[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Monday, January 6, 2014

[rcubfank at sbcglobal.net]

Sorry for the notice. I have been in the hospital and a skilled nursing 
facility for the past two months or so. I just got out yesterday. I will be 
sending replies wsith no messag to get faithtalk back into my address book 
as I have a new computer and new but same version of jaws.



-----Original Message----- 
From: Paul
Sent: Monday, January 6, 2014 12:26 PM
To: Faith-talk,for the discussion of faith and religion
Subject: [Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Monday, January 6, 2014

Hello and good day to you all.  I hope that you are all doing well.  It goes 
without saying that, for those of us who are or will be caught in extremely 
bitterly cold weather this evening, that you will be staying indoors, and 
that your source of heat won't go out.  I can remember back in 1993 when our 
oil furnace did that, and my but was it cold! It was then that we decided to 
switch to natural gas.  This gave us two advantages:  No leaks anywhere, and 
no timed deliveries for the heat source, unlike oil heat.  So here I am 
enjoying the benefits of natural gas heat.

The article I have for you today has no author's name appended to it, but it 
is from a compilation entitled "Stories For A Faithful Heart," with the 
story under consideration entitled "The One The Father Loves the Most," 
rendered as follows:

A professor of mine once told me the following story:  "I'm one of 13 
children.  One day when I was playing in the street of our hometown, I got 
thirsty and came into the house for a glass of water.  My father had just 
come home from work to have lunch.  He was sitting at the kitchen table with 
a neighbor.  A door separated the kitchen from the pantry, and my father 
didn't know I was there.  The neighbor said to my father, Joe, there's 
something I've wanted to ask you for a long time.  You have 13 children. 
Out of all of them, is there one that is your favorite, one you love more 
than all the others?"

"I had my ear pressed against the door, hoping against hope it would be me. 
That's easy, my father said.  That's Mary, the 12-year-old.  She just got 
braces on her teeth and feels so awkward and embarrassed that she won't go 
out of the house anymore.  Oh, but you asked about my favorite.  That's my 
23-year-old Peter.  His fiancee broke their engagement, and he is desolate. 
But the one I really love the most is little Michael.  He's totally 
uncoordinated and terrible in any sport he tries to play.  But, of course, 
the apple of my eye is Susan.  Only 24, living in her own apartment and 
developing a drinking problem.  I cry for Susan.  But I guess of all the 
kids .... and my father went on, mentioning each of his 13 children by 
name."

The professor ended his story by saying:  "What I learned was that the one 
my father loves most was the one who needed him most of the time.  And 
that's the way the Father of Jesus is:  He loves those most who need Him 
most, who rely on Him, depend upon Him, and trust Him in everything.  Little 
He cares whether you've been as poor as St. John or as sinful as Mary 
Magdalene.  All that matters is trust.  It seems to me that learning how to 
trust God defines the meaning of Christian living.  God doesn't wait until 
we have our moral life in order before He starts loving us."

And there you have your Daily Thought article for today, which I hope was a 
blessing to you.  Tomorrow I'll give you the answer to Sunday's poem if you 
haven't guessed it by then.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, 
individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Lord 
willing tomorrow will present another daily thought article for your 
consideration.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul
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