The Parable of the Birds

The man to whom I’m going to introduce you was not a scrooge; he was a kind, decent, mostly good man who was generous to his family and upright in his dealings with other men. But he simply didn’t believe all that incarnation stuff that the churches proclaim at Christmastime. It just didn’t make sense, and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He simply couldn’t swallow the Jesus story, about God’s coming to earth as a man.

“I’m truly sorry to distress you,” he told his wife, “but I’m not going with you to church this Christmas Eve.” He added that he’d feel like a hypocrite and that he’d much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. And so he stayed home, and his family went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later, he was startled by a thudding sound…then another and then another­­—sort of a thump or a thud. At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window, but when he went to the front door to investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. Apparently, they had been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn’t let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he thought of the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter­­­‑‑‑if he could only direct the birds to it.

Quickly, he put on a coat and galoshes and tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in, so he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted, wide-open doorway of the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried to catching them. He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them and waving his arms. Instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted barn.

Only then did he realize that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me and that I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them. Bur how? Any move he made tended to frighten them and confuse them. They simply would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because the feared him.

If only I could be a bird, he thought to himself, and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could show them the way to the safe, warm barn. But I would have to be one of them so they could see, hear, and understand.

At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. And he stood there listening to the bells playing “Adeste Fidelis.” Listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas, he sank to his knees in the snow.

“Now I understand,” he whispered. “Now I see why You had to do it.”

Editor’s Note: “The parable of the Birds” was written by Louis Cassels in December 1959. The story, which appeared in newspapers and on radio broadcast, was so popular that it was and continues to be reproduced every Christmas. Paul Harvey helped to immortalize the story on radio. Cassel wrote the story to address the reasons why God chose to come into the world as a man‑‑‑to show His love for people and to personally deliver the message of salvation.

How to Fight with your Husband

 

by Faith Reynolds 

Long Beach, California Pictured: 

The Ely Reynolds clan 

Do YOU FIGHT with your husband? Oh, I don't mean the screaming, yelling, slamming doors kind of fight. I'm ashing about the moments that some call disagreements, discussions, agreeing to disagree, or or silent treatments. I'll call these moments "fights." Let's be honest; all married couples have them periodically.

Amos 3:3, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?"

Can you picture the old-fashioned tree-legged race? If one participant walks "inside leg first" and the other walks "outside leg first," the are doomed to fail. If two people are going to walk togerther and see their relationship move forward in a positive way, they must agree.

1. Differences
My husband and I have “major” differences! I prefer crispy French  fries, and he likes them so limp that when he holds them up they practically faint  He loves to pile his chips high with chunky salsa  I prefer to “pretend to dip”—just barely touching my chips into the salsa juice  Did you know that some couples argue over insignificant differences like these? Probably the biggest difference that you will face in marriage is the difference between men and women  We process things differently.

2. Decisions
Too many shared decisions can cause "fights." If you are really looking to pick a fight with your husband, have him join you on your next grocery trip. Decide together on each item to buy. Good luck!

3. The Desire to be Right
James 4:1, "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lust [desires] That war in your members? Some people will not let the argument end until they are declared right!

These three points may start a "fight," but if the "fight" continures, it is for one reason, and one reason only: PRIDE. Proverbs 13:10, "Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom."

Pride will not admit she's wrong. Pride demands her rights. Pride thinks she always has to be treated fairly. Pride thinks it's always the other person's fault. Pride causes all arguments, from the playground to marriage.

This year my husband Ely and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary. As I reflect back on our ten years of "wedded bliss," I think learning how to "fight right" has been one of the most valuable lessons learned.

1. All marriage "fights" should have one goal: reconciliation
The goal is not to win the argument; it's not to get back at your spouse for hurting you: it's to be a close, loving couple once again. When the husband and wife have this goal very clearly in mind, they will choose their words carefully. For example: "Honey, when you said A this morning, I took it as meaning B. This is how it made me feel."

Compare these carefully chosen words with the following example: "You always treat me like dirt. I'll never understand you."

Accusing each other will drive a husband and wife farther apart, whereas giving each other the benefit of the doubt can draw them back together.

2. Only "fight" when you have time
Walking out the door or driving to church is not the time to have a full discussion. You may need to use the dreaded phrase "We need to talk" and plan a later time.

3. Examine your stat of mind
Are your hungry, tired, PMS-ing? Most would agree that it's foolish to try to reason with a child who is hungry or overly tired. It's also foolish to discuss things that irritate you when you are not at your physical or mental best. Simply because we are irritable does not give us the right to pick at our man. Remember, if you start listing his faults, he just might start listing yours!

4. Say your piece then listen to his
Don't vent all of your frustrations, only to storm out of the room without Listening to his. Sit down, look him in the eye (without glaring, please), and listen to him without interrupting.

Try to find something with which to agree. I'm sure there are all sorts of cute communication tips online, but nothing can beat the art of listening.

