This narrative was sent on my email from a former officemate. At first, I was kindda hesitant to open the email and just put it the junk mail folder – but I was thankful I didn’t do it. Be blessed as I have been blessed by reading through it… =)
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Every Sunday afternoon, after the morning service at the church, the Pastor and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out Gospel Tracts.
This particular Sunday afternoon, as it came time for the Pastor and his son to go to the streets with their tracts, it was very cold outside, as well as pouring rain.
The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said, ‘OK, dad, I’m ready.’
His Pastor dad asked, ‘Ready for what?’
‘Dad, it’s time we gather our tracts together and go out.’
Dad responds, ‘Son, it’s very cold outside and it’s pouring rain.’
The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking, ‘But Dad, aren’t people still going to Hell, even though it’s raining?’
Dad answers, ‘Son, I am not going out in this weather.’
Despondently, the boy asks, ‘Dad, can I go?
Please?’
His father hesitated for a moment then said, ‘Son, you can go. Here are the tracts, be careful son.’
‘Thanks Dad!’
And with that, he was off and out into the rain. This eleven year old boy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing everybody he met in the street a Gospel Tract.
After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone-chilled wet and down to his VERY LAST TRACT. He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a tract to, but the streets were totally deserted.
Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell, but nobody answered. He rang it again and again, but still no one answered. He waited but still no answer. Finally, this eleven year old trooper turned to leave, but something stopped him.
Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly on the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on the front porch! He rang again and this time the door slowly opened.
Standing in the doorway was a very sad-looking elderly lady. She softly asked, ‘What can I do for you son?’ With radiant eyes and a smile that lit up her world, this little boy said, ‘Ma’am, I’m sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that * JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU * and I came to give you my very last Gospel Tract which will tell you all about JESUS and His great LOVE.’
With that, he handed her his last tract and turned to leave.
She called to him as he departed. ‘Thank you, son! And God Bless You!’
Well, the following Sunday morning in church Pastor Dad was in the pulpit. As the service began, he asked, ‘Does anybody have testimony or want to say anything?’
Slowly, in the back row of the church, an elderly lady stood to her feet.
As she began to speak, a look of glorious radiance came from her face, ‘No one in this church knows me. I’ve never been here before. You see, before last Sunday I was not a Christian. My husband passed on some time ago, leaving me totally alone in this world. Last Sunday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it was even more so in my heart that I came to the end of the line where I no longer had any hope or will to live.
So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic of my home. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof, then stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck. Standing on that chair, so lonely and broken-hearted I was about to leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs startled me. I thought, ‘I’ll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go away.’
I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and more insistent, and then the person ringing also started knocking loudly…
I thought to myself again, ‘Who on earth could this be? Nobody ever rings my bell or comes to see me.’ I
loosened the rope from my neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang louder and louder.
When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I had ever seen in my life. His SMILE, oh, I could never describe it to you!
The words that came from his mouth caused my heart that had long been dead, TO LEAP TO LIFE as he exclaimed with a cherub-like voice, ‘Ma’am, I just came to tell you that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU .’ Then he gave me this Gospel Tract that I now hold in my hand.
As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I closed my door and read slowly every word of this Gospel Tract. Then I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn’t be needing them any more.
You see– -I am now a Happy Child of the KING. Since the address of your church was on the back of this Gospel Tract, I have come here to personally say THANK YOU to God’s little angel who came just in the nick of time and by so doing, spared my soul from an eternity in hell.’
There was not a dry eye in the church. And as shouts of praise and honor to THE KING resounded off the very rafters of the building, Pastor Dad descended from the pulpit to the front pew where the little angel was seated….
He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably.
Probably no church has had a more glorious moment, and probably this universe has never seen a Papa that was more filled with love & honor for his son… Except for One.
Blessed are your eyes for reading this message.
Don’t let this message die, read it again and pass it to others. Heaven is for His people!
Remember, God’s message CAN make the difference in the life of someone close to you.
Please share this wonderful message…
If you love JESUS , please forward this message.
Spread His word, and share His goodness and faithfulness.
Matthew 10:32 says: ‘Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him before My Father in heaven’
January 7, 2009 – Me and Milo traveled all the way from Quezon City to enroll at Baliuag School of Music (Baliuag, Bulacan). I must say that I was pretty much impressed with the school. There are 6 rooms all in all: one for the piano room, the winds instruments room, the strings instruments room, the voice lessons room, the drums room, and the “munting bulwagan”. I will be studying advanced piano lessons and drums while Milo will be studying advanced voice lessons.
