Your IQ

“My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.” – George Washington (1732-1799)

“All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.” – Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

“I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.” – Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

Fresh Manna

Exodus 16:15b “And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.”

Something to Think About

The Wooden Bowl (The Principle of Sowing and Reaping)

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and a four-year old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating rather difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass often milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. “We must do something about grandfather,” said the son. I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor. So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner at the dinner table. Since grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. Sometimes when the family glanced in grandfather’s direction, he had a tear in his eye as he ate alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table.

For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled. Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that every day that building blocks are being laid for the child’s future.

Let us all be wise builders and role models. Take care of yourself, and those you love, today, and every day!

Today is the Day:

A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother who lived two hundred miles away. As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing.

He asked her what was wrong and she replied, “I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother. But I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars.”

The man smiled and said, “Come on in with me. I’ll buy you a rose.”

He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother’s flowers. As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home. She said, “Yes, please! You can take me to my mother.”

She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave. The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to his mother’s house.

Poetry Corner

Watching My Mom Decline

In your youth it seems mom had endless energy each day
As the years passed so quickly one day it seemed to fade away
At first it seemed not so bad then came a stroke so very fast
And it never has been the same as those negative effects still last

Your face seems so pale and your voice does not sound the same
And often we hear the words old age is to blame
With a cane or walker tightly held you slowly move from place to place
All the wonderful memories we shared, time can never erase

Each time I hug you you’re still the same mom I have always known
And in the passing of the years my love and appreciation have grown
Decline and decay leave their mark yet they can never reach the heart
Love is protected in this fort and no power on earth can tear it apart

Every visit is important as we know not which one will be our last
Then the memories will be golden when I think about our past
Thankfully you are still alive and no circumstance of health can take away the pleasure
Of spending time with my mom each moment is a memory to treasure

In God’s hands alone is the time decided when your life is taken
With true faith in Jesus no one is ever forsaken
Today may I live in such a way that my mom I will never neglect or forget
That when I stand at you graveside there will wonderful memories and no regret.

By Kurt John LaCapruccia
(This poem was written before my mom passed away. I am thankful for all the time we had together.)

More than Conquerors

Romans 8:37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

Get My Mother In!

A well-known preacher was getting ready for bed one night when he heard a knock at the front door. Upon answering it he found a little girl drenched with rain. As he stood looking into her thin, haggard little face, she said, “Are you the preacher?”

“Yes, I am,” he replied.

“Well, won’t you come down and get my mother in?” she asked.

The preacher answered, “My dear, it is hardly proper for me to come and get your mother in. If she is drunk, you should get a policeman.”

“Oh, sir,” she quickly replied, “you don’t understand! My mother isn’t drunk; she’s at home dying, and she’s afraid to die. She wants to go to heaven, but doesn’t know how. I told her I would find a preacher to get her in. Come quick, sir; she’s dying!”

The preacher could not resist the appeal of the little girl, so he promised her he would come as soon as he was dressed.

The little girl led him into the slum district to an old house, up a rickety stairway, along a dark hall, and finally to a dismal room. There the dying woman lay in the corner.

“I’ve got the preacher for you, Mother. He wasn’t ready to come at first, but he’s here. You just tell him what you want, and do what he tells you, and he’ll get you in!”

Too weary to sit up, the poor women raised her feeble voice and asked, “Can you do anything for a sinner like me? My life has been lived in sin, and now that I’m dying, I feel that I’m going to hell, but I don’t want to go there; I want to go to heaven. What can I do now?”

Looking at her sin-weary face the preacher thought: What can I tell her? I have been preaching salvation by reformation, but this poor soul has gone too far to reform. I have been preaching salvation by character, but she hasn’t any. I know what to do. I’ll tell her what my mother used to tell me as a boy. She’s dying and it can’t hurt her even if it doesn’t do her any good.

Bending down beside her the preacher began: “My dear woman, God is very gracious and kind, and in His Book, the Bible, He says, God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

“Oh,” exclaimed the dying woman, “does it say that in the Bible? My! That ought to get me in. But, sir, my sins, my sins!” He was amazed at the way the verses came back to him. “My dear woman,” he continued, “the Bible says that the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7. “All sin, did you say?” she asked earnestly. “Does it really say ALL sin? That ought to get me in.”

“Yes,” he replied, kneeling down beside her. “It says all sin. God’s Book also says: This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” 1 Timothy 1:15. “Well,” she said, “if the chief got in, I can come. Pray for me sir!” The preacher bent down and prayed with the poor woman. Just as she was she came to Jesus, who never turned anyone away, and she got in.

“And in the process,” added the preacher, “while she was getting in, I myself got in. We two sinners, the preacher and the poor woman, entered salvation’s door together that night.”

The Lord Jesus says: I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved. John 10:9. Again, Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. John 6:37. The Lord Jesus is the door. He does not say a door. The church is not the door; the Ten Commandments are not the door; reformation and good works are not the door; the blessed Mary, mother of Jesus, is not the door. Jesus is the only door, and to enter heaven a sinner must come through Him to have his sins forgiven and washed away.

The preacher’s good living didn’t get him in, nor did the poor woman’s bad life keep her out. Both were sinners, “for all have sinned” (Romans 3:23) and as such they entered through the same door to life and peace, by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18. Today Jesus will receive you if you come to him by faith. Jesus loves you and will wash away every sin when you put your faith in him.