[Faith-talk] Good Night Message for Wednesday, July 18 2012

[Paul]

Well, here in North America, folks, it's approaching the end of Wednesday.  However you in Australia and New Zealand are well underway with your Thursday, and those of you in the UK or in Europe are just beginning your Thursday.  In any case, I hope you had a good Wednesday, as I surely did despite the high heat and drought conditions.  I also hope and pray that your AC is still working, for those of us in North America.

Miss Alva Donelson of Sioux City IA contributed our poem for today with a question for a title.  Entitled "Why Cast Bread Upon the Waters?" I think you'll like her contribution, rendered as follows:

Why cast bread upon the waters?
To help another on his way?
He will never return to thank you,
Nor help you in any way.

You have sent a good deed floating;
You have made somebody glad.
He will help another friend in sorrow,
As happy people are not bad.

So cast bread upon the waters;
You may make many people glad.

Now we can put a practical application to this poem.  I think that the phrase "cast bread upon the waters" comes from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament, but can't remember exactly where.  Don't worry; I have my own Bible, and I hope you do also.  Anyway, when some of us started out emailing various people and joined various lists, in a very real sense we were casting bread upon the waters.  I don't know about you, but personally, had I not done so, I would have missed getting acquainted with so many wonderful and caring people.  Do I have a witness on this? I can just hear many loud "Amens" from all of you.  Again, even though she has probably gone to be with her Lord, I thank Miss Donnelson of Sioux City IA for her short but poignant poem.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, throughout the night or day, and especially in these last days in which we live.  The other night when someone symbolically tucked the undersigned under the covers, it felt real good.  And I know that will literally take place sometime during the latter part of September.  Anyway folks in North America, good night and sweet dreams.  Paul