I would love for you to go there and visit.

Thanks,

FaithfulinPrayer

Each of the wooden people was carved by a woodworker named Eli. His workshop sat on a hill overlooking their village.

Every Wemmick was different. Some had big noses, others had large eyes. Some were tall and others were short. Some wore hats, others wore coats. But all were made by the same carver and all lived in the village. And all day, every day, the Wemmicks did the same thing: They gave each other stickers.

Each Wemmick had a box of golden star stickers and a box of gray dot stickers. Up and down the streets all over the city, people could be seen sticking stars or dots on one another.

The pretty ones, those with smooth wood and fine paint, always got stars. But if the wood was rough or the paint chipped, the Wemmicks gave dots. The talented ones got stars, too.. Some could lift big sticks high above their heads or jump over tall boxes. Still others knew big words or could sing very pretty songs. Everyone gave them stars. Some Wemmicks had stars all over them! Every time they got a star it made them feel so good that they did something else and got another star. Others, though, could do little. They got dots.

Punchinello was one of these. He tried to jump high like the others, but he always fell. And when he fell, the others would gather around and give him dots. Sometimes when he fell, it would scar his wood, so the people would give him more dots. He would try to explain why he fell and say something silly, and the Wemmicks would give him more dots. After a while he had so many dots that he didn’t want to go outside. He was afraid he would do something dumb such as forget his hat or step in the water, and then people would give him another dot. In fact, he had so many gray dots that some people would come up and give him one without reason.

“He deserves lots of dots,” the wooden people would agree with one another. “He’s not a good wooden person.”

After a while Punchinello believed them. “I’m not a good wemmick,” he would say.

The few times he went outside, he hung around other Wemmicks who had a lot of dots. He felt better around them.

One day he met a Wemmick who was unlike any he’d ever met. She had no dots or stars. She was just wooden.

Her name was Lulia. It wasn’t that people didn’t try to give her stickers; it’s just that the stickers didn’t stick. Some admired Lulia for having no dots, so they would run up and give her a star. But it would fall off. Some would look down on her for having no stars, so they would give her a dot. But it wouldn’t stay either.

‘That’s the way I want to be’, thought Punchinello. ‘I don’t want anyone’s marks.’ So he asked the stickerless Wemmick how she did it. “It’s easy,” Lulia replied. “every day I go see Eli.”

“Eli?”

“Yes, Eli. The woodcarver. I sit in the workshop with him.”

“Why?”

“Why don’t you find out for yourself? Go up the hill. He’s there.” And with that the Wemmick with no marks turned and skipped away.

“But he won’t want to see me!” Punchinello cried out. Lulia didn’t hear.

So Punchinello went home. He sat near a window and watched the wooden people as they scurried around giving each other stars and dots.

“It’s not right,” he muttered to himself. And he resolved to go see Eli.

He walked up the narrow path to the top of the hill and stepped into the big shop hoping you’d come,” Eli explained.

“I came because I met someone who had no marks.”

“I know. She told me about you.”

“Why don’t the stickers stay on her?”

“Because she has decided that what I think is more important than what they think. The stickers only stick if you let them.” “What?”

“The stickers only stick if they matter to you. The more you trust my love, the less you care about the stickers.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“You will, but it will take time. You’ve got a lot of marks. For now, just come to see me every day and let me remind you how much I care.”

Eli lifted Punchinello off the bench and set him on the ground. “Remember, “Eli said as the Wemmick walked out the door. “You are special because I made you. And I don’t make mistakes.”

Punchinello didn’t stop, but in his heart he thought, “I think he really means it.” And when he did, a dot fell to the ground.

Think about it… we judge others by our standards and others judge us by theirs, but at the end of the day we are all fellow Wemmicks…..er… Humans, perfect and imperfect in our own little ways which makes each one unique….. special… and for those of us who believe, don’t you agree that the opinion of our Maker is most important?

Be glad and thankful for what one has and live life to the fullest and don’t spend too much time worrying about the “stars and dots” and don’t waste time giving out “dots” either !!!!

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of Root Beer and he started his journey.

The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.
 The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer. Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy? “He replied, “I had lunch with God.” But before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? God’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!”

Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked,” Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?” He replied, “I ate Twinkies in the park with God.” However, before his son responded, he added,” You know, he’s much younger than I expected.

” Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!

~author unknown~

In my Christian walk, I have been a very stubborn child of God.  I have a great tendency to wander away and wallow in the sins of the world.  Many times, it has caused my relationship with God to be non-existent.  However, as I sit and look back over my life from the time I accepted Christ into my heart and was baptized at the age of 8 until now, I can see how God pursued me each time I walked away from Him. 

