De-Sensitised

This has been around before but SO worthwhile if you have kids at home,
make them read it more than once, a very good message !

De-sensitised
Unknown Author

We become de-sensitised a little bit at a time. Some years ago, I walked
into my office after a Sunday morning service to find a sandwich bag on my
desk containing three chocolate brownies. Some thoughtful and anonymous person
who knew my love for chocolate had placed them there, along with a piece of
paper that had a short story written on it. I immediately sat down and began
eating the first brownie as I read the following story.

Two teenagers asked their father if they could go to the theater to watch a
movie that all their friends had seen. After reading some reviews about the
movie on the Internet, he denied their request.

"Ah dad, why not?" they complained. "It's rated PG-13, and we're both older
than thirteen!"

Dad replied: "Because that movie contains nudity and portrays immorality as
being normal and acceptable behavior." "But dad, those are just very small
parts of the movie! That's what our friends who've seen it have told us. The
movie is two hours long and those scenes are just a few minutes of the
total film! It's based on a true story and good triumphs over evil, and there
are other redeeming themes like courage and self-sacrifice. Even the movie
review websites say that!"

"My answer is 'no,' and that is my final answer. You are welcome to stay
home tonight, invite some of your friends over, and watch one of the good
videos we have in our home collection. But you will not go and watch that film.
End of discussion."

The two teenagers walked dejectedly into the family room and slumped down on
the couch. As they sulked, they were surprised to hear the sounds of their
father preparing something in the kitchen. They soon recognised the
wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and one of the teenagers said to the
other, "Dad must be feeling guilty, and now he's going to try to make it up
to us with some fresh brownies.
Maybe we can soften him with lots of praise when he brings them out to us
and persuade him to let us go to that movie after all."

About that time I began eating the second brownie from the sandwich bag and
wondered if there was some connection to the brownies I was eating and the
brownies in the story. I kept reading.

The teens were not disappointed. Soon their father appeared with a plate of
warm brownies, which he offered to his kids. They each took one. Then
their father said, "Before you eat, I want to tell you something: "I love you
both so much." The teenagers smiled at each other with knowing glances. Dad
was softening. "That is why I've made these brownies with the very best
ingredients. I've made them from scratch. Most of the ingredients are even
organic; the best organic flour, the best free-range eggs, the best organic
sugar, premium vanilla and chocolate." The brownies looked mouth-watering, and
the teens began to become a little impatient with their dad's long speech.

"But I want to be perfectly honest with you. There is one ingredient I
added that is not usually found in brownies. I got that ingredient from our own
back yard. But you needn't worry, because I only added the tiniest bit of
that ingredient to your brownies. The amount of the portion is practically
insignificant. So go ahead, take a bite and let me know what you think.

"Dad, would you mind telling us what that mystery ingredient is before we
eat?"

"Why? The portion I added was so small. Just a teaspoonful. You won't
even taste it."
"Come on, dad; just tell us what that ingredient is."

"Don't worry! It is organic, just like the other ingredients."

"Dad!!!"

"Well, OK, if you insist. That secret ingredient is organic...dog poop."

I immediately stopped chewing that second brownie and I spit it out into the
waste basket by my desk. I continued reading, now fearful of the paragraphs
that still remained.

Both teens instantly dropped their brownies back on the plate and began
inspecting their fingers with horror.

"DAD! Why did you do that? You've tortured us by making us smell those
brownies cooking for the last half hour, and now you tell us that you added dog
poop! We can't eat these brownies!"

"Why not? The amount of dog poop is very small compared to the rest of the
ingredients. It won't hurt you. It's been cooked right along with the
other ingredients. You won't even taste it. It has the same consistency as the
brownies. Go ahead and eat!"

"No, Dad...NEVER!"

