About six years ago, I went to the Poconos for a winter retreat with my church.  It was a small, simple gathering of about forty kids.  

We were not yet teens but slowly coming to realize ourselves as more than just children. 

Since I was new to the church, a few friends of mine gave me a basic overview on the kids of our youth group.  I can still remember a few random faces and the descriptions that went with them:  

"Oh, that's so-and-so. He's such a pussy; he wet the bed at last year's retreat." or "That's the kid that kicked so-and-so's butt cuz he bothered his sister."  
  
Yet the one that haunts me with such clarity to this day is of a little girl, probably in the third grade at the time.  With uneven locks of greasy hair adorning her ... Read more »

One day, while I was lying on a massage table in a dark, quiet room waiting for an appointment, a wave of longing swept over me. I checked to make sure I was awake and not dreaming, and I saw that I was as far removed from a dreamy state as one could possibly be. Each thought I had was like a drop of water disturbing a still pond, and I marveled at the peacefulness of each passing moment.

Suddenly my mother’s face appeared - my mother, as she had been before Alzheimer’s disease had stripped her of her mind, her humanity, and 50 pounds. Her magnificent silver hair crowned her sweet face. She was so real and so close I felt I could reach out and touch her. I even smelled the fragrance of Joy, her favorite perfume. She seemed to be waiting and did not speak.

I said, "Oh, Mother, I’m so sorry that you had to suffer with that horrible disease."

She tipped her head slightly to one side ... Read more »

One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die so there will be enough people to take care of things here on earth.

He doesn’t make grown-ups, just babies.  I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way, He doesn’t have to take up His valuable time teaching them to talk and walk, He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.

God’s second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times besides bedtime. God doesn’t have time to listen to the radio or TV on account of this.  Since He hears everything, not only prayers, there must be a terrible lot of noise in His ears, unless He has thought ... Read more »

I will have confidence in myself and put my trust in God.

I will have courage for the big things and patience for the small things.

I will admit mistakes, learn forgiveness, and go on with the game.

I will not call myself a loser or a failure until I've failed to try.

I will set sound, worthy goals and work for them one day at a time and one play at a time.

I will do what I can and not worry about scoring, winning, and making the big plays, because just doing my best and playing fair is what really makes me a winner, both in life and on the playing field.

He sits by himself at a table for two.

The uniformed waiter returns to his side and asks, "Would you like to go ahead and order, sir?" The man has, after all, been waiting since seven o'clock -- almost half an hour.

"No, thank you," the man smiles. "I'll wait for her a while longer. How about some more coffee?"

"Certainly, sir."

The man sits, his clear blue eyes gazing straight through the flowered centerpiece. He fingers his napkin, allowing the sounds of light chatter, tinkling silverware, and mellow music to fill his mind. He is dressed in sport coat and tie. His dark brown hair is neatly combed, but one stray lock insists on dropping to his forehead. The scent of his cologne adds to his clean cut image. He is dressed up enough to make a companion feel important, respected, loved. Yet he is not so formal as to make one uncomfortable. It seems that he has taken every precaution to make others feel at ease with him. < ... Read more »

Father, you came to me first, not as God, nor creator, but as a friend.

You have given me hope when I had none.
Shared your love when I had none to share and held me safe in your arms of eternity.
You have opened up the doors to my soul and shown me that which is, was and could be.

I love thee beyond all.
For you are the open hand, the whisper in my silence, the light in the darkness.

And I my Lord God, am but a shadow in your light, an echo from a word passed, a child lost in a world of children.

A child who will always need a friend.

There was a professor of philosophy at USC who was a deeply committed atheist. His primary goal for one required class was to spend the entire semester attempting to prove that God couldn't exist. 

His students were always afraid to argue with him because of his impeccable logic. 

For twenty years he had taught this class and no one had ever had the courage to go against him. Sure, some had argued in class at times, but no one had ever *really gone against him* (you will see what I mean later). Noboby would go against him because he had a reputation. 
                              
At the end of every semester, on the last day he would say to the class of 300  students, " ... Read