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The Burning Hut

~ Author Unknown

The only survivor of a shipwreck washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stung with grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me!" he cried.

Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him.

"How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers.

"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Paul wrote, "...I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want" (Philippians 4:12).

Paul had confidence that good would come out of everything (Romans 8:28 ). Paul learned to be thankful, not bitter, even when he was suffering.

Remember next time your little hut is burning to the ground -- it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.

Received in an email from my good friend, Peter A. Gertsen, CAUS Director
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The Carpenter

~Author Unknown

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized, we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity.

The plaque on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Who could say it more clearly?

Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.

Received in an email from my good friend, Peter A. Gertsen, CAUS Director
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The Cross

~Author Unknown

A man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out, He dropped to his knees in prayer.

"Lord, I can't go on," he said. "I have too heavy a cross to bear."

The Lord replied, "My son, if you can't bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then, open that other door and pick out any cross you wish."

The man was filled with relief. "Thank you, Lord," he sighed, and he did as he was told.

Upon entering the other door, he saw many crosses, some so large the tops were not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall. "I'd like that one, Lord," he whispered.

And the Lord replied, "My son, that is the cross you just brought in."

When life's problems seem overwhelming, it helps to look around and see what other people are coping with. You may consider yourself far more fortunate than you imagined.

Received on February 9, 2001 - Posted on the Tribforce Commando Communication Center (the original Tribforce Commando Communication Center site is no longer active)
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The Dinner Guest

~ Author Unknown

Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. She read the letter:

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The Farmer's Son

~ Author Unknown

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to eke out a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved. “I want to repay you,” said the nobleman. “You saved my son's life.”

“No, I can't accept payment for what I did,” the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel. “Is that your son?” the nobleman asked. “Yes,” the farmer replied proudly.

“I'll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll grow to a man you can be proud of.”

And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming's son graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin. Years afterward, the nobleman's son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him? Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said "what goes around comes around"!

Received in the CAUS HIGHLIGHTS, A newsletter from Peter A. Gertsen, CAUS Director
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The Green, Green Grass of Home

~ by Erma Bombeck, November 1971

When Mike was 2, he wanted a sandbox, and his father said: "There goes the yard. We'll have kids over here day and night, and they'll throw sand into the flower beds, and cats will make a mess in it, and it'll kill the grass for sure."

And Mike's mother said, "It'll come back."

When Mike was 5, he wanted a jungle gym set with swings that would take his breath away and bars to take him to the summit, and his father said: "Good grief, I've seen those things in back yards, and do you know what they look like? Mud holes in a pasture. Kids digging their gym shoes in the ground. It'll kill the grass."

And Mike's mother said, "It'll come back."

Between breaths, when Daddy was blowing up the plastic swimming pool, he warned: "You know what they're going to do to this place? They're going to condemn it and use it for a missile site. I hope you know what you're doing. They'll track water everywhere and have a million water fights, and you won't be able to take out the garbage without stepping in mud up to your neck. When we take this down, we'll have the only brown lawn on the block."

"It'll come back," Mike's mother said.

When Mike was 12, he volunteered his yard for a campout. As they hoisted the tents and drove in the spikes, his father stood at the window and observed, "Why don't I just put the grass seed out in cereal bowls for the birds and save myself the trouble of spreading it around? You know for a fact that those tents and all those big feet are going to trample down every single blade of grass, don't you. Don't bother to answer. I know what you're going to say. 'It'll come back.'"

The basketball hoop on the side of the garage attracted more crowds than the Olympics. And a small patch of lawn that started out with a barren spot the size of a garbage can lid soon drew to encompass the entire side yard.

Just when it looked as if the new seed might take root, the winter came and the sled runners beat it into ridges. Mike's father shook his head and said, "I never asked for much in this life - only a patch of grass."

And his wife smiled and said, "It'll come back."

The lawn this fall was beautiful. It was green and alive and rolled out like a sponge carpet along the drive where gym shoes had trod ... along the garage where bicycles used to fall ... and around the flowerbeds where little boys used to dig with iced-tea spoons.

But Mike's father never saw it. He anxiously looked beyond the yard and asked with a catch in his voice, "he will come back, won't he?"

Received on April 1, 2001 in an email from my friend, Peter A. Gertsen, CAUS Director
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The Water Bearer

~ Author Unknown

A water bearer in India had two large pots. Each hung on either end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect. The perfect pot always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the masters house, while the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your masters house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts." the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the masters house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the Pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pots side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my masters table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

Each of us has our own unique flaws. We are all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, our flaws are used to grace life's table. In God's great economy, nothing goes to waste. Don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and you too can be the cause of beauty. Know that in our weakness we find our strength.

Received in an email from Peter A. Gertsen, CAUS Director
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What We See

by Steve Goodier

A long time ago a baby was born to poor parents. His future looked bleak as he grew to see a life of dreariness and poverty before him. He joined the army as a common soldier and was wounded so severely that he never regained the use of his left arm.

