Stephanie Krill:
This book is such an inspiration. I lost a daughter that was 2 months old back in 1992 (I was only 18 years old, and a single parent) and didn't realize how much I was still hurting until I read this book. For years I have hated to hear people s...ay it's "God's will" when someone dies-- I have always refused to believe that. Now I understand more of what that truly means. Thanks you so much!!! I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is hurting or grieving
Crystal Dobbins:
Jacob, I read The Calling a voice in the dead woods-there were hidden messages in each title of each chapter-characters in the being of the book show up in the end-lots of twists-I loved Thomas James-I feel like I know him personally-I'm waiting... on the sequel-I've encouraged my friends to purchase this read
Jennifer Schick:
I read your book in one day. I couldn't put it down til I finished. I wanted to see how this all was going to be put together in the end. Much to think about and causes one to dig deep into the well of your soul.. Thanks for writting such a great book.
Kimberley Spezzano Jordan:
I have to say a very easy book to read! Every chapter made me think about life as it is today. What awesome detail as you could see the whole thing come together! Everyone should get a copy and read it, would make a difference in a lot of people's outlook on life! Loved it!
Wendy Hagenow Utterback:
Beautiful, simply beautiful, Jacob. The Calling was such an inspiration to me. I identified with the story on so many levels. Hope and faith have been such a big part of my life in the last few years and I found myself emotionally connecting with ...your characters a number of times and felt comforted by their experiences. Your writing is exciting, breathtaking and vivid. Thank you for creating such an amazing work!
Bruce Harbert:
Jacob...just finished your book last nite. What can I say? It is the truth of us all...just as the life of Jesus was. Hopefully this book will eclipse the Left Behind series that many have been so enamoured with as they discover the glory andy myst...ery of the truth that has been lying dormant inside them. I looked for some of your hidden mysteries while reading. Correct me if I'm wrong...Legirion=Religion??? Surely this is correct...a Psychiatric Hospital where people are told what to eat, what they can do and not do, what to believe, etc...BRILLIANT!
Terry Potter:
I recomend all my friends get a copy of this book. All I can say is, WOW!!! Jaycob is one of those rare writers that captures you and brings you right into the story as if your there in person watching all the events unfold right in front of your eye...s. He has an amazing ability to put many parallels to the Bible and what we as Christains struggle with in our mind and spirits down on paper. This would be the movie of the century if it was on the big screen! Thank you Jaycob for giving this gift to the world! :D P.S. It helped my daughter see things more in God's perspective and truly has given her hope. Thanks again Jaycob! We love you! :D !
Teresa Norwood Hill:
I am so amazed that we connected on facebook...It was meant for me to read your book!
Cari Hiles Winebrenner:
The Calling was different than any other book. The symbolism was amazing. As a woman who has lost a son (Grant 7 yrs ago) I especially related to Nancy. I also thought the way each character was tied to Thomas before the coma spoke volumes about pred...estination. And the fact that he started w/the outcasts/insane is representative of Gods compassion for all as well as His ability to use those who make themselves available... Even in uncertainty... Which also speaks measures about faith and trust. I could go on and on.... but I'll leave room for others to write on your wall ;) Anyway, thank you for sharing your talent and revelation w/the world. I was blessed.
Sandra Jardineiro:
Just finished the book - loved it so much I cried. Thank you for writing such a wonderful novel. It surely does put life into perspective. A true inspiration for us all. God Bless!
Layla Hicks:
Jacob, a friend of mine left me this message about The Calling: "Thank you so much for recommending this book. I did buy it and read it while we were on vacation. It was incredible!! I am recommending it to several of my friends!!"
Wanted to share a young readers beautiful comment and prayer
Hey Jacob, I finally got your book in the mail today, and I've read a little more than half. Thomas has just woken and is speaking to Felecia on the roof. Jacob, I'm so profoundly moved reading this. I can't even find the words to explain what I feel from it...
Gary Sigler:
Thanks Jacob, This is one of many testimony's to follow. This book is a masterpiece
Louis Charles:
Thanks for sharing, JI. It's a great book and one I really enjoyed. It really deserves being read a few times in order attempt to find all the metaphors you have hidden within. :C)
Michelle Holstein:
The Calling, by Jacob Israel is the most thought-provoking book I have read this year. Jacob weaves an incredible tale of suspense, sadness, joy, faith, love, and forgiveness. Seeing the world through the eyes of Thomas James has renewed my faith in ...spirit, love, and hope. The book came to me at time when I was questioning my own calling; I found comfort in reading the words of this book and taking the time to examine my own path on life’s journey. I have read the book twice and will read it again, as each time I am blessed with new insight and understanding. Jacob Israel is now on my list of "must read" authors.
Ambre Potter:
jacob i so loved your book i thank you so much for sending it to me and it has really helped me out in my life and has given me a new out look on life and if this tells you anything i never read infact i hate to read and i LOVED this book it was hard... to put down and maid me cry in some places thank you so much for this gift you have given us!
Laura Casale:
Hi Jacob! The book was GREAT!!! Tried sending you a message on your myspace, while I was gone from facebook! Don't know if you ever picked it up! Anyway, I was totally captivated and deeply touched!!!! Thank you again for writing such a wonderful book!
Robin Christina:
This is more than just an edge of your seat thriller, it is packed with Truth and Wisdom. Would make a great film. Thank you, Jacob.
Carl Lynn Rhyne:
"The Calling" I have discovered some hidden meaninigs in this novel that are pheonminal. I finished it yesterday, buyt now I'm going to reread some because of the mysteries that are there! WOW!
Martha Illene:
Jacob - I know you're book is classified as a religious fiction. But I believe it's only because there doesn't seem to be a category available for what it really is. Your book is truly one of enlightenment. When I began reading it, I c...ould immediately see the parallels not only of Christ's life, but my own; which really is ours. A true perspective of how our Father sees us, how he truly loves and wants us to walk in the freedom of His Son's life, no longer exchanging the truth for a lie, but waking up and staying awake to what the reality really is about who we are and why we are. Your book brought this home for me. Look forward to rereading. Thanks for your obedience!
Stephen Campise:
Dude!greatest book ever(besides the bible) I just finished reading your book it's awsome it's actually inspired me to read The Bible more, I hope there will be another book to follow up this one and connect it to the future in this book. Awsome work I will be in touch with you soon.
Sherry Chessor:
I really loved your book Jacob. I hope you sell a million copies. I want to get a few extra copies just to pass around to friends and family.
Judy Lawrence:
Jacob, I loved your book. I know the Father's heart and His Love to All.
You have expressed it beautifully and in this day we need to set the captives free. Thank you for your revelation and your heart for God.
Ben Bunch:
Awesome book! (Bought 25 copies and handed them out to people)
Barb Arsneau:
Jacob's book The Calling is a must read! I have NEVER read another book like this one! This book just by reading it can truly change your life.. how you see the world,how you see others,how you see yourself!It will open the eyes to all who read ...it..you get absorbed into this book from beginning to end..this book should be read by everyone..you will never see life the same again!
Good work Jacob my friend!
Janine Palazzolo Lange:
An absolutely amazing story.... Hands down my favorite book of all time! I'm a fan for life!
Kathleen Nieves:
I was so happy to hear your shout out for The Calling on WLIX. I am STILL blown away at how good your book was. I continue to tell everyone about it. That is the first book I have actually FINISHED (in a very short time) in many years!!! May the ...Lord richly bless you this day & grant you (& family) the desires of your heart. Your in our prayers!!Read More
Diane L. Harris:
Jacob, my 14 year old started reading your book just last night and this morning he announced he's enjoying it so much that he plans to recommend it to his middle school library. He's one of their official book testers.
Angela Goncalves:
J.....Thank you for writing the book. It touched me in so many emotional ways. I have to say that when you wrote of THE BOOK OF JOEL I just started crying and couldn't stop. Just alot behind that. Amazing work...J
Chessly Nesci:
Hey Jacob, I'm been so busy and just started your novel. You are an amazing writer!! Your book is the only book I'm reading at the moment and will definately let you know what I think. So far sooooo good. You have talent my friend. Have a blessed day! ~ Chessly :)
Mike Morenz:
Just finished the book last night! We need to promote this thing! Well...maybe not...it's so good it will explode on it's own.
Diana Burnay Ereira:
You are an amzaing writer and i would love to help you throughout europe... if you are interested let me know. xoxo d
Layla Hicks:
I LOVED IT!!!! I can't even begin to express the magnitude of the impact of what you've written. It is awesome. I totally couldn't put it down and that's exactly what I expect out of a book. To me, it's just so great to have ...the base that it has; and then to put in end times along with it just rocks my world lol
The story is great, the way it is written is great; it flows real well - I had no trouble moving right along. The twists and turns are awesome, the emotions it causes in the reader are fantastic and it absolutely gets better and better. It's one of those great books where you end a chapter and can't NOT go to the next chapter. It's got that pull; it just rocks. What's next?Read More
Sharon Truax Beitzell:
I fell asleep reading the book last night, woke up at one and finished the chapter. How sick is that? I know exactly how Layla feels. The book is awesome!
Justin Machacek:
I read The Calling by Jacob Israel front to back in just a couple of days... I was captivated. I took it everywhere I went and read it each chance I got. My wife was almost aggravated at one point (good thing it wasn't longer)! This is a grea...t book that is an easy read. The spiritual parallels are profound and this is sure to be a big hit when people begin finding out about it.Read More
Lisamarie Bashaw:
Thank you so much for the priviledge to read '' THE CALLING" This is an excellent book! So well written I could not put it down. I urge everyone to get your own copy of this excellent book. It is sure to be a best seller!
POEM FOR THOSE WHO MADE IT THROUGH :)
Today, I will smile before I frown.
I will build someone up before I tear another down.
Today, I will look to all I have as opposed to what I do not.
I will be grateful for traffic, red lights, long lines, and everything that causes me to stop.
Today, I will find ways to enjoy what has annoyed me before.
I will remember those who are not as blessed to have more.
Today, I will not complain no matter what happens in my life.
Instead, I will look to the silver lining, or at least I will try.
Today, I will tell those I love, that I love them no less than ten times.
I will hug my children, wife, husband, mother, father, when saying hello or saying goodbye.
Today, I will do something different. I will try new and exciting things.
I will take a chance and do what I am scared to do, just to see what experience it brings.