There were times my wanderings lasted days, sometimes weeks, and one period of time, I walked away for 10 years.  But still God pursued me.  It still amazes me how God loves me enough to do whatever it takes to get me back in relationship with Him.  Some ways have been interesting, some comical, and some were very painful.

Looking at the story of the prodigal son, it is the perfect picture of repentance and reconciliation with God, the center of which is the Merciful Father.  First, you have the sinner who is fascinated by the illusory freedom of sin, followed by abandonment of his father’s house, then eventually followed by extreme misery and humiliation.  At this point, the sinner can start to see what all he has lost in leaving the father and the process of reconciliation can begin. You have the journey back to the father and the sinner declares himself guilty before the father and repents (turns away) from his sin.  The father is joyful to have his son (child of God) back.  There is great joy in heaven!

In the story of the prodigal son, the son is given a robe, a ring, and a festive banquet upon his return – symbols of the new life: pure, worthy, joyful.

Another reading this Sunday is 1 Timothy 1:12-17.  Paul says, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” 

Sometimes it is hard for us humans to believe that God loves us unconditionally as much as He does.  We judge ourselves by human standards.  I thank God that He is not like his creation and is merciful and will pursue us when we wander away.  If you have wandered away from your relationship with God, come back today.  Repent, Confess, Be Reconciled.

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes even this own life – he cannot be my disciple.  Verses 28-32 are two parables that drive home the call for people to weigh the cost of discipleship. Verse 33 ends with “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he cannot be my disciple.”

 When Jesus talks about hating our family members and ourselves, he is talking comparatively.  Natural affection is to be, as compared with the Christian’s devotedness to Christ, as if it were hate.  Compare these verses to Matthew 12:47-50.

Jesus starts out his ministry in the Sermon on the Mount saying “Blessed are the Poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”.  Then when a rich man came to Jesus and ask, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life,” Jesus answers, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.”  The young rich man went away sad because he had great wealth.  Jesus said “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

To be a disciple of Christ, we must be able to give our ALL to Him.  He should be first in our lives.  All of our relationships should take second place to Christ.  All of our activities should take second place to Christ.  He should be central and foremost.  We are to prefer him to everything and everyone and should be able to renounce all that we have for His sake and the sake of the Gospel.

I know, myself, I struggle in this area.  Living in this world it is hard to NOT be worldly.  There is so much to grab our attention.  First, there are the relationships we have.  Family conflicts and problems can sometimes take up our time and attention.  Work (the love or hate of it) can take our eyes off Jesus.  Our hobbies and interests can take our attention away from Christ.  When you wake up each morning, you may or may not spend time with God in prayer and Bible reading.  You may even end your day with prayer and Bible reading.  Sundays, we go to church and worship Him.   

What about the rest of every day and every week?  Hebrews 12: 2 says “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”.  Colossians 3:2 says “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Today, we need to begin putting Christ first in our lives, minds, and heart.  The Kingdom of God will be ours.

One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.  When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.  But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests.  For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Last Sunday’s gospel reading focused on humility.  Humility is probably one of the hardest virtues to attain as a human.  As humans, we suffer from lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).  All those focus on SELF.

We worship at the altar of self daily.

Most people, even Christians suffer from pride and the sin of self.  As I have suffered from low self-esteem through much of my adult life, I used to think, “How can you have the sin of pride when you have such low self-worth?”  However, I have learned that low self-worth or esteem is just the flip side of the Pride/Selfishness coin.  You’re still focused on self and that is pride.  It is more like a perverse form of pride.

In the Cathecism of the Catholic Church, 1783 – 1785 deal with the Formation of Conscience.  It says:

1783 Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator. The education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings.

1784 The education of the conscience is a lifelong task. From the earliest years, it awakens the child to the knowledge and practice of the interior law recognized by conscience. Prudent education teaches virtue; it prevents or cures fear, selfishness and pride, resentment arising from guilt, and feelings of complacency, born of human weakness and faults. The education of the conscience guarantees freedom and engenders peace of heart.

1785 In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path,⁵⁴ we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. We must also examine our conscience before the Lord’s Cross. We are assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advice of others and guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church.

What I’m learning is that to conquer pride and self, I need to have a more informed and enlightened conscience.  To have that I must spend time in God’s Word, spend time with God in prayer and put into practice what He teaches me there. 

How much time each day do you spend with God?

My name is Mildred Hondorf. I am a former elementary school music teacher from Des Moines, Iowa. I’ve always supplemented my income by teaching piano lessons, something I’ve done for over 30 years.