He later failed to find decent employment and, on two occasions, was sent to debtor's prison. He continued to have brushes with the law and struggled just to survive.

But, despite the severity of his life, he never let go of his dream... to write a book. In it he told a beautiful story which welled from heart's deepest dreams and yearnings and has moved generations of people the world over ever since. It is about a man who saw the world differently than everyone else. Though created in suffering, it is an inspiring tale of irrepressible hope. His story has been put to music and film, translated into numerous languages and remains a literary classic after some 400 years.

The author was Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra and the book, DON QUIXOTE DE LA MANCHA (1615; translated by P. Motteux).

Perhaps Cervantes was speaking for himself when he penned the words for Don Quixote's epitaph:

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When All Else Fails - Don't Quit!

by Claudia Chestelson

There you sit. Staring at a computer screen. Feeling as if nothing is happening with your life. Feeling as if your "business" is simply a waste of time. Feeling like quitting!

DON'T!

That's what most people would do... But you're not most people. In fact, you are extraordinary, and capable of reaching a level of success that you only dream about now. You just need to change your outlook and start believing in yourself TODAY!

I have discovered that there are three constants in life:

Murphy's Law

The Great Unknown

Success Streams

Let's discuss each one...

Murphy's Law

Murphy's Law covers what I think of as "the small stuff."

The ladder that's supposed to reach the ceiling, doesn't.

The check that was supposed to be in the mail, wasn't.

The tire that was supposed to be filled with air ready to roll, isn't.

Instead, the ladder is too short, the check doesn't arrive and the tire is just sitting there, waiting to be discovered as you hurriedly dress for THE job interview of your life.

The Great Unknown

The second constant in life concerns the Great Unknown -- circumstances that each of us must face -- good or bad, but which are completely unexpected.

SUDDENLY, you are confronted with a terminal illness.

SUDDENLY, Great Aunt Harriet dies and leaves you $25,000.

SUDDENLY, you receive a do-or-die job offer that forces a move to another state, or another country!

These situations cause stress, excitement, and change.

Success Streams

The last constant in life involves what I call "Success Streams." These are the never-ending activities that we are RESPONSIBLE for and are IN CHARGE of every single day of our lives.

Success Masters -- those who have achieved success because that's what they intended to do -- know and recognize these success streams. They know, like us, that life happens. What the Success Masters have mastered is knowing emphatically WHAT TO DO WITH life as it happens!

Most of us get lost in the little stuff. We spend eight to ten hours every day spinning our wheels around the little details, forgetting or never understanding the big picture. YOU are the center of your universe -- your life. Not to say that others in your life don't matter, but that YOUR life revolves around you... what you do, where you go, who you talk with. Good or bad, YOUR life is YOUR universe.

So, how are you running your universe? What are the laws that govern your universe? Are they creating success for you? Or are they keeping you from reaching your goals?

Some key questions to help you decide how effective your "universal laws" are might be:

What does your checking account(s) look like?

How much money have you saved or invested?

Did you set and reach financial goals last year?

Are you satisfied with the way your body looks?

Is your business making you as much money as you want?

Do you know that you CAN DO any ONE THING in a span of eight months, or four months, or even 24 hours? You CAN!

Notice how, when there's an emergency -- a REAL emergency such as when a loved one is injured, you're fired from your job, your spouse leaves -- you drop everything and deal with that emergency and nothing else? All thoughts, all energy, all adrenaline goes into that particular emergency until it is handled, until it's complete and until you have done the very best you can do to solve that problem, to deal with that emergency.

Want to reach a particular goal? Treat it like you would an emergency.

When one thing you try doesn't work, try something else. When that doesn't work, try another tactic. When that one fails, look for other choices. Don't have any more choices? Find some!

Whatever you REALLY DESIRE, right this minute – become obsessed with it. Do it over and over and over and over... DON'T give up! DON'T quit! DON'T throw in the towel!

Keep pushing, keep plugging away, and I PROMISE YOU... you'll make it. You can't lose!

Be prepared once you've changed your attitude and begun this process to achieve a different -- better – result than you ever imaged you would!

You see, energy -- all that energy that you have been throwing into your passion -- develops a life of its own... YOUR GOAL LIVES when you give it energy. So, stand up, take a deep breath and go for it! YOU CAN'T FAIL...

"Nurture your mind with great thoughts, heroes are made by believing." --Benjamin Disraeli

Claudia Chestelson now writes for the Family Vacation Tips blog.
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Where Was I?

~ Author Unknown

You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news on September 11, 2001. Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say "Good-Bye." I held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say, "Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK... I am ready to go."

I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to Me for help. "I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!" I said. "Of course I will show you the way home - only believe in Me now."

I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and assuring them that their Faith has Saved them.

I was in Texas, Iowa, London. I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor.

Some sought Me with their last breath.

Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames; "Come to Me... this way... take my hand."

Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me. But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me?

September 11, 2001 was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are "ready to go."

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

God

Received on September 11, 2002, in an email from Dawn H., in Illinois. Thank you, Dawn. This BOOSTER helped me get through today.

I am ready! Are you?
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