Today, I will greet every stranger and open every one of their doors.
I will say thank you and please, and I will take pleasure in helping another with their chores.
Today, I will understand that everything, besides how I experience it, is beyond my control.
I will accept things are they are, not ask people why they act the way they do, or even want to know.
Today, I will forgive those who have hurt me, and apologize to those I have wronged.I will live my life, as if it’s my last, and sing along to my favorite song.
I won’t care what people think. I won’t listen to what they may say.
I won’t worry about my losing job or how my bills will get paid.
Today I will only be happy and pray that I can make the choice for the rest of my days.
The Truth Will Change You
The Truth Will Change You
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Thoughts and Poems
To desire is to suffer,but to forget is bliss.
To hold tight makes you weak,but to rest gives you strength.
To need is slavery,but to be content is to rule the world.
Those who wait for good things have nothing,but those who wait for nothing have all good things.
When a promise is made rejoice in it and let it go.
To believe is to stand on a bridge that might fall, to know is to never need a bridge at all.
Why hate when a kind word can change all things?
With faith all things are possible, without faith nothing can be done.
Truth is a light in darkness, lies are the clouds that hide the Son.
The Book of Thomas James 2012
THE MASTERPIECE
With crayons in hand and paper beneath
The young girl creates her beautiful masterpiece
With blotches of yellow, black, blue, and red all over the place
With scraggily hair, eyes that don’t match and an oblong face
A sky that is purple and grass that is brown
A nose colored so red, it would be better suited for a clown
The child draws with nothing but her imagination around
It is a gift for her father, to turn his frown upside down
Without the ability to spell, there are three x’s and three o’s for Daddy to see
A token of her love and appreciation this great masterpiece will be
The child does not worry that she cannot spell or draw straight lines
She does not care if her composition is lacking and is she appears color blind
Her art is her gift and she knows it will make Daddy smile
Times have been hard, he’s lost job and been out of work for awhile
She didn’t feel pressured to be perfect, or worried she might not succeed
She only wanted to show Daddy that he is all she will ever need
He sits at a table swallowed by bills,
His head hangs low and is very still
She takes her picture to him and holds it out with great care
“Daddy, I made this for you” she says with a wide eyed stare
Like a fire lit in his eyes, he takes her gift and to his surprise
After looking at this picture he suddenly began to cry
In that moment there was something that he realized
He may have bills, he may struggles, but he has something money could never buy
He held the picture to his heart, and Daddy finally smiled
The Truth Will Change You
God is Love
To hold tight makes you weak,but to rest gives you strength.
To need is slavery,but to be content is to rule the world.
Those who wait for good things have nothing,but those who wait for nothing have all good things.
When a promise is made rejoice in it and let it go.
To believe is to stand on a bridge that might fall, to know is to never need a bridge at all.
Why hate when a kind word can change all things?
With faith all things are possible, without faith nothing can be done.
Truth is a light in darkness, lies are the clouds that hide the Son.
The Book of Thomas James 2012
THE MASTERPIECE
With crayons in hand and paper beneath
The young girl creates her beautiful masterpiece
With blotches of yellow, black, blue, and red all over the place
With scraggily hair, eyes that don’t match and an oblong face
A sky that is purple and grass that is brown
A nose colored so red, it would be better suited for a clown
The child draws with nothing but her imagination around
It is a gift for her father, to turn his frown upside down
Without the ability to spell, there are three x’s and three o’s for Daddy to see
A token of her love and appreciation this great masterpiece will be
The child does not worry that she cannot spell or draw straight lines
She does not care if her composition is lacking and is she appears color blind
Her art is her gift and she knows it will make Daddy smile
Times have been hard, he’s lost job and been out of work for awhile
She didn’t feel pressured to be perfect, or worried she might not succeed
She only wanted to show Daddy that he is all she will ever need
He sits at a table swallowed by bills,
His head hangs low and is very still
She takes her picture to him and holds it out with great care
“Daddy, I made this for you” she says with a wide eyed stare
Like a fire lit in his eyes, he takes her gift and to his surprise
After looking at this picture he suddenly began to cry
In that moment there was something that he realized
He may have bills, he may struggles, but he has something money could never buy
He held the picture to his heart, and Daddy finally smiled
The Truth Will Change You
God is Love
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Make A Life Worth Living
An expensive house is not as valued as the laughter and love the inhabits the space inside someones home.
It is not the automobile that is essential, but a person's will to go from one place to another that creates the journey.
Outward beauty fades, perfect bodies wither, but a kind, giving and cheerful spirit lives on forever.
One thousand words of fear and hate will never accomplish what one single word of encouragement can.
To give to others is to build, to take from others only tears down.
To want more is poverty, but to be content is to have it all.
A smile in a room filled with frowns is as the sun on the most glorious of summer's days.
To rule over others creates resentment, but to lead with a servants heart is to make life long friends.
So laugh and love and go where your heart takes you.
Be kind and giving and have a cheerful attitude.
Encourage and give to those who need it.
Be content with all you have.
And if you do all these things and you never forget to smile,
you will be a great leader in this world,
and you will have made a life that is truly worth living.
Jacob
READ NEXT POST
It is not the automobile that is essential, but a person's will to go from one place to another that creates the journey.
Outward beauty fades, perfect bodies wither, but a kind, giving and cheerful spirit lives on forever.
One thousand words of fear and hate will never accomplish what one single word of encouragement can.
To give to others is to build, to take from others only tears down.
To want more is poverty, but to be content is to have it all.
A smile in a room filled with frowns is as the sun on the most glorious of summer's days.
To rule over others creates resentment, but to lead with a servants heart is to make life long friends.
So laugh and love and go where your heart takes you.
Be kind and giving and have a cheerful attitude.
Encourage and give to those who need it.
Be content with all you have.
And if you do all these things and you never forget to smile,
you will be a great leader in this world,
and you will have made a life that is truly worth living.
Jacob
READ NEXT POST
Sunday, August 10, 2008
THE MIRACLE MAN
The Miracle Man
There was a man that was known for the miracles he performed.
Millions came to see him, they came from wide and from far.
He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, cured the lame, healed the sick, and raised the dead.
"But, what is more important" he said.
"To give sight to the blind, or to give wisdom instead?"
"What does it matter what a man can see, if he knows not the difference between wrong and right?"
"What does it profit a man what he hears, if he hates many things in his life?"
"Is it so important to walk tall on two legs, if you are not known to be upright?"
"Where is the value in being free from disease, when your true illness is hidden just out of sight?"
The crowd screamed, "This is not why we came here, to philosophise!" "We are here for a miracle, so do one right here, right now, before our very eyes!"
The man's head sank, they had not understood.
The miracles they wanted could never fix them and never would.
With new ears they might hear, but they would never understand.
With new eyes they might see, but forever miss God's plan.
They wanted assurance, they wanted cheers and praise.
They wanted healing and flowery words, they wanted a parade.
But the man had not come to do great tricks.
He had come to tell the truth, not to heal the literally sick.
He stood before them and made his intensions clear.
Knowing his words would be lost on some, but that others would draw near.
"I have given SIGHT to those who could NOT SEE that there is more to life than what they live."
"I have given HEARING to those that could not HEAR the great truth that I give."
"I've healed the sick hearts of those who hate, worry, and fear."
"I've straightened the walk of those who were lost and made their conscience clear."
"I'm not a magician, a wizard, or your puppet fool.
I have come to tell you only the truth. Not to make you think that I am cool.
You are lost in a world filled with smoke and mirrors.
But if you take a look again and try to find the truth of these rumors.
"You will see the only man that I have ever raised from the dead, Is one who did not believe he was the child of God, but believed he was a mere mortal instead."
Jacob
DREAM BIG
There was a man that was known for the miracles he performed.
Millions came to see him, they came from wide and from far.
He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, cured the lame, healed the sick, and raised the dead.
"But, what is more important" he said.
"To give sight to the blind, or to give wisdom instead?"
"What does it matter what a man can see, if he knows not the difference between wrong and right?"
"What does it profit a man what he hears, if he hates many things in his life?"
"Is it so important to walk tall on two legs, if you are not known to be upright?"
"Where is the value in being free from disease, when your true illness is hidden just out of sight?"
The crowd screamed, "This is not why we came here, to philosophise!" "We are here for a miracle, so do one right here, right now, before our very eyes!"
The man's head sank, they had not understood.
The miracles they wanted could never fix them and never would.
With new ears they might hear, but they would never understand.
With new eyes they might see, but forever miss God's plan.
They wanted assurance, they wanted cheers and praise.
They wanted healing and flowery words, they wanted a parade.
But the man had not come to do great tricks.
He had come to tell the truth, not to heal the literally sick.
He stood before them and made his intensions clear.
Knowing his words would be lost on some, but that others would draw near.
"I have given SIGHT to those who could NOT SEE that there is more to life than what they live."
"I have given HEARING to those that could not HEAR the great truth that I give."
"I've healed the sick hearts of those who hate, worry, and fear."
"I've straightened the walk of those who were lost and made their conscience clear."
"I'm not a magician, a wizard, or your puppet fool.
I have come to tell you only the truth. Not to make you think that I am cool.
You are lost in a world filled with smoke and mirrors.
But if you take a look again and try to find the truth of these rumors.
"You will see the only man that I have ever raised from the dead, Is one who did not believe he was the child of God, but believed he was a mere mortal instead."
Jacob
DREAM BIG
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
TO HAVE AND TO HAVE NOT
The Master left his mansion angrier than a hornet shook from it's hive.
The Servant smiled as he waved his Master Goodbye.
"I have, and you have not," the Master screamed to the servant tending his yard.
"Why are you always smiling, when I know your life must be very hard?"
The servant turned and shook his head.
The Master got angrier and forced him to listen instead.
"I have a home, one hundred times the size of your shack.
I have cars, wealth, fashionable clothes and I give you just enough to keep you coming back."
The servant tried to hide the pitiful look in his eyes.
However, the Master saw this and it fueled his anger inside.
"I have the best physicians in the world, I have the most wonderful food to eat and I belong to many important clubs.
You don't have insurance, your food is scrap and you look at me as if I'm corrupt?"
The servant raised his gaze from the ground below.
As the Master continued to speak, the servants smile began to grow.
"I am a man of importance, one who travels and hunts...
I vacation where my heart desires and I do whatever I want...
But you, you are just the help, no one respects you and never will.