We will have an extensive one on one training for 2 months with our respective teachers. Milo’s teacher is a member of the Philippine Madrigal singers. Philippine Madrigal Singers (MADZ) is one of the most awarded choirs in Asia and in the world. The group has consistently won major prizes in the most prestigious international choral competitions for decades. The Madz made history as the first choral group to have won the European Choral Grand Prix twice. In 2009, they were designated Artists for Peace by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The MADZ was initially organized as the University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers in 1963 by Prof. Andrea O. Veneracion, proclaimed National Artist for Music in 1999. In 2001, after almost four decades of leadership, Prof. Veneracion passed on her legacy to its present Choirmaster, Mr. Mark Anthony Carpio.
On the other hand, my piano teacher is a graduate of music conservatory with a major in piano and minor in guitar. He is currently the musical director of Jesus Our Discipler Church in Malolos Bulacan. Meet my piano teacher: Mr. Herbie Carmona =)
Here is an article I received this morning on my email that is really very relevant to what is happening on my life just now. Let me share this with you..
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Teaching a Horse to Fly
Dan Miller
The sultan of Persia had sentenced two men to death. One of them, knowing how much the sultan loved his stallion, offered to teach the horse to fly within a year in return for his life. The sultan, fancying himself as the rider of the only flying horse in the world, agreed.
The other prisoner looked at his friend in disbelief. “You know horses don’t fly. What made you come up with a crazy idea like that? You’re only postponing the inevitable.” “Not so,” said the first prisoner. “I have actually given myself four chances for freedom. First, the sultan might die during the year. Second, I might die. Third, the horse might die. And fourth — I might teach the horse to fly.”
Wow – I like this guy’s thinking. Rather than giving in to victim mentality, with one creative suggestion, he creates four possible outcomes other than just being put to death.
Now — what “impossible” situation are you faced with today? Just lost your job? Just found out your bank is foreclosing on your house? Just shut the doors on the business you always dreamed of having? What are four new possibilities you could see — instead of just assuming crushing loss?
If you lost your job, you could:
Realize you’ve been “underemployed” and “undercompensated” — do a great job search and begin a much better position.
Use your severance package to take your family on that much deserved vacation that’s been put off for too many years.
Go back to school to finish that long-awaited degree.
Finally have the opportunity to start your own business.
For the past few months, I was so busy doing so many things that I have already forgotten the word “relax”. This start up business has made my life revolve on work almost 24/7 – I always think of work from the moment I wake up until I retire to bed (Heck, I even dream about work!). And so, people will always see me on the go, and never be able to stop and have some small chat with the people around me.
My body has been used to be in front of my laptop everyday from morning till evening. It’s the first and last thing that I see everyday (haha I’m so workaholic noh?). That is why yesterday was a complete turn of events for me.
The entire family went to Bicol Memorial to visit my grandfather’s tomb – my parents, uncles and aunts as well as my younger cousins. I truly enjoyed last night because the Gepte-Alcomendas clan has been reunited again. It’s only during Halloween season that the entire family get to be together, and it’s always brings joy to my heart because I get to see my loved ones together.
I couldn’t help but stare at my cousins (ages 2-5) playing around and giggling at the same time. What a very beautiful sight! Before, I used to hate children because they are so noisy – but upon seeing my cousins fooling around and giving out those youthful and innocent laughter – I couldn’t help but smile. Geez, I’m totally amused at myself now that I find their giggling and playing around as a stress reliever hahaha.
And then when I woke up earlier (around 5 am), I went to the porch of my grandma and just sat there. The porch is overlooking the blue skies and Mount Mayon. It has really been a long long time since I sat there. I did nothing. I just sat there, and stared at the slowly emerging light that opened another day.
For a while, I never thought of anything.. all I did is sit there and stare at the vast sky that slowly turns from black..then orangey..then bluish white, until I finally saw the light streak of clouds that is being blown smoothly by the cool morning air.
I sighed and just enjoyed the captivating beauty of sunrise. God is truly amazing – he did a magnificent work of art that is unique and can never be copied by anyone. For this morning, I witnessed God’s masterpiece and blown away by his divine creation..