done,
they were very sorry and went to tell the king. So the
king called the man in and said, ''O thou wicked servant,
I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow
servant, even as I had pity on thee?''
And the king was angry and delivered him to the
tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Then Jesus added, ''So likewise shall my Heavenly Father
do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every
one his brother their trespasses.'' (Matthew 18:35)
That's what Jesus meant when he taught, ''Blessed are
the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.'' (Matthew 5:7)
I don't know about you, but I need all the mercy I can get!
Marnie L. Pehrson is a wife, mother of 6 and consultant
who helps talented professionals discover, define and
deliver their message to the online world. She is the
author of 10 Steps to Fulfilling Your Divine Destiny:
A Christian Woman's Guide to Learning & Living God's
Plan for Her and may be reached at http://www.pwgroup.com
or webmaster@shelovesgod.com .
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A great website to visit for Christian Information and
encouragement.
www.resqdiver.com
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***FUN STUFF***
The 10 Movies Voted the Most Romantic
Note: Some Christian Women may not agree, please do not
feel offended.
1-Pretty Woman (1990)
2-Sleepless In Seatle (1993)
3-An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
4-Gone With the Wind (1939)
5-Titanic (1997)
6-When Harry Met Sally (1989)
7-Love Story (1970)
8-Casablanca (1942)
9-The Way We Were (1973)
10-Beauty and the Beast (1991)
*Ladies Home Journal, February 2002
**More Fun Stuff--A Fun Romantic Recipe**
PECAN LOVE TARTS
This is a cookie that you will love. End the evening with
a cup of coffee and cookies.
Preheat oven to 350F.
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup pecans, chopped fine
Mix butter, sugar, and vanilla and set aside. Sift together
flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture
to creamed butter, then mix in nuts. Roll into 1-inch balls
and drop onto greased cookie sheet. Lightly mash each ball
slightly flat. Bake at 350F for 15 to 20 minutes. If desired,
roll in powdered sugar when cooled.
Yield: 8 Tarts
This recipe is an excerpt from "The Art of Romance Cooking"
by Lonnie Lynch
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EDITOR'S Note--This may seem like business advice but my
opinion is that which should be courteous in every
situation we encounter not just at work, thanks.
Let's Make Courtesy More Common by Jeff Keller
Courtesy. I see less and less of this precious resource
each year. It's not yet on the endangered species list,
but I am concerned. I'm afraid "common courtesy" just
isn't very common these days. As we become a more complex,
faster moving society, politeness and consideration for
others seems less prevalent. And we're all guilty at times.
But, let's face it. Don't you still prefer to do business
with those who are polite and considerate? Here are some
specific suggestions for being more courteous and building
more effective business relationships:
Call when you're running late. We're all busy. Tighter
schedules. Unanticipated traffic and plane delays. But
there's simply no excuse for not letting others know when
you'll be late for an appointment. And the more notice you
can give, the better. That way, the other person can
rearrange his or her schedule and do some productive tasks
to fill in the time before your meeting. Time is a precious
commodity. So, respect other people's time and they'll have
more respect for you. After all, how do you feel when you
make a 3:00 appointment and someone shows up at 3:45?
When you ask for proposals or materials, make sure to respond.
We all get plenty of "junk mail" every day. I'm certainly not
suggesting that you respond to these unwanted solicitations.
But what about those instances where YOU initiate contact
with other companies or individuals to ask that proposals or
brochures be sent to you? In my view, common courtesy dictates
that you acknowledge receiving those materials and let the
other party know that they haven't been selected. (Sure, you
may feel bad "rejecting" someone. But it's far worse to leave
them hanging. A "thanks but no thanks" or even a plain "no"
is better than silence simply because it allows the other
party to move on to more important tasks.)
Here again, how do you feel when you're asked to send materials
about your product and then you never hear from the prospect
again? You feel like the other party, at the very least, owes
you a response, whether it be a letter, phone call or e?mail,
right?
The same holds true when you ask people to apply for a position
in your organization. Those who are not selected are entitled
to hear from you. You expect those who apply to research your
company and submit carefully prepared materials. In some instances,
they have taken part in interviews. Show the same courtesy and
let them know that a decision has been made.
"Take it easy" when you are rejecting or criticizing someone.
Are we becoming a harsher, more "in?your?face" society? I think
so, and it's not a good thing. I'm all for being honest, but
there's a sound argument to be made for "cushioning" critical
statements. For instance, if someone at work buys a new outfit
and asks you how it looks (and you think it's horrible) what
do you say? Would you say, "That's the ugliest outfit I've seen
in years?" The courteous response takes into account the other
person's feelings. Maybe something like, "It's certainly
different" or "unique."
I'm not asking you to "lead people on" or confuse them about
where you stand. However, most people are quite fragile when
it comes to criticism or rejection, and there's no purpose in
being so direct or "truthful" that you "crush" the other person.
Here's another example. Let's say that a college receives an
application from someone who clearly doesn't meet the school's
standards for admission. Which of these letters do you think
should be sent when rejecting the application?
A. "We regret to inform you that we can't offer you a position
at this time. We receive applications from many people and can't
offer a space to each one. We wish you much success in your
future endeavors."
B. "Compared to the other applications we received, yours was
a complete joke. What were you thinking about when you applied
here? The answer is NO."
Now, the second letter probably expresses the college's feelings
more accurately about the applicant. But, in my view, it's
downright cruel. As for the first letter, I wouldn't be happy
to get that either (and I did receive many of those!), but there
is a certain politeness to that rejection.
Courtesy is more than just being nice. Courtesy is good business.
And, besides, courtesy makes the world a little more pleasant.
So, show every human being the respect that he or she deserves.
Remember that what you send out is what will come back to you.
Let's all work together to make courtesy a little more common!
Jeff Keller is a motivational speaker and author of the
best-selling book, Attitude is Everything. For more
information, visit his web site
at http://www.attitudeiseverything.com
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Thought for Today:
JUST FOR TODAY,
...smile at a stranger
...listen to someone's heart
...drop a coin where a child can find it
...learn something new, then teach it to someone
...tell someone you're thinking of them
...hug a loved one
...don't hold a grudge
...don't be afraid to say "I'm sorry"
...look a child in the eye and tell them how great they are
...look beyond the face of a person into their heart
...make a promise, and keep it
...call someone, for no other reason than to just say "hi"
...show kindness to an animal
...stand up for what you believe in
...smell the rain, feel the breeze, listen to the wind
...use all your senses to their fullest
...cherish all your TODAY'S
Today you were thought about by me.
~Author: Unknown~
Check out more of Eva's nice poems
at www.angelfire.com/hi/EvasPlace
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