You're the one who cleans the dishes, not the one who pays the bill.
Your back is breaking, while mine is being rubbed.
Your hands are blistering, while mine are washed up.
What is so good about your life that I never see you cry,
Why is it you always smile, when I believe you should want to die?
The servant rolled his shoulders back as if he was going to speak.
He laid his rake to the ground and took off the boots from his feet.
"You may have a mansion, but I have a warm home.You may have wealth, clothes and status, but I have a peace you will never know...
While you are fighting to have more, I have all I will ever need... You see, I want nothing, but your belly hurts from the flames of your greed.
You say this is your grass, but I am the one that helps it grow.
You call this your land, but there are parts of it you don't even know.
I stock the fish for your pond, but you never watch one swim around.
I plant your flowers and you never smell them or pick them from the ground...You're always worrying you will lose what you have, but I can never lose the amazing life I have found...You tear down and I build up.
You are ungrateful, but I know the fullness of my cup...You eat and drink more than you should, and because of it you pay the price...You are overweight and sick, but I always feel all right...You measure yourself against others, but I love who I am...You can't see past your wallet, but I see a magnificent plan... So, you want to know why it is I smile and I'm always so nice?...It's because I have found more than you have in this short wonderful life...When I look back I see those things I have nourished and helped to grow... I see those I have served and all those I have been blessed to know...What is it you see Master, when your life stares you in the face?...Is it those you've abused and taken advantage of? It must be a darker place....You've taken without asking and never given, even to a few...And now you want to know why it is I smile when you never do?...It is because I have something you don't and that much is very true...And no matter what you think you have, until you change, I will always be greater than you...We each have a part to play, but I understand the greater plot...And to store up treasure in this world, it most surely is not...It is to love and serve others and find joy and purpose in your lot...When you do this, you will HAVE as I HAVE, but right now Master, you absolutely HAVE NOT!
Jacob
peace to you
The Servant smiled as he waved his Master Goodbye.
"I have, and you have not," the Master screamed to the servant tending his yard.
"Why are you always smiling, when I know your life must be very hard?"
The servant turned and shook his head.
The Master got angrier and forced him to listen instead.
"I have a home, one hundred times the size of your shack.
I have cars, wealth, fashionable clothes and I give you just enough to keep you coming back."
The servant tried to hide the pitiful look in his eyes.
However, the Master saw this and it fueled his anger inside.
"I have the best physicians in the world, I have the most wonderful food to eat and I belong to many important clubs.
You don't have insurance, your food is scrap and you look at me as if I'm corrupt?"
The servant raised his gaze from the ground below.
As the Master continued to speak, the servants smile began to grow.
"I am a man of importance, one who travels and hunts...
I vacation where my heart desires and I do whatever I want...
But you, you are just the help, no one respects you and never will.
You're the one who cleans the dishes, not the one who pays the bill.
Your back is breaking, while mine is being rubbed.
Your hands are blistering, while mine are washed up.
What is so good about your life that I never see you cry,
Why is it you always smile, when I believe you should want to die?
The servant rolled his shoulders back as if he was going to speak.
He laid his rake to the ground and took off the boots from his feet.
"You may have a mansion, but I have a warm home.You may have wealth, clothes and status, but I have a peace you will never know...
While you are fighting to have more, I have all I will ever need... You see, I want nothing, but your belly hurts from the flames of your greed.
You say this is your grass, but I am the one that helps it grow.
You call this your land, but there are parts of it you don't even know.
I stock the fish for your pond, but you never watch one swim around.
I plant your flowers and you never smell them or pick them from the ground...You're always worrying you will lose what you have, but I can never lose the amazing life I have found...You tear down and I build up.
You are ungrateful, but I know the fullness of my cup...You eat and drink more than you should, and because of it you pay the price...You are overweight and sick, but I always feel all right...You measure yourself against others, but I love who I am...You can't see past your wallet, but I see a magnificent plan... So, you want to know why it is I smile and I'm always so nice?...It's because I have found more than you have in this short wonderful life...When I look back I see those things I have nourished and helped to grow... I see those I have served and all those I have been blessed to know...What is it you see Master, when your life stares you in the face?...Is it those you've abused and taken advantage of? It must be a darker place....You've taken without asking and never given, even to a few...And now you want to know why it is I smile when you never do?...It is because I have something you don't and that much is very true...And no matter what you think you have, until you change, I will always be greater than you...We each have a part to play, but I understand the greater plot...And to store up treasure in this world, it most surely is not...It is to love and serve others and find joy and purpose in your lot...When you do this, you will HAVE as I HAVE, but right now Master, you absolutely HAVE NOT!
Jacob
peace to you
Sunday, June 29, 2008
For God and Country
A deaf old man watched sadly as the few, the proud and the brave prayed, “God grant us victory” while marching off to war one day.
This was a prayer the old man knew too well.
Like those young heroes he once cheered, “For God and country” as well…
But after sixty long years war remains,
After sixty long years it still leaves behind great and terrible pain.
Father and Mothers lose Sons and Daughters; Daughters and Sons lose Fathers and Mothers, And many friends are lost in between.
So the old man thought long and hard for whom he should pray.
He lived on the border of both countries, he’s a native of both he could say.
To pray for one means defeat for the other.
And to pray for the other surely means the same.
How could he wish death and destruction on one or the other?
When a prayer for one, most surely means death to his other brother.
The old man glanced up from his bible at the darkening sky.
“How should I pray Lord?” the old man cried...as the drums and the screams of war were shouted on high.
“I am brother to both, how can I ever choose a side?”
Just then the wind blew the pages of his bible to a truth that brought tears to the old man’s eye.
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those that curse you, and pray for those who hurt you…”
The bible fell from his hands and the old man forgot his fear.
When the bombs and gun fire of his past made deaf his ears,
These were words he could not see very clear.
But after sixty long years he now understands how true victory is found. So he walked to the border of both and there he stood his ground.
If any army was to fight, it would be his life that would first be laid down.
“He’s one of our country men" the soldier from one side said.
“Hold your fire, hold your fire,” a soldier from the other shouted, “We don’t want our brother dead.”
It was then both armies saw the one thing they had in common,
It was a love for their brother, which was something they had forgotten.
Jacob
READ MORE POSTS
This was a prayer the old man knew too well.
Like those young heroes he once cheered, “For God and country” as well…
But after sixty long years war remains,
After sixty long years it still leaves behind great and terrible pain.
Father and Mothers lose Sons and Daughters; Daughters and Sons lose Fathers and Mothers, And many friends are lost in between.
So the old man thought long and hard for whom he should pray.
He lived on the border of both countries, he’s a native of both he could say.
To pray for one means defeat for the other.
And to pray for the other surely means the same.
How could he wish death and destruction on one or the other?
When a prayer for one, most surely means death to his other brother.
The old man glanced up from his bible at the darkening sky.
“How should I pray Lord?” the old man cried...as the drums and the screams of war were shouted on high.
“I am brother to both, how can I ever choose a side?”
Just then the wind blew the pages of his bible to a truth that brought tears to the old man’s eye.
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those that curse you, and pray for those who hurt you…”
The bible fell from his hands and the old man forgot his fear.
When the bombs and gun fire of his past made deaf his ears,
These were words he could not see very clear.
But after sixty long years he now understands how true victory is found. So he walked to the border of both and there he stood his ground.
If any army was to fight, it would be his life that would first be laid down.
“He’s one of our country men" the soldier from one side said.
“Hold your fire, hold your fire,” a soldier from the other shouted, “We don’t want our brother dead.”
It was then both armies saw the one thing they had in common,
It was a love for their brother, which was something they had forgotten.
Jacob
READ MORE POSTS
Monday, June 9, 2008
Today Is The Day
Today is the day when dreams come true.
Today is the day for me and you.
Today is the day we work for tomorrow.
Today is the day to let go of our sorrow.
Today is the day we've waited for.
Today is the day and we don't need more.
Today is the day to do what we've never done.
Today is the day to change for some.
Today is the day to extend your hand.
Today is the day to find your promise land.
Today is the day to forgive.
Today is the day to finally live.
Today is the day to overcome.
Today is the day that will be hard for some.
Today is the day to inspire.
Today is the day to enquire.
Today is the day to take a chance.
Today is the day to grab the one you love and dance.
Today is the day to make amends.
Today is the day to make new friends.
Today is the day to do it right.
Today is the day to refuse a fight.
Today is the day to finally rest.
Today is the day to make it the best.
Today is the day to make up for your past.
Today is the day that could be your last.
Jacob
Find more posts from earlier months.
Jacob
Today is the day for me and you.
Today is the day we work for tomorrow.
Today is the day to let go of our sorrow.
Today is the day we've waited for.
Today is the day and we don't need more.
Today is the day to do what we've never done.
Today is the day to change for some.
Today is the day to extend your hand.
Today is the day to find your promise land.
Today is the day to forgive.
Today is the day to finally live.
Today is the day to overcome.
Today is the day that will be hard for some.
Today is the day to inspire.
Today is the day to enquire.
Today is the day to take a chance.
Today is the day to grab the one you love and dance.
Today is the day to make amends.
Today is the day to make new friends.
Today is the day to do it right.
Today is the day to refuse a fight.
Today is the day to finally rest.
Today is the day to make it the best.
Today is the day to make up for your past.
Today is the day that could be your last.
Jacob
Find more posts from earlier months.
Jacob
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
I Never Thought
When I was sick I never thought I'd be well.
When I was tired I never thought I'd find rest.
When I was unemployed I never thought I'd find a job.
When I was hurt I never thought I would be strong again.
When I lost my home I never thought I'd find a new one.
When I knew only abuse I never thought I would know love.
When I could not handle change I never thought I would be able to adapt.
When I cried I thought I would never laugh.
When I lost loved ones I never thought I could move on.
When I was scared I never thought I would have the courage to face my fears.
When I was attacked I never thought I would be able to forgive.
When I worried I never thought I would have faith.
When I think I am insignificant I forget all I've done that I thought I never could, all I have that I thought I never would, and all I've overcome that I never thought was possible.
There are so many things we believe ourselves to be incapable of. There are so many times we are put to the test and we believe we will fail. But take a moment to look at all you have been through and how far you have come and you will see how truly amazing you are.
Jacob
JACOB
When I was tired I never thought I'd find rest.
When I was unemployed I never thought I'd find a job.