5. Empathize with your mate
Sometimes we only look at things from our point of view. We might think that we have a situation all worked out and can't understand why our husband is not on board with it. Have we considered what he went through that day? Why does he see the situation that way? What are his fears of reservations? Empathizing with our spouse will soften the "fight.:

6. If you are wrong, admit it
Sometimes we are actually (gulp) wrong. Admit it quickly, emphatically, and sincerely!

Psalms 133:1, Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! My wish is that every reader will apply at least one of the principles I have listed toward having a good and pleasant marriage.

From: Christian Womanhood Magazine November 2016




 

When God Takes Control

Touch of Heaven
Story By: paulchernoch
Christian Writers

    In mid June, I lost my job. In mid October, I started a new one. The miracle is how I needed to be out of work for the months in between and not be stressed out about not having a job so that I could attend to things that needed my attention.
 
The day after I lost my job, I went to visit my parents. My mom was in the hospital. I was able to speak to her on the last day she was conscious and able to speak and take the last picture of her that our family has of her alive. Had I been working, I would not have made the trip.
 
Being out of work, I had time to devote to helping my sister and brother plan the funeral and mass. I was able to write a poem to express my feelings. And I was able to focus on helping my dad grieve the loss of his wife.
 
Because I was out of work, I thought, "What can I do that would make my father happy and give him something to look forward to?" I remembered that for years he had spoken about making a trip to NYC to see the place where he grew up and visit family on Long Island and go to the beach at Fire Island one last time. So I offered to take him, and brought along my three daughters. While on Long Island, we celebrated his 90th birthday, went to the beach, took a boat tour around Manhattan and visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We visited with his sister-in-law and niece. He said it was the best vacation he ever took.
 
Because I was out of work, I was able to stay with my dad at the hospital for ten days when he suddenly took ill in mid-August. He nearly died. His neighbor told me that he took my dad to visit his farm (he lives in a retirement home now). When I mentioned this to my wife, she urged me to tell the doctors to check for tick-borne illnesses. It turns out that my dad was bitten and contracted anaplasmosis. If they had not identified the cause, he would have died.
 
Because I was out of work, I was able to help my dad again when it was time to transition back from rehab to his assisted living apartment. Being familiar with his condition, when symptoms returned I urged his doctor to resume the antibiotics. As a result, he recovered rather than going down hill again.
 
Because I was out of work, I was able to attend to some much needed home maintenance, yard work, etc.
 
I believe that the Lord was in control of my time this summer. He had a plan, and it saved my father's life. It also enabled me to be strong for my family at a time when I might have been overwhelmed by grief and regret for not being able to help. The Lord used the opportunity for my girls to see NYC for the first time.
 
My father's recovery could easily be attributed to modern medicine, but after seeing several doctors advise hospice care for my dad and counsel that our family accept that my father would soon die, when one of them enthusiastically assured us that he would find the cause and followed through on that with many tests, frequent visits to my father and above-and-beyond care - plus listening to me when I suggested the possible cause - I am sure that God was supervising the entire matter.
 
Paul

Paul has a poem dedicated to his mother on the Christian Writers. Click Tall the Pond Grass Grows to read his poem.

Where did They Go?

Touch of Heaven
Story by: DrRita
Christian Writers 



   I've seen many miracles in my life, things that only God could have done.  The most recent was truly a healing miracle from the Lord.  It's a bit embarrassing as the details involve a bowel problem so bear with me.  I have suffered from internal and external hemorrhoids for  YEARS!! Over the years gastroenterologists (I've had several) have warned me that one day I will probably need surgery but to postpone it as long as possible.  This past summer I began having terrible bleeding, went to my GP and he confirmed that I had blood in my stool as well as the swelling that he called substantial.  He sent me to yet another gastroenterologist who set me of for both an upper GI scope (I have acid reflux also, *sigh*) and a colonoscopy with a plan to do a procedure on the hemorrhoids that would rid me of the worst of them without invasive surgery.   When I returned to the gastroenterologist for my follow-up she showed me the pictures and told me both "ends" were completely clear.  I had no sign of hemorrhoids, internal or external and no erosion in my esophagus (there had been signs in a prior scope) and that she didn't know why they weren't there now.  I told her that God had healed me and she simply smiled. She had no real answer. I since have felt so physically different, amazing!! I know it was God who had healed me, probably of more than just hemorrhoids. I praise him. 

Learn more about DrRita at: Rita's Ravings 

Wits End, a Dental Dilemma

Touch of Heaven
Story by: Ragamuffin_John
Christian Writers




  When I was about 20, I worked in a US Military Hospital in Europe as a hospital clerk.  It proved useful that the lay pastor of the church I attended also worked there.  I'll call him "Bill".  Anyway, I was in the dental side of the hospital and had already endured two hours as a dental patient.  The dentist was at his wits end about how to get the remainder of an impacted wisdom tooth out of my mouth.  Perhaps it was an old procedure back then, but the only way to get the tooth out was to drill, crack and remove a bit at a time.  I was profusely bleeding.   The dentist was not a believer, but he had a great idea.  He asked for Bill to come to our room, and then he asked Bill to pray for a successful extraction.  Bill prayed and the dentist immediately extracted the remainder of the tooth.  It was a holy moment.  Everyone was too stunned to comment.  But, the Lord Jesus got the glory.