Only the black keys

Who would ever believe that only playing the black keys would sound so good?

FORREST GUMP GOES TO HEAVEN

The day finally arrived. Forrest Gump dies and goes to Heaven. He is at the Pearly Gates, met by St. Peter himself. However, the gates are closed, and Forrest approaches the gatekeeper.St. Peter said, "Well, Forrest, it is certainly good to see you. We have heard a lot about you. I must tell you, though, that the place is filling up fast, and we have been ministering an entrance examination for everyone. The test is short, but you have to pass it before you can get into Heaven."Forrest responds, " It sure is good to be here, St. Peter, sir. But nobody ever told m e about any entrance exam. I sure hope that the test ain't too hard. Life was a big enough test as it was."St. Peter continued, "Yes, I know, Forrest, but the test is only three questions.First: What two days of the week begin with the letter T?Second: How many seconds are there in a year?Third: What is God's first name?"Forrest leaves to think the questions over. He returns the next day and sees St. Peter, who waves him up, and says, "Now that you have had a chance to think the questions over, tell me your answers."Forrest replied, "Well, the first one -- which two days in the week begins with the letter "T"? Shucks, that one is easy. That would be Today and Tomorrow."The Saint's eyes opened wide and he exclaimed, "Forrest, that is not what I was thinking, but you do have a point, and I guess I did not specify, so I will give you credit for that answer. How about the next one?" asked St. Peter."How many seconds in a year? Now that one is harder," replied Forrest, but I thunk and thunk about that, and I guess the only answer can be twelve."Astounded, St. Peter said, "Twelve? Twelve? Forrest, how in Heaven's name could you come up with twelve seconds in a year?"Forrest replied, "Shucks, there's got to be twelve:January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd.... " "Hold it," interrupts St. Peter. "I see where you are going with this, and I see your point, though that was not quite what I had in mind.....but I will have to give you credit for that one, too. Let us go on with the third and final question. Can you tell me God's first name"?"Sure," Forrest replied, "it's Andy.""Andy?" exclaimed an exasperated and frustrated St Peter."Ok, I can understand how you came up with your answers to my first two questions, but just how in the world did you come up with the name Andy as the first name of God?""Shucks, that was the easiest one of all," Forrest replied. "I learnt it from the song .
"ANDY WALKS WITH ME, ANDY TALKS WITH ME,ANDY TELLS ME I AM HIS OWN. . "St. Peter opened the Pearly Gates, and said: "Run Forrest, run." Give me a sense of humor, Lord. Give me the ability to understand a clean joke, to get some humor out of life, and to pass it on to other folks

Back Ground Checks on your church, why?

I saw this advertisment and was quite shocked, I mean why would a church need to do a background check on their pastor? Then again I have heard several stories about Priest and little boys and maybe its not such a bad ideal, right?

Who would believe that an organization has been doing this for the past 16 years, Oxford Document Management Company (ODM) has been the vendor of choice for religious organizations seeking comprehensive background checks of their clergy, church workers and volunteers.
They actually offer a full array of background investigation services—from formal written reference checking programs to criminal history, credit, motor vehicle, and education credential background checks.

They claim is to prevent and eliminate sexual misconduct by their clergy, church workers and volunteers. I agree when sexual misconduct occurs within the Church, the outcome is devastating—not only for the individuals involved, but also for the families, the parish, the denomination, and the community at large. This violation of trust can precipitate a true crisis of faith that destroys the victim's faith in God, the Church, and religious leaders in general.

I am not sure that I agree with that concept, a pastor should not have to give his personal information to preach, but he does have to answer to God at the end, so either way he has a cost to pay!

God has a reason

God has kept me here for a reason.

I survived, because He has a plan for me. All my bad relationships, the addictions, the consequences, the bad credit, the repossessions, the death of my loved ones, the back stabbing from my friends, the negative thoughts or the lack of support; I made it through because I am blessed! I released and let go of all past hurts, misunderstandings and grudges, because I am abundantly blessed! I recognize them as the Illusions they are, sent from the enemy to killmy spirit, steal my joy, and destroy my faith; For God is all there is. All else is a lie! Now give yourself a hug, wipe your tears away andwalk in victory!! I love you, but more appropriately God loves you BEST! Be blessed and know that you are at one with THE SPIRIT OF THE LIVINGGOD! Please remeber that is prayer never goes up, then blessing can NEVER COME DOWN!!!

Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it.






From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing.... Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.

This alone is amazing. If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to the horse's halter is a small bell. It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow. As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is, trusting that he will not be led astray. When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, it stops occasionally and looks back, making sure that the blind friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need. Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way.... Good friends are like that... you may not always see them, but you know they are always there. Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours. (Thanks for already listening for my bell)And remember... be kinder than necessary - everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. Live simply,Love generously,Care deeply,Speak kindly....Leave the rest to God

Sometimes when you put it in his hands, you just have to believe!