When I was hurt I never thought I would be strong again.
When I lost my home I never thought I'd find a new one.
When I knew only abuse I never thought I would know love.
When I could not handle change I never thought I would be able to adapt.
When I cried I thought I would never laugh.
When I lost loved ones I never thought I could move on.
When I was scared I never thought I would have the courage to face my fears.
When I was attacked I never thought I would be able to forgive.
When I worried I never thought I would have faith.
When I think I am insignificant I forget all I've done that I thought I never could, all I have that I thought I never would, and all I've overcome that I never thought was possible.
There are so many things we believe ourselves to be incapable of. There are so many times we are put to the test and we believe we will fail. But take a moment to look at all you have been through and how far you have come and you will see how truly amazing you are.
Jacob
JACOB
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Change Your World, The World Will Change
The hurtful things in the world were too much for the wide eyed student to bear.
There was killing and violence, suffering, hate and great despair.
He wanted desperately to do something to change the world but to begin, he did not know where.
So he traveled across the world in search for the one man he believed had the answers he needed to hear.
"How can I change prejudice," he asked. "How can I teach the world not to fear?"
The wise man smiled, "Love those who are different," he said and made his simple answer clear.
"Well what about war and killing? There has to be something I can do."
"Reach out your hand to those who are hurting, and make peace with those who have done wrong to you."
The student scratched his head as he grew more upset. "There is sickness, starvation, abuse and hate. I want to know what I can do before it's too late."
"Visit the sick, feed the hungry, encourage and love," the wise man said while focusing his eyes above. "What you do to one, you do to all, change your ways and the evils of this world will fall."
The student stood in anger, "I want to change the world, not myself. The world is what is hurting, not me, I am well."
The wise man stood, with eyes severe, "I tell you the truth, for every person you hate, there is one that is killed. For every hungry man you ignore, there is a child that starves. For every fight that is not reconciled, a casualty of war. You want to know how to change the world, to do this you must first change yourself. For every greed, every lust, every theft, every lie, every hateful word and prejudice thought, there is a far reaching affect. You've heard, to hate is the same as murder, but now the truth of this is said. Don't focus on what is outside of you to bring peace and suffering to its end, focus on what is inside of you, instead."
The student left and thanked the man. He did not know if what he had said was true, but if doing these things could make a difference if he did not do it, he would be a fool.
Jacob
(Click on Butterfly Title - to find how beautiful you are)
There was killing and violence, suffering, hate and great despair.
He wanted desperately to do something to change the world but to begin, he did not know where.
So he traveled across the world in search for the one man he believed had the answers he needed to hear.
"How can I change prejudice," he asked. "How can I teach the world not to fear?"
The wise man smiled, "Love those who are different," he said and made his simple answer clear.
"Well what about war and killing? There has to be something I can do."
"Reach out your hand to those who are hurting, and make peace with those who have done wrong to you."
The student scratched his head as he grew more upset. "There is sickness, starvation, abuse and hate. I want to know what I can do before it's too late."
"Visit the sick, feed the hungry, encourage and love," the wise man said while focusing his eyes above. "What you do to one, you do to all, change your ways and the evils of this world will fall."
The student stood in anger, "I want to change the world, not myself. The world is what is hurting, not me, I am well."
The wise man stood, with eyes severe, "I tell you the truth, for every person you hate, there is one that is killed. For every hungry man you ignore, there is a child that starves. For every fight that is not reconciled, a casualty of war. You want to know how to change the world, to do this you must first change yourself. For every greed, every lust, every theft, every lie, every hateful word and prejudice thought, there is a far reaching affect. You've heard, to hate is the same as murder, but now the truth of this is said. Don't focus on what is outside of you to bring peace and suffering to its end, focus on what is inside of you, instead."
The student left and thanked the man. He did not know if what he had said was true, but if doing these things could make a difference if he did not do it, he would be a fool.
Jacob
(Click on Butterfly Title - to find how beautiful you are)
Saturday, April 26, 2008
The Miracle Man
There was a man that was known for the miracles he performed.
Millions came to see him, they came from wide and from far.
He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, cured the lame, healed the sick, and raised the dead.
"But, what is more important" he said.
"To give sight to the blind, or to give wisdom instead?"
"What does it matter what a man can see, if he knows not the difference between wrong and right?
"What does it profit a man what he hears, if he hates many things in his life?"
"Is it so important to walk tall on two legs, if you are not known to be upright?"
"Where is the value in being free from disease, when your true illness is hidden just out of sight?"
The crowd screamed, "This is not why we came here, to philosophise!" "We are here for a miracle, so do one right here, right now, before our very eyes!"
The man's head sank, they had not understood.
The miracles they wanted could never fix them and never would.
With new ears they might hear, but they would never understand.
With new eyes they might see, but forever miss God's plan.
They wanted assurance, they wanted cheers and praise.
They wanted healing and flowery words, they wanted a parade.
But the man had not come to do great tricks,
He had come to tell the truth, not to heal the literally sick.
He stood before them and made his intensions clear.
Knowing his words would be lost on some, but that others would draw near.
"I have given SIGHT to those who could not SEE that there is more to life than what they live."
"I have given HEARING to those that could not HEAR the great truth that I give."
"I've healed the sick hearts of those who hate, worry, and fear."
"I've straightened the walk of those who were lost and made their conscience clear."
"I'm not a magician, a wizard, or your puppet fool.
I have come to tell you only the truth
Not to make you think that I am cool.
You are lost in a world filled with smoke and mirrors.
But if you take a look again and try to find the truth of these rumors.
You will see the only man that I have ever raised from the dead,
Is one who did not believe he was the child of God, but believed he was a mere mortal instead."
Jacob
(Click on Next Title for something to remember in times of trouble)
Millions came to see him, they came from wide and from far.
He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, cured the lame, healed the sick, and raised the dead.
"But, what is more important" he said.
"To give sight to the blind, or to give wisdom instead?"
"What does it matter what a man can see, if he knows not the difference between wrong and right?
"What does it profit a man what he hears, if he hates many things in his life?"
"Is it so important to walk tall on two legs, if you are not known to be upright?"
"Where is the value in being free from disease, when your true illness is hidden just out of sight?"
The crowd screamed, "This is not why we came here, to philosophise!" "We are here for a miracle, so do one right here, right now, before our very eyes!"
The man's head sank, they had not understood.
The miracles they wanted could never fix them and never would.
With new ears they might hear, but they would never understand.
With new eyes they might see, but forever miss God's plan.
They wanted assurance, they wanted cheers and praise.
They wanted healing and flowery words, they wanted a parade.
But the man had not come to do great tricks,
He had come to tell the truth, not to heal the literally sick.
He stood before them and made his intensions clear.
Knowing his words would be lost on some, but that others would draw near.
"I have given SIGHT to those who could not SEE that there is more to life than what they live."
"I have given HEARING to those that could not HEAR the great truth that I give."
"I've healed the sick hearts of those who hate, worry, and fear."
"I've straightened the walk of those who were lost and made their conscience clear."
"I'm not a magician, a wizard, or your puppet fool.
I have come to tell you only the truth
Not to make you think that I am cool.
You are lost in a world filled with smoke and mirrors.
But if you take a look again and try to find the truth of these rumors.
You will see the only man that I have ever raised from the dead,
Is one who did not believe he was the child of God, but believed he was a mere mortal instead."
Jacob
(Click on Next Title for something to remember in times of trouble)
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
It Bears Repeating
Where would the flowers be, without the manure heaped on top of it?
Could a seed ever grow, if it wasn't first placed into a deep, dark, horrible hole?
Would the wine taste as wonderful, if the grapes had not been smashed, scrapped, and left to sit in what had been squeezed out of them to begin with?
Can a sunrise be as beautiful, if there was never a dark night to rise above?
If not for the suffering of the oyster, would there ever be an expensive pearl left behind?
Can passing a test ever be as precious, if first you have never failed?
Would laughter be as wonderful, if tears never came to your eyes?
Can their ever be victory, if there isn't something to overcome?
Can anyone truly start over, if they haven't lost a thing to begin with?
Like the flower you may not understand why it is that you have to put up with so much manure this world dumps on you. But the manure makes you all the more beautiful when you rise above it.
Like the seed you may feel like there will never be an escape from the dark place you are in. But the dirt keeps you grounded when you finally break through and reach for the sky.
Like the grape, you may be beat down, and pushed and pulled and left to stew in your own pain. But the longer you endure the more sweet and powerful you become.
Like the sun, you may wonder if it will ever be your time to shine. But without your dark days, why would anyone come to you to help light their way?
Like the oyster you may wonder if there is a point to your suffering at all. But when you give up your struggle and open your heart for the world to see, they will find a pearl of great wisdom left behind.
You may have failed, you may have cried, and you may have lost it all.
But without these experience would you ever appreciate what you have at all? And could you ever learn, that sometimes even the worst things that happen to us, are the very things that make us greatest of all.
Jacob
(Click on next title - Poem to encourage people suffering)
Could a seed ever grow, if it wasn't first placed into a deep, dark, horrible hole?
Would the wine taste as wonderful, if the grapes had not been smashed, scrapped, and left to sit in what had been squeezed out of them to begin with?
Can a sunrise be as beautiful, if there was never a dark night to rise above?
If not for the suffering of the oyster, would there ever be an expensive pearl left behind?
Can passing a test ever be as precious, if first you have never failed?
Would laughter be as wonderful, if tears never came to your eyes?
Can their ever be victory, if there isn't something to overcome?
Can anyone truly start over, if they haven't lost a thing to begin with?
Like the flower you may not understand why it is that you have to put up with so much manure this world dumps on you. But the manure makes you all the more beautiful when you rise above it.
Like the seed you may feel like there will never be an escape from the dark place you are in. But the dirt keeps you grounded when you finally break through and reach for the sky.
Like the grape, you may be beat down, and pushed and pulled and left to stew in your own pain. But the longer you endure the more sweet and powerful you become.
Like the sun, you may wonder if it will ever be your time to shine. But without your dark days, why would anyone come to you to help light their way?
Like the oyster you may wonder if there is a point to your suffering at all. But when you give up your struggle and open your heart for the world to see, they will find a pearl of great wisdom left behind.
You may have failed, you may have cried, and you may have lost it all.
But without these experience would you ever appreciate what you have at all? And could you ever learn, that sometimes even the worst things that happen to us, are the very things that make us greatest of all.