Over the years I found that children have many levels of musical ability. I’ve never had the pleasure of having a prodigy, though I have taught some talented students.

However, I’ve also had my share of what I call “musically challenged” pupils. One such student was Robby. Robby was 11 years old when his mother (a single mom) dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer that students (especially boys!) begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby. But Robby said that it had always been his mother’s dream to hear him play the piano. So I took him as a student.

Well, Robby began his piano lessons and from the beginning I thought it was a hopeless endeavor. As much as Robby tried, he lacked the sense of tone and basic rhythm needed to excel. But he dutifully reviewed his scales and some elementary pieces that I require all my students to learn.

Over the months he tried and tried while I listened and cringed and tried to encourage him. At the end of each weekly lesson he’d always say, “My mom’s going to hear me play some day.” But it seemed hopeless. He just did not have any inborn ability. I only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled but never stopped in.

Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons. I thought about calling him but assumed that because of his lack of ability he had decided to pursue something else. I also was glad that he stopped coming. He was a bad advertisement for my teaching!

Several weeks later I mailed to the students’ homes a flyer on the upcoming recital. To my surprise Robby (who received a flyer) asked me if he could be in the recital. I told him that the recital was for current pupils and because he had dropped out, he really did not qualify.

He said that his mother had been sick and unable to take him to piano lessons but he was still practicing. “Miss Hondorf . . .I’ve just got to play!” he insisted. I don’t know what led me to allow him to play in the recital. Maybe it was his persistence or maybe it was something inside of me saying that it would be all right.

The night for the recital came. The high school gymnasium was packed with parents, friends, and relatives. I put Robby up last in the program before I was to come up and thank all the students and play a finishing piece. I thought that any damage he would do would come at the end of the program and I could always salvage his poor performance through my “curtain closer”.

Well, the recital went off without a hitch. The students had been practicing and it showed. Then Robby came up on stage. His clothes were wrinkled and his hair looked like he’d run an egg-beater through it. “Why didn’t he dress up like the other students?” I thought. “Why didn’t his mother at least make him comb his hair for this special night?”

Robby pulled out the piano bench and he began. I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen Mozart’s Concerto #21 in C Major. I was not prepared for what I heard next. His fingers were light on the keys; they even danced nimbly on the ivories. He went from pianissimo to fortissimo. . . from allegro to virtuoso. His suspended chords that Mozart demands were magnificent! Never had I heard Mozart played so well by a person his age. After six and a half minutes he ended in a grand crescendo and everyone was on their feet in wild applause.

Overcome and in tears I ran up on stage and put my arms around Robby in joy. “I’ve never heard you play like that Robby! How’d you do it? “

Through the microphone Robby explained: “Well, Miss Hondorf . . . . remember I told you my mom was sick? Well actually she had cancer and passed away this morning. And well . . . . she was born deaf so tonight was the first time she ever heard me play. I wanted to make it special.”

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house that evening. As the people from Social Services led Robby from the stage to be placed into foster care, I noticed that even their eyes were red and puffy. I thought to myself how much richer my life had been for taking Robby as my pupil.

No, I’ve never had a prodigy, but that night I became a prodigy . . . of Robby’s. He was the teacher and I was the pupil. For it is he that taught me the meaning of perseverance and love and believing in yourself and maybe even taking a chance in someone and you don’t know why.

Footnote:
Robby was killed in the senseless bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April of 1995.

He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house.  However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.  Instead of a meal, he asked for a drink of water!  She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk.  He drank it so slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”

“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied.  “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.”  He said, “Then I thank you from my heart.”

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also.  He had been ready to give up and quit.

Many years later that same woman became critically ill.  The local doctors were baffled.  They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.  Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation.  When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.

Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.  Dressed in his doctor’s gown, he went in to see her.  He recognized her at one.  He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life.  From that day, he gave special attention to her case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won.

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval.  He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge, and the bill was sent to her room.  She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all.  Finally, she looked and something caught her attention on the side of the bill.  She read these words:

“Paid in full with one glass of milk.”
(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed:  “Thank you, God that Your love has spread broad through human hearts and hands.”

There’s a saying which goes something like this:  Bread cast on the water comes back to you (Ecclesiastes 11:1).  The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected time.  If you never see the deed again at least you will you made the world a better place – and after all, isn’t that what life is all about?

~Author Unknown

Matthew 25:31-40 
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

 ”Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

 ”Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

 ”The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going.  After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him.    

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness –that’s Guidance!

For His name sake —– that’s Purpose!

 I thought this was pretty special, just like YOU!