Family

I ran into a stranger as he passed by, "Oh excuse me please" was my reply. He said, "Please excuse me too; I wasn't watching for you." We were very polite, this stranger and I. We went on our way and we said goodbye.

But at home a different story is told, How we treat our loved ones, young and old. Later that day, cooking the evening meal, My son stood beside me very still. When I turned, I nearly knocked him down. "Move out of the way," I said with a frown. He walked away, his little heart broken. I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken. While I lay awake in bed, God's still small voice came to me and said, "While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use, but the family you love, you seem to abuse.

Go and look on the kitchen floor, You'll find some flowers there by the door. Those are the flowers he brought for you. He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue. He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise, you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes." By this time, I felt very small, And now my tears began to fall. I quietly went and knelt by his bed; "Wake up, little one, wake up," I said. "Are these the flowers you picked for me?" He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree. I picked 'em because they're pretty like you. I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue." I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today; I shouldn't have yelled at you that way." He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway." I said, "Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."

FAMILY Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think? So what is behind the story? Do you know what the word FAMILY means? FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU

Please Don't Tell Martin

Thank you Ms. Coretta for the grace, strength, and dignity that you displayed. Since your wonderful husband was assassinated by the bullets of fear and hate. You know they killed him because of their ignorance. Thank you for not allowing bitterness and anger to engulf your very existence.Now that you are reunited with Martin tell him that they are stripping our rights away, day by day, but his fight was not in vain. Tell him that although my generation glorifies drugs, debases black women in song, and calls us vulgar names that his dream still remains. Our men no longer celebrate our natural black beauty. We have to have long weaves, small waists, and big ole booties.The videos are so degrading, they mirror soft porn. Us Blacks own television stations now, but that's all that's shown. Tell Martin that my generation apologizes for its lack of respect for his legacy and the dormancy of our elders. We might as well call this the Civil Rights of Unmovement Era. Tell him that although we as black people make more than we've ever seen, that we squander it on diamond clad teeth, 24 inch rims, and designer clothes due to our sagging self-esteem.Tell Martin that our babies are growing up without fathers, while the mothers are catching buses just like he remembers. Our children take to the streets in droves, not to march or proclaim the injustice of this nation, but to pledge their gang affiliation. I can't rhyme to this next line. On any night thugs hang out while bullets ring out - not freedom. And, yes, we continue to be judged by the color of our skin by America but I wonder most about the lack of the content of our character.Advise him that the granddaughters of the Civil Rights Era are making their money as strippers. The Grandsons of the marchers are ignoring their sons and daughters and hanging and slanging on corners. They're going to jail in mass numbers, not for protesting, marching, or defying racism, but because they commit illegal acts to gain materialism.Our children are making babies, ignoring education, committing felonious capers, I'd wish they'd read his Birmingham Jail Papers. Tell Martin that those in the ghetto are not the only ones forgetting his dream. There are those who've forgotten where they came from because of a little cream. Who refuse to give back to the community, because their motto is "More for me." They've forgotten how to lend a helping hand, to help their fellow man, all the while thinking, "If I can make it, they can." Looking down without offering a leg up, getting on elevators with their noses up. Some of us are even Republicans now, but that's a very exclusive black crowd striving to get to the top of the ladder, to make their pockets fatter instead of doing something that truly matters. Leaving the hood in droves and only moving back when Whites buy up all of the homes. Tell Martin that we still like to dance and sing, but not Negro spirituals cuz we've got Beyonce grinding and shaking her thing.Ms. Coretta, this may hurt poor Martin the most. It just may seal the deal, we as a people don't attend church anymore. Cuz we've gotten a little education and found out that God wasn't real. For those of us who still believe, it makes us want to holla, we've got a pimp named Bishop and a Bishop named Dollar.I don't know Ms. Coretta, maybe you'd better not tell Martin that for all that he's done to make us free, equal, and just that we still migrate to the back of the bus. I'll bet looking down he doesn't recognize us. We've forgotten how to march, protest, and vote - but be at the club, standing in line for hours in the freezing cold. sporting the latest gear; stilettos, hoochie clothes, teeth that's froze, and then driving cars with less tire more rim. Dying to get in so that we can shake it fast, drop it like it's hot, forgetting the respect and dignity that we were taught. I neva' thought I'd think this thought, but please don't eva' give Martin your report.Ms. Coretta, maybe you should just avoid mentioning my generation all togetha'.Bitter B. Released: January 31, 2008"Bad planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." Proverb