Jacob
(Click on next title - Poem to encourage people suffering)
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Breathe and Push
Change was taking place, something bright, something new.
A life was taking shape, but what is was, no one knew.
No one expected, no one prepared, just another day in another life.
Business as usual it seemed, until something wasn't right.
Sickness in the morning, a great hunger in the afternoon,
A change was taking place, that much, to her, unfortunately was true.
"What is going on with me? Why do I look and feel this way?"
"Life was better before this happened," that, she would always say.
"I'm tired, I'm angry, my feet and back hurt too."
"I can't sleep, I'm always moody and I don't know what to do."
"When will this nightmare end? Please God tell me, what did I ever do to you?"
"I'm not a bad person, so why should I suffer this way?"
"The only advice I seem to hear, is breathe and push when pain attacks my back and legs."
"I do not want this, I would rather die than live like this another day."
"Why should I push and prepare myself for anything that makes me feel this way?"
"I can't take it! I hate it! So one kill me, I mean it, the pain is too great!"
"Nothing is worth this torture I feel, this is all a big mistake!"
Then, in one breath, in one push, in one moment in time.
The pain was gone, the fight was over and then a babies cry.
"Oh my God, she's so beautiful," the mother said with grateful tears in her eyes.
She couldn't believe that after all that pain everything finally felt right.
Wrapped in a blanket, the baby slept as the Mother held her tight.
Her past forgotten, her anger gone, replaced by the joy and hope of having a new life.
We all go through difficult times. We all feel like our suffering will never end. We all wonder why it is we hurt the way we do. But when the pains of life come and you feel like you want to give up, just remember, you never know what may be waiting for you on the other side if you don't. So, hold on, take a breath, and push through. If you do this, you may just find that your present suffering is nothing compared to what God is about to reveal in you.
Jacob
A life was taking shape, but what is was, no one knew.
No one expected, no one prepared, just another day in another life.
Business as usual it seemed, until something wasn't right.
Sickness in the morning, a great hunger in the afternoon,
A change was taking place, that much, to her, unfortunately was true.
"What is going on with me? Why do I look and feel this way?"
"Life was better before this happened," that, she would always say.
"I'm tired, I'm angry, my feet and back hurt too."
"I can't sleep, I'm always moody and I don't know what to do."
"When will this nightmare end? Please God tell me, what did I ever do to you?"
"I'm not a bad person, so why should I suffer this way?"
"The only advice I seem to hear, is breathe and push when pain attacks my back and legs."
"I do not want this, I would rather die than live like this another day."
"Why should I push and prepare myself for anything that makes me feel this way?"
"I can't take it! I hate it! So one kill me, I mean it, the pain is too great!"
"Nothing is worth this torture I feel, this is all a big mistake!"
Then, in one breath, in one push, in one moment in time.
The pain was gone, the fight was over and then a babies cry.
"Oh my God, she's so beautiful," the mother said with grateful tears in her eyes.
She couldn't believe that after all that pain everything finally felt right.
Wrapped in a blanket, the baby slept as the Mother held her tight.
Her past forgotten, her anger gone, replaced by the joy and hope of having a new life.
We all go through difficult times. We all feel like our suffering will never end. We all wonder why it is we hurt the way we do. But when the pains of life come and you feel like you want to give up, just remember, you never know what may be waiting for you on the other side if you don't. So, hold on, take a breath, and push through. If you do this, you may just find that your present suffering is nothing compared to what God is about to reveal in you.
Jacob
Thursday, April 17, 2008
The Great Treasure and Uriah Shares
THE GREAT TREASURE
After three long years, the Wise Master came to his student to say.
"From the moment I met you, I wanted to show you a treasure so great, that even the difficult journey it takes to get there you'll appreciate."
The wide eyes of the student were glossy with excited, and joy filled, tears.
This is what he had been waiting to find for all those three years.
"How great a treasure?" the impetuous student asked without fear.
The old teacher laughed, "If you're ready to find it there is nothing as precious, there is nothing as profound, as treasures go it could be one of the greatest treasures around."
The student's smile grew on his face.
He followed his master always trying to pick up the pace.
The journey was hard. There were valleys to descend and mountains to climb.
There was great pain and heartache but this didn't make the student cry.
There was a point to his suffering, he knew his Master would not lie.
"What can it be?" the student asked with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Will it be gold? Will it be diamonds, rubies or a priceless pearl?
Will it be the fountain of youth, or a potion to cure the ills of the world?"
For two and a half days, these wonderful thoughts flooded the young man's mind.
Every step he took brought him closer to the great treasure he wanted to find.
On the third day, the Master stopped. "We're here," he said with a stern look on his face.
"Where is it? Where is it?" the student screamed. "Is it buried? Is this right place?"
The Master bent over and picked up a withered dandelion from the ground.
"Here," he said, "This is what I wanted to show you. Isn't it great what we've found?"
"THIS IS IT?" the ungrateful student stomped his feet. "You made me hike for three days with no food to eat. I was hurt, I was sore, I bled, I got no sleep. You made me go through all of that for a weed by your feet?"
"For three days, my student, you were happier than ever before.
You pressed on happily no matter what we endured.
Because every moment you were excited for what was in store...
I'm sorry now that you are at the end of your journey that you want the end to mean more."
"WAIT!" the student yelled happily. "I understand, I understand now!"
"The greatest thing there is to find, is not what you find but how."
"It is not the end of the journey that is valuable, it is the journey itself. The greatest treasure is living for the NOW"
J
www.JacobIsrael.org
"The Truth Will Change You"
"Of all the thoughts that can be... "A thinker thinking thoughts," is my favorite." Uriah 2007
"Preference so often ruins the moment to moment. Unless of course, that is your preference." Uriah 2007
"River flowing fast to reach the destination it is already at." Uriah 2007
After three long years, the Wise Master came to his student to say.
"From the moment I met you, I wanted to show you a treasure so great, that even the difficult journey it takes to get there you'll appreciate."
The wide eyes of the student were glossy with excited, and joy filled, tears.
This is what he had been waiting to find for all those three years.
"How great a treasure?" the impetuous student asked without fear.
The old teacher laughed, "If you're ready to find it there is nothing as precious, there is nothing as profound, as treasures go it could be one of the greatest treasures around."
The student's smile grew on his face.
He followed his master always trying to pick up the pace.
The journey was hard. There were valleys to descend and mountains to climb.
There was great pain and heartache but this didn't make the student cry.
There was a point to his suffering, he knew his Master would not lie.
"What can it be?" the student asked with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Will it be gold? Will it be diamonds, rubies or a priceless pearl?
Will it be the fountain of youth, or a potion to cure the ills of the world?"
For two and a half days, these wonderful thoughts flooded the young man's mind.
Every step he took brought him closer to the great treasure he wanted to find.
On the third day, the Master stopped. "We're here," he said with a stern look on his face.
"Where is it? Where is it?" the student screamed. "Is it buried? Is this right place?"
The Master bent over and picked up a withered dandelion from the ground.
"Here," he said, "This is what I wanted to show you. Isn't it great what we've found?"
"THIS IS IT?" the ungrateful student stomped his feet. "You made me hike for three days with no food to eat. I was hurt, I was sore, I bled, I got no sleep. You made me go through all of that for a weed by your feet?"
"For three days, my student, you were happier than ever before.
You pressed on happily no matter what we endured.
Because every moment you were excited for what was in store...
I'm sorry now that you are at the end of your journey that you want the end to mean more."
"WAIT!" the student yelled happily. "I understand, I understand now!"
"The greatest thing there is to find, is not what you find but how."
"It is not the end of the journey that is valuable, it is the journey itself. The greatest treasure is living for the NOW"
J
www.JacobIsrael.org
"The Truth Will Change You"
"Of all the thoughts that can be... "A thinker thinking thoughts," is my favorite." Uriah 2007
"Preference so often ruins the moment to moment. Unless of course, that is your preference." Uriah 2007
"River flowing fast to reach the destination it is already at." Uriah 2007
Monday, April 14, 2008
To Have and To Have Not
The Master left his mansion angrier than a hornet shook from it's hive.
The Servant smiled as he waved his Master Goodbye.
"I have, and you have not," the Master screamed to the servant tending his yard. "Why are you always smiling, when I know your life must be very hard?"
The servant turned and shook his head.
The Master got angrier and forced him to listen instead.
"I have a home, one hundred times the size of your shack.
I have cars, wealth, fashionable clothes and I give you just enough to keep you coming back."
The servant tried to hide the pitiful look in his eyes.
However, the Master saw this and it fueled his anger inside.
"I have the best physicians in the world, I have the most wonderful food to eat and I belong to many important clubs.
You don't have insurance, your food is scrap and you look at me as if I'm corrupt?"
The servant raised his gaze from the ground below.
As the Master continued to speak, the servants smile began to grow.
"I am a man of importance, one who travels and hunts...
I vacation where my heart desires and I do whatever I want...
But you, you are just the help, no one respects you and never will.
You're the one who cleans the dishes, not the one who pays the bill.
Your back is breaking, while mine is being rubbed.
Your hands are blistering, while mine are washed up.
What is so good about your life that I never see you cry,
Why is it you always smile, when I believe you should want to die?
The servant rolled his shoulders back as if he was going to speak.
He laid his rake to the ground and took off the boots from his feet.
"You may have a mansion, but I have a warm home.
You may have wealth, clothes and status, but I have a peace you will never know.
While you are fighting to have more, I have all I will ever need.
You see, I want nothing, but your belly hurts from the flames of your greed.
You say this is your grass, but I am the one that helps it grow.
You call this your land, but there are parts of it you don't even know.
I stock the fish for your pond, but you never watch one swim around.
I plant your flowers and you never smell them or pick them from the ground.
You're always worrying you will lose what you have, but I can never lose the amazing life I have found.
You tear down and I build up.
You are ungrateful, but I know the fullness of my cup.
You eat and drink more than you should, and because of it you pay the price,
You are overweight and sick, but I always feel all right.
You measure yourself against others, but I love who I am.
You can't see past your wallet, but I see a magnificent plan.
So, you want to know why it is a smile and I'm always so nice?
It's because I have found more than you have in this short wonderful life.
When I look back I see those things I have nourished and helped to grow. I see those I have served and all those I have been blessed to know.
What is it you see Master, when your life stares you in the face?