"And that is the same reason I won't allow you to go watch that movie. You
won't tolerate a little dog poop in your brownies, so why should you
tolerate a little immorality in your movies? We pray that God will not lead us unto
temptation, so how can we in good conscience entertain ourselves with
something that will imprint a sinful image in our minds that will lead us into
temptation long after we first see it?"

I discarded what remained of the second brownie, as well as the entire
untouched third brownie. What had been irresistible a minute ago had become
detestable. And only because of the very slim chance that what I was eating was
slightly polluted. (Surely it wasn't... but I couldn't convince myself.)

HAVE A NICE DAY

NUDGE THE BALANCE

A 91-year-old woman died after living a very long dignified life. When she
met God, she asked Him something that had really bothered her for a very
long time. "If Man was created in God's image, and if all men are created
equal, why do people treat each other so badly?"

God replied that each person who enters our life has a unique lesson to
teach us. It is only through these lessons that we learn about life, people
and our relationships with God. This confused the woman, so God began to
explain:

"When someone lies to you, it teaches you that things are not always what
they seem. The truth is often far beneath the surface. Look beyond the masks
people wear if you want to know what is in their hearts. Remove your own
masks to let people know who you really are.

When someone steals from you it teaches you that nothing is forever. Always
appreciate what you have. You never know when you might lose it. Never take
your friends or family for granted, because today and sometimes only this
very moment is the only guarantee you may have.

When someone inflicts injury upon you, it teaches you that the human state
is a very fragile one. Protect and take care of your body as best as you
can, it's the one thing that you are sure to have forever.

When someone mocks you, it teaches you that no two people are alike. When
you encounter people who are different from you, do not judge them by how
they look or act, instead base it on the contents of what is in their
hearts.

When someone breaks your heart, it teaches you that loving someone does not
always mean that the person will love you back. But don't turn your back on
love, because when you find the right person, the joy that one person brings
you will make up for all of your past hurts. Times a thousand fold.

When someone holds a grudge against you, it teaches you that everyone makes
mistakes. When you are wronged, the most virtuous thing you can do is
forgive the offender without pretense. Forgiving those who have hurt us is
often the most difficult and painful of life's experiences, but it is also
the most courageous thing a person can do.

When a loved one is unfaithful to you, it teaches you that resisting
temptation is Man's greatest challenge. Be vigilant in your resistance
against all temptations. By doing so, you will be rewarded with an enduring
sense of satisfaction far greater than the temporary pleasure by which you
were tempted.

When someone cheats you, it teaches you that greed is the root of all evil.
Aspire to make your dreams come true, no matter how lofty they may be. Do
not feel guilty about your success, but never let an obsession with
achieving your goals lead you to engage in malevolent activities.

When someone ridicules you, it teaches you that nobody is perfect. Accept
people for their merits and be tolerant of their flaws. Do not ever reject
someone for imperfections over which they have no control."

Upon hearing the Lord's wisdom, the old woman became concerned that there
are no lessons to be learned from man's good deeds. God replied that Man's
capacity to love is the greatest gift He has. At the root of kindness and
love, and each act of love also teaches us a lesson. The woman's curiosity
deepened. God, once again began to explain:

"When someone loves us, it teaches us love, kindness, charity, honesty,
humility, forgiveness, acceptance, and all of these can counteract all the
evil in the world. For every good deed, there is one evil deed. Man alone
has the power to control the balance between good and evil, but because the
lessons of love are not taught often enough, the power is too often abused.

When you enter someone's life, whether by plan, chance or coincidence,
consider what your lesson will be. Will you teach love or a harsh lesson of
reality? When you die, will your life have resulted in more loving or more
hurting? More comfort or more pain? More joy or more sadness? Each one of us
has the power over the balance of the love in the world. Use it wisely!"

Don't miss an opportunity to nudge the world's scale in the right direction!

Contributed by Jags

Lunar Eclipse - 3rd March 2007

Planets and Stars to Scale

Tree that Wood

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."

Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter" ... and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one", and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time. Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.