Is it those you've abused and taken advantage of? It must be a darker place.
You've taken without asking and never given, even to a few.
And now you want to know why it is I smile when you never do?
It is because I have something you don't and that much is very true.
And no matter what you think you have, until you change, I will always be greater than you.
We each have a part to play, but I understand the greater plot.
And to store up treasure in this world, it most surely is not.
It is to love and serve others and find joy and purpose in your lot.
When you do this, you will HAVE as I HAVE, but right now Master, you absolutely HAVE NOT!
The Servant smiled as he waved his Master Goodbye.
"I have, and you have not," the Master screamed to the servant tending his yard. "Why are you always smiling, when I know your life must be very hard?"
The servant turned and shook his head.
The Master got angrier and forced him to listen instead.
"I have a home, one hundred times the size of your shack.
I have cars, wealth, fashionable clothes and I give you just enough to keep you coming back."
The servant tried to hide the pitiful look in his eyes.
However, the Master saw this and it fueled his anger inside.
"I have the best physicians in the world, I have the most wonderful food to eat and I belong to many important clubs.
You don't have insurance, your food is scrap and you look at me as if I'm corrupt?"
The servant raised his gaze from the ground below.
As the Master continued to speak, the servants smile began to grow.
"I am a man of importance, one who travels and hunts...
I vacation where my heart desires and I do whatever I want...
But you, you are just the help, no one respects you and never will.
You're the one who cleans the dishes, not the one who pays the bill.
Your back is breaking, while mine is being rubbed.
Your hands are blistering, while mine are washed up.
What is so good about your life that I never see you cry,
Why is it you always smile, when I believe you should want to die?
The servant rolled his shoulders back as if he was going to speak.
He laid his rake to the ground and took off the boots from his feet.
"You may have a mansion, but I have a warm home.
You may have wealth, clothes and status, but I have a peace you will never know.
While you are fighting to have more, I have all I will ever need.
You see, I want nothing, but your belly hurts from the flames of your greed.
You say this is your grass, but I am the one that helps it grow.
You call this your land, but there are parts of it you don't even know.
I stock the fish for your pond, but you never watch one swim around.
I plant your flowers and you never smell them or pick them from the ground.
You're always worrying you will lose what you have, but I can never lose the amazing life I have found.
You tear down and I build up.
You are ungrateful, but I know the fullness of my cup.
You eat and drink more than you should, and because of it you pay the price,
You are overweight and sick, but I always feel all right.
You measure yourself against others, but I love who I am.
You can't see past your wallet, but I see a magnificent plan.
So, you want to know why it is a smile and I'm always so nice?
It's because I have found more than you have in this short wonderful life.
When I look back I see those things I have nourished and helped to grow. I see those I have served and all those I have been blessed to know.
What is it you see Master, when your life stares you in the face?
Is it those you've abused and taken advantage of? It must be a darker place.
You've taken without asking and never given, even to a few.
And now you want to know why it is I smile when you never do?
It is because I have something you don't and that much is very true.
And no matter what you think you have, until you change, I will always be greater than you.
We each have a part to play, but I understand the greater plot.
And to store up treasure in this world, it most surely is not.
It is to love and serve others and find joy and purpose in your lot.
When you do this, you will HAVE as I HAVE, but right now Master, you absolutely HAVE NOT!
Jacob
(Click on Next Title to find the treasure of who you are.)
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Like The Butterfly
The sun rose above the garden today,
The birds are singing and the children are at play.
I sit alone with a sad look on my face,
How I wish my life was different in this place.
I am the smallest of small and the slowest of slow,
I never get ahead and this everyone knows.
I have no friends, no family and no purpose it seems,
They point, they stare, and some even scream.
Oh how I wish someone could tell me what my life means.
I am not a worm, but I'm almost always on the ground.
I haven't traveled far, but I know there is more to this world than I have found.
Everyone is out to get me, and no one wants me around,
When I fall for once, I would love to have someone to pick me up from the ground.
Then I saw something to take me away from that sad place.
It was a butterfly floating with such beauty and grace.
Not a care in the world, not a worry in sight,
The color of it's wings, rubies, pearl and jade, seemed to dance in the light.
That could never be me, because with the Butterfly, everything in the world seemed right.
It was high and I was low,
It was beautiful and I, no one wanted to know.
What is the point of life if where the Butterfly went, I could never go?
Then it happened, in that very day.
I became tired, so in my bed did I lay.
My heart pounded and in my chest there was great pain,
"Could this be it?" I wondered, "Is this the end of my days?"
"It can't be!" I worried, "With my life, all I've done was complain."
Everything got quiet and all I could do was pray.
"If I can't be like the butterfly God, at least let me live to learn to love myself one more day."
I woke up in a prison of death, in a place tighter than any rope tied tight.
I could not move, I could not be heard, but I refused to give up without a fight.
I tossed and turned to reclaim what was once mine.
"My life matters!" I screamed, "I'm going to do it right this time!"
"I don't care how I look, I don't care what I do,
I know who I am on the inside, that much is true."
"I am kind, I am patient, I am friend to anyone in need.
I have nothing to lose and because of it I have no greed."
Please just give me the strength to succeed!"
Then it happened, I finally broke free.
But now, there was something very different about me.
I went to crawl but I began to fly,
I looked at the garden below me and all I could do was cry.
I never thought it was possible but who I wanted to be, I always was on the inside.
Who knew a lowly caterpillar would someday become a beautiful butterfly?
Jacob
(Click on Title below and read yesterday's post)
The birds are singing and the children are at play.
I sit alone with a sad look on my face,
How I wish my life was different in this place.
I am the smallest of small and the slowest of slow,
I never get ahead and this everyone knows.
I have no friends, no family and no purpose it seems,
They point, they stare, and some even scream.
Oh how I wish someone could tell me what my life means.
I am not a worm, but I'm almost always on the ground.
I haven't traveled far, but I know there is more to this world than I have found.
Everyone is out to get me, and no one wants me around,
When I fall for once, I would love to have someone to pick me up from the ground.
Then I saw something to take me away from that sad place.
It was a butterfly floating with such beauty and grace.
Not a care in the world, not a worry in sight,
The color of it's wings, rubies, pearl and jade, seemed to dance in the light.
That could never be me, because with the Butterfly, everything in the world seemed right.
It was high and I was low,
It was beautiful and I, no one wanted to know.
What is the point of life if where the Butterfly went, I could never go?
Then it happened, in that very day.
I became tired, so in my bed did I lay.
My heart pounded and in my chest there was great pain,
"Could this be it?" I wondered, "Is this the end of my days?"
"It can't be!" I worried, "With my life, all I've done was complain."
Everything got quiet and all I could do was pray.
"If I can't be like the butterfly God, at least let me live to learn to love myself one more day."
I woke up in a prison of death, in a place tighter than any rope tied tight.
I could not move, I could not be heard, but I refused to give up without a fight.
I tossed and turned to reclaim what was once mine.
"My life matters!" I screamed, "I'm going to do it right this time!"
"I don't care how I look, I don't care what I do,
I know who I am on the inside, that much is true."
"I am kind, I am patient, I am friend to anyone in need.
I have nothing to lose and because of it I have no greed."
Please just give me the strength to succeed!"
Then it happened, I finally broke free.
But now, there was something very different about me.
I went to crawl but I began to fly,
I looked at the garden below me and all I could do was cry.
I never thought it was possible but who I wanted to be, I always was on the inside.
Who knew a lowly caterpillar would someday become a beautiful butterfly?
Jacob
(Click on Title below and read yesterday's post)
Monday, April 7, 2008
The Greatest Treasure There Is
After three long years of teaching his brightest student, the Master comes to the young man's room...
"From the moment I laid my eyes upon you, there was something I wanted desperately to show you... When you see what it is I have waited three years for you to see, you will understand why I had to be sure you were ready to see it... There is nothing in this world that is as precious. There is nothing as important, as finding this hidden treasure for yourself. I can only lead you to it. But if you find what it is I have to show you, your life will never be the same," the Master said mysteriously and pointed the student to his back pack. "Now get ready, because today our journey begins."
With great enthusiasm the student packed his hiking bag. "The greatest treasure there is? Finally, I am going to find what I have been waiting my whole life to find," he said to himself with a smile that could not be hid.
The Master waited for him at the foot of a great mountain with a stern look on his face. "This journey will be hard. There will be ups and downs. There will be joy and great sorrow. There will be mountains to climb and valleys to descend. At times you will want to give up, but if you do, you will never find what it is I have to show you.
"I'm ready," the student says with a twinkle in his eyes. "What can it be?" he wondered as their journey began. "Will it be gold? Will it be diamonds, or rubies? Will it be the fountain of youth, or a potion to cure all ills?"
For two and a half days, these and many other wonderful thoughts flooded the young man's mind.
"I can't wait to see what it will be," the student declared with the same smile that inched toward his ears the day his journey began.
For two and a half days they climbed, they rested and ran. They endured the rain, the cold of night and the heat of the afternoon sun. But with every step the student took, he was hopeful. He knew, every step took him closer to his goal. Whether it was a sluggish step in the mud, or a soft step on the green grass, it was a step toward the greatest treasure there is.
On the third day, at the top of a large mountain, the Master suddenly stopped.
"Where is it? Where is it?" the student screamed and scanned every inch of the mountain top in a panic. "Is it buried? Is this right place? WHERE IS THIS TREASURE?"
The Master bent over and picked up a tiny pebble next to his feet. He held the small rock in his hand. He wiped the dirt covering it away. "Here," the Master said with a smile. "This is what I wanted to show you." He placed the pebble in the students hand and turned his back.
"THIS IS IT?" In anger the student stomped his feet. "You made me hike for three days with only the food we found along the way to eat. You made me hike for three days, with only the water that rained on our head to drink! I was hurt, I got no sleep, I fell, I bled... FOR A PEBBLE? ALL THAT FOR A WORTHLESS PIECE OF ROCK?" The Student threw the pebble as far as he could and tears filled his eyes for the first time in three days.
The Master turned to him with a pitiful look, "For three days you were happier than I have ever seen you. No matter what we endured, you pressed on happily. Every moment brought you joy, because you had hope there was a great point to what you were going through. You had faith... I'm sorry now that you are at the end of your journey that it is not everything you wanted it to be." The Master turned again and began to walk back home.
"WAIT!" the student screamed. "I understand now, I understand!" He jumped to his feet and danced around. "The greatest thing there is to find, is never found at the end of a journey. It is the journey itself that is great. It doesn't matter what is waiting for us at the end, what matters is how we get there to begin with."
The Master smiled, "You are a good student... Now carry an old man back home."
For those that question: The point of this parable is NOT to say, at the end of our lives we are left with a worthless pebble. Our lives are filled with many journeys and sometimes at their end we are disappointed... The point is, every moment of our life should be lived to the fullest. Our days can be filled with great hope and joy, if we have faith there is a point to it all. We may climb many mountains and cross many muddy fields, but we get where we are meant to go and if we're smart, we learn a thing or two... Focus on each moment and consider the possibilities of a life filled with faith. Live each day as if it were your last. Taste your food, stretch, breathe in fresh air, relax, kiss your wife or husband, hug your children and smell their hair, gaze at the stars, roll down a hill of grass and never forget to laugh.
Jacob - (Click on How We Grow)
"From the moment I laid my eyes upon you, there was something I wanted desperately to show you... When you see what it is I have waited three years for you to see, you will understand why I had to be sure you were ready to see it... There is nothing in this world that is as precious. There is nothing as important, as finding this hidden treasure for yourself. I can only lead you to it. But if you find what it is I have to show you, your life will never be the same," the Master said mysteriously and pointed the student to his back pack. "Now get ready, because today our journey begins."
With great enthusiasm the student packed his hiking bag. "The greatest treasure there is? Finally, I am going to find what I have been waiting my whole life to find," he said to himself with a smile that could not be hid.
The Master waited for him at the foot of a great mountain with a stern look on his face. "This journey will be hard. There will be ups and downs. There will be joy and great sorrow. There will be mountains to climb and valleys to descend. At times you will want to give up, but if you do, you will never find what it is I have to show you.
"I'm ready," the student says with a twinkle in his eyes. "What can it be?" he wondered as their journey began. "Will it be gold? Will it be diamonds, or rubies? Will it be the fountain of youth, or a potion to cure all ills?"
For two and a half days, these and many other wonderful thoughts flooded the young man's mind.
"I can't wait to see what it will be," the student declared with the same smile that inched toward his ears the day his journey began.
For two and a half days they climbed, they rested and ran. They endured the rain, the cold of night and the heat of the afternoon sun. But with every step the student took, he was hopeful. He knew, every step took him closer to his goal. Whether it was a sluggish step in the mud, or a soft step on the green grass, it was a step toward the greatest treasure there is.
On the third day, at the top of a large mountain, the Master suddenly stopped.
"Where is it? Where is it?" the student screamed and scanned every inch of the mountain top in a panic. "Is it buried? Is this right place? WHERE IS THIS TREASURE?"
The Master bent over and picked up a tiny pebble next to his feet. He held the small rock in his hand. He wiped the dirt covering it away. "Here," the Master said with a smile. "This is what I wanted to show you." He placed the pebble in the students hand and turned his back.
"THIS IS IT?" In anger the student stomped his feet. "You made me hike for three days with only the food we found along the way to eat. You made me hike for three days, with only the water that rained on our head to drink! I was hurt, I got no sleep, I fell, I bled... FOR A PEBBLE? ALL THAT FOR A WORTHLESS PIECE OF ROCK?" The Student threw the pebble as far as he could and tears filled his eyes for the first time in three days.
The Master turned to him with a pitiful look, "For three days you were happier than I have ever seen you. No matter what we endured, you pressed on happily. Every moment brought you joy, because you had hope there was a great point to what you were going through. You had faith... I'm sorry now that you are at the end of your journey that it is not everything you wanted it to be." The Master turned again and began to walk back home.
"WAIT!" the student screamed. "I understand now, I understand!" He jumped to his feet and danced around. "The greatest thing there is to find, is never found at the end of a journey. It is the journey itself that is great. It doesn't matter what is waiting for us at the end, what matters is how we get there to begin with."
The Master smiled, "You are a good student... Now carry an old man back home."
For those that question: The point of this parable is NOT to say, at the end of our lives we are left with a worthless pebble. Our lives are filled with many journeys and sometimes at their end we are disappointed... The point is, every moment of our life should be lived to the fullest. Our days can be filled with great hope and joy, if we have faith there is a point to it all. We may climb many mountains and cross many muddy fields, but we get where we are meant to go and if we're smart, we learn a thing or two... Focus on each moment and consider the possibilities of a life filled with faith. Live each day as if it were your last. Taste your food, stretch, breathe in fresh air, relax, kiss your wife or husband, hug your children and smell their hair, gaze at the stars, roll down a hill of grass and never forget to laugh.
Jacob - (Click on How We Grow)
Friday, April 4, 2008
The Power of Words
When you plant a seed into the ground. You can always expect that whatever you plant will take root and grow.
If you plant a tomato seed... you will not reap lettuce.
The same is true for the words we speak. Whatever we plant into the hearts of those around us, will be the very thing we can expect in return.
"You never listen! Why are you such a bad boy?" the mother yells and storms away.
Tears fill the six year old's eyes,"I am a bad boy," he says to himself allowing a frown to steal his smile away.
What ever predictions we make will most likely come true.
"You care about only yourself and you'll never be happy with me because you're selfish," the husband screams in the middle of yet another fight.
"I'll show you selfish," the wife fires back and storms out of her house to head for the bed of another man.
If you believe something about yourself and your circumstances, how can you, or your situation, ever be different than what you have decided them to be?
"I'll never get out of debt. Why do bad things always happen to me? My life sucks!" the young man cries and walks outside to find an eviction notice on his front door. "Figures!"
If you fill your cup with poison, how will you ever grow strong and get well?
"I'm never going to get healthy. I'm going be sick forever. What's the point of life if I'm always in pain?" the elderly woman declares.
Her nurse smiles sweetly and tilts her head, "Let's take a walk outside, it will do you some good."
"There's nothing that can help me," she yells pointing her nurse to the door.
Words are indeed like seeds planted in the ground. Our heart is the ground, the good, or bad, earth that when all words planted there, grow.
Whatever you nourish in your heart, whether it be the Weeds of Insecurity, Hate, Envy, Fear, Self loathing or the Flowers of Joy, Peace, Encouragement, or even the Trees of Love, Hope, Forgiveness and Compassion... these will be the plants that grow inside you and spring up around you.
We've been tricked into believing that by telling others of our hardship, we will be loved and cared for more. We've been blinded to believe, that if we curse others, it will make us feel better about ourselves.
The truth is, however, those who care for and encourage others are the ones that are loved and respected the most. Those who uplift and forgive, are the ones that truly feel better about themselves.
As a healthy tree produces good fruit, so an unhealthy and diseased tree produces that which makes others sick. Out of the heart can proceed every hate filled, arrogant, fearful, prideful, and terrible word. The cure is to have each and every one of these seeds/words/thoughts cast into the fire of love, so it can be destroyed and you can be set free. If we eat from the Tree of Life we will live but if we eat the words of death we will surely die.
Our words have power. Our words are like a sword that can kill or protect. Our words can be an elixir to the sick, or a poison to the healthy.
Our words can inspire change in the world, or hurl it into the pits of despair.
If you want peace, if you want success, if you want joy and love and to be content with all things in every situation, change!
Change your thoughts and your words to reflect your wants. Change your worry to hope. Change your fear to faith. Change your doubt to absolute certainty, and all will be well.
Change your words and change your life. Change your thoughts and change the world.
Jacob
(Click on next blog for those going through hard times.)
If you plant a tomato seed... you will not reap lettuce.
The same is true for the words we speak. Whatever we plant into the hearts of those around us, will be the very thing we can expect in return.
"You never listen! Why are you such a bad boy?" the mother yells and storms away.
Tears fill the six year old's eyes,"I am a bad boy," he says to himself allowing a frown to steal his smile away.
What ever predictions we make will most likely come true.
"You care about only yourself and you'll never be happy with me because you're selfish," the husband screams in the middle of yet another fight.
"I'll show you selfish," the wife fires back and storms out of her house to head for the bed of another man.
If you believe something about yourself and your circumstances, how can you, or your situation, ever be different than what you have decided them to be?
"I'll never get out of debt. Why do bad things always happen to me? My life sucks!" the young man cries and walks outside to find an eviction notice on his front door. "Figures!"
If you fill your cup with poison, how will you ever grow strong and get well?
"I'm never going to get healthy. I'm going be sick forever. What's the point of life if I'm always in pain?" the elderly woman declares.
Her nurse smiles sweetly and tilts her head, "Let's take a walk outside, it will do you some good."
"There's nothing that can help me," she yells pointing her nurse to the door.
Words are indeed like seeds planted in the ground. Our heart is the ground, the good, or bad, earth that when all words planted there, grow.
Whatever you nourish in your heart, whether it be the Weeds of Insecurity, Hate, Envy, Fear, Self loathing or the Flowers of Joy, Peace, Encouragement, or even the Trees of Love, Hope, Forgiveness and Compassion... these will be the plants that grow inside you and spring up around you.
We've been tricked into believing that by telling others of our hardship, we will be loved and cared for more. We've been blinded to believe, that if we curse others, it will make us feel better about ourselves.
The truth is, however, those who care for and encourage others are the ones that are loved and respected the most. Those who uplift and forgive, are the ones that truly feel better about themselves.
As a healthy tree produces good fruit, so an unhealthy and diseased tree produces that which makes others sick. Out of the heart can proceed every hate filled, arrogant, fearful, prideful, and terrible word. The cure is to have each and every one of these seeds/words/thoughts cast into the fire of love, so it can be destroyed and you can be set free. If we eat from the Tree of Life we will live but if we eat the words of death we will surely die.
Our words have power. Our words are like a sword that can kill or protect. Our words can be an elixir to the sick, or a poison to the healthy.
Our words can inspire change in the world, or hurl it into the pits of despair.
If you want peace, if you want success, if you want joy and love and to be content with all things in every situation, change!
Change your thoughts and your words to reflect your wants. Change your worry to hope. Change your fear to faith. Change your doubt to absolute certainty, and all will be well.
Change your words and change your life. Change your thoughts and change the world.
Jacob
(Click on next blog for those going through hard times.)
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
How We Grow
Where would the flowers be, without the manure heaped on top of it?
Could a seed ever grow, if it wasn't first placed into a deep, dark, horrible hole?
Would the wine taste as wonderful, if the grapes had not been smashed, scrapped, and left to sit in what had been squeezed out of them to begin with?
Can a sunrise be as beautiful, if there was never a dark night to rise above?
If not for the irritation of the oyster, would there ever be an expensive pearl left behind?
Can passing a test ever be as precious, if first you have never failed?
Would laughter be as wonderful, if tears never came to your eyes?
Can their ever be victory, if there isn't something to overcome?
Can anyone truly start over, if they haven't lost a thing to begin with?
Like the flower you may not understand why it is that you have to put up with so much manure.
But the manure makes you all the more beautiful when you rise above it.
Like the seed you may feel like there will never be an escape from the dark place you are in.
But the dirt keeps you grounded when you finally break through and reach for the sky.
Like the grape, you may be beat down, and pushed and pulled and left to stew in your own pain.
But the longer you endure the more sweet and powerful you become.
Like the sun, you may wonder if it will ever be your time to shine.
But without your dark days, why would anyone come to you to help light their way?
Like the oyster you may wonder if there is a point to your suffering at all.
But when you give up your struggle and open your heart for the world to see, they will find a pearl of great wisdom left behind.
You may have failed, you may have cried, and you may have lost it all.
But without these experience would you ever appreciate what you have at all?
And could you ever learn, that sometimes even the worst things that happen to us, are the very things that make us greatest of all.
Jacob
Could a seed ever grow, if it wasn't first placed into a deep, dark, horrible hole?
Would the wine taste as wonderful, if the grapes had not been smashed, scrapped, and left to sit in what had been squeezed out of them to begin with?
Can a sunrise be as beautiful, if there was never a dark night to rise above?
If not for the irritation of the oyster, would there ever be an expensive pearl left behind?
Can passing a test ever be as precious, if first you have never failed?
Would laughter be as wonderful, if tears never came to your eyes?
Can their ever be victory, if there isn't something to overcome?
Can anyone truly start over, if they haven't lost a thing to begin with?
Like the flower you may not understand why it is that you have to put up with so much manure.
But the manure makes you all the more beautiful when you rise above it.
Like the seed you may feel like there will never be an escape from the dark place you are in.
But the dirt keeps you grounded when you finally break through and reach for the sky.
Like the grape, you may be beat down, and pushed and pulled and left to stew in your own pain.
But the longer you endure the more sweet and powerful you become.
Like the sun, you may wonder if it will ever be your time to shine.
But without your dark days, why would anyone come to you to help light their way?
Like the oyster you may wonder if there is a point to your suffering at all.
But when you give up your struggle and open your heart for the world to see, they will find a pearl of great wisdom left behind.
You may have failed, you may have cried, and you may have lost it all.
But without these experience would you ever appreciate what you have at all?
And could you ever learn, that sometimes even the worst things that happen to us, are the very things that make us greatest of all.
Jacob
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
For God and Country
An old deaf man watched sadly as the few, the proud and the brave prayed “God grant us victory” while marching off to war one day.
This was a prayer the old man knew too well.
Like those young heroes he once cheered, “For God and country” as well…
But after sixty long years war remains,
After sixty long years it still leaves behind it great and terrible pain.
Father and Mothers lose Sons and Daughters;
Daughters and Sons lose Fathers and Mothers,
And many friends are lost in between.
So the old man thought long and hard for whom he should pray.
He lived on the border of both countries, he’s a native of both he could say.
To pray for one means defeat for the other. And to pray for the other surely means the same.
How could he wish death and destruction on one or the other?
When to pray for victory for one, most surely means death to his other brother.
The old man glanced up from his bible at the darkening sky,
“How should I pray Lord?” the old man cried… as the drums and the screams of war were shouted on high.
“I am brother to both how can I ever choose a side?”
Just then the wind blew the pages of his bible to a truth that brought tears to the old man’s eye.
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those that curse you, and pray for those who hurt you…”
The bible fell from his hands and the old man forgot his fear.
When the bombs and gun fire of his past made deaf his ears,
These were words he could not see very clear.
But after sixty long years he now understands how true victory is found.
So he walked to the border and he stood his ground.
If any army was to fight, it would be his life that would first be laid down.
“He’s our country men the soldier from one side said,”
“Hold your fire, hold your fire,” a soldier from the other shouted, “We don’t want our brother dead”
It was then both armies saw the one thing they had in common,
It was a love for their brother, which was something they had forgotten.
Jacob
This was a prayer the old man knew too well.
Like those young heroes he once cheered, “For God and country” as well…
But after sixty long years war remains,
After sixty long years it still leaves behind it great and terrible pain.
Father and Mothers lose Sons and Daughters;
Daughters and Sons lose Fathers and Mothers,
And many friends are lost in between.
So the old man thought long and hard for whom he should pray.
He lived on the border of both countries, he’s a native of both he could say.
To pray for one means defeat for the other. And to pray for the other surely means the same.
How could he wish death and destruction on one or the other?
When to pray for victory for one, most surely means death to his other brother.
The old man glanced up from his bible at the darkening sky,
“How should I pray Lord?” the old man cried… as the drums and the screams of war were shouted on high.
“I am brother to both how can I ever choose a side?”
Just then the wind blew the pages of his bible to a truth that brought tears to the old man’s eye.
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those that curse you, and pray for those who hurt you…”
The bible fell from his hands and the old man forgot his fear.
When the bombs and gun fire of his past made deaf his ears,
These were words he could not see very clear.
But after sixty long years he now understands how true victory is found.
So he walked to the border and he stood his ground.
If any army was to fight, it would be his life that would first be laid down.
“He’s our country men the soldier from one side said,”
“Hold your fire, hold your fire,” a soldier from the other shouted, “We don’t want our brother dead”
It was then both armies saw the one thing they had in common,
It was a love for their brother, which was something they had forgotten.
Jacob
Monday, March 31, 2008
Cookie Jar
A child reaches for the cookie jar. He knows he’s not supposed to, but he does it anyway … As he stretches he slips. He and the cookie jar come crashing to the ground…
“What happened?” His mother cries as she runs down the hall.
The boy knows he’s in trouble, the jar is broken and the mess is everywhere…
Tears fill his eyes as he drops his head in shame to say… “I’m sorry mommy”
The Mother pushes the mess aside. She takes her boy in her arms… “It’s all right sweetheart,” she says kindly, “Sometimes we have to fall, so love can pick us back up to teach us how not to fall again.”
We need to stop dwelling on what we have done wrong. Instead, we need to dwell on how God’s love is there to pick us up, no matter what we have done, and no matter how many times we’ve done it...
So one day we will never need fall again.
Jacob
“What happened?” His mother cries as she runs down the hall.
The boy knows he’s in trouble, the jar is broken and the mess is everywhere…
Tears fill his eyes as he drops his head in shame to say… “I’m sorry mommy”
The Mother pushes the mess aside. She takes her boy in her arms… “It’s all right sweetheart,” she says kindly, “Sometimes we have to fall, so love can pick us back up to teach us how not to fall again.”
We need to stop dwelling on what we have done wrong. Instead, we need to dwell on how God’s love is there to pick us up, no matter what we have done, and no matter how many times we’ve done it...
So one day we will never need fall again.
Jacob
Make Life Worth Living
An expensive house is not as valued as the laughter and love the inhabits the space inside someones home.
It is not the automobile that is essential, but a person's will to go from one place to another that creates the journey.
Outward beauty fades, perfect bodies wither, but a kind, giving and cheerful spirit lives on forever.
One thousand words of fear and hate will never accomplish what one single word of encouragement can.
To give to others is to build, to take from others only tears down.
To want more is poverty, but to be content is to have it all.
A smile in a room filled with frowns is as the sun on the most glorious of summer's days.
To rule over others creates resentment, but to lead with a servants heart is to make life long friends.
So laugh and love and go where your heart takes you. Be kind and giving and have a cheerful attitude. Encourage and give to those who need it. Be content with all you have. And if you do all these things and you never forget to smile, you will be a great leader in this world and you will have made a life that is truly worth living.
Jacob
It is not the automobile that is essential, but a person's will to go from one place to another that creates the journey.
Outward beauty fades, perfect bodies wither, but a kind, giving and cheerful spirit lives on forever.
One thousand words of fear and hate will never accomplish what one single word of encouragement can.
To give to others is to build, to take from others only tears down.
To want more is poverty, but to be content is to have it all.
A smile in a room filled with frowns is as the sun on the most glorious of summer's days.
To rule over others creates resentment, but to lead with a servants heart is to make life long friends.
So laugh and love and go where your heart takes you. Be kind and giving and have a cheerful attitude. Encourage and give to those who need it. Be content with all you have. And if you do all these things and you never forget to smile, you will be a great leader in this world and you will have made a life that is truly worth living.
Jacob
Friday, March 28, 2008
To Change The World
Can we make straight the most crooked of paths?
Can we teach someone who hates to love?
Can we fix what seems to be beyond repair?
Can we mend wounds that are deeper than our reach?
Can we change the world?
With faith all things are possible.
Jacob
Can we teach someone who hates to love?
Can we fix what seems to be beyond repair?
Can we mend wounds that are deeper than our reach?
Can we change the world?
With faith all things are possible.
Jacob
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Can You Hear the Music
Round and round and round they turn,
Laughing and dancing and spinning the earth,
"Mad they are", the people say. "Insane they are, the way they play."
But round and round and round they turn
each to the sound of the music they learned,
While the rest of the world, with ugly stares, walks about them in silence.
Jacob
Laughing and dancing and spinning the earth,
"Mad they are", the people say. "Insane they are, the way they play."
But round and round and round they turn
each to the sound of the music they learned,
While the rest of the world, with ugly stares, walks about them in silence.
Jacob
Wisdom is a Tree of Life
To desire is to suffer,
but to forget is bliss.
To hold tight makes you weak,
but to rest gives you strength.
To need is slavery,
but to be content is to rule the world.
Those who wait for good things have nothing,
but those who wait for nothing have all good things.
When a promise is made rejoice in it and let it go.
The Book of Thomas James 2012
but to forget is bliss.
To hold tight makes you weak,
but to rest gives you strength.
To need is slavery,
but to be content is to rule the world.
Those who wait for good things have nothing,
but those who wait for nothing have all good things.
When a promise is made rejoice in it and let it go.
The Book of Thomas James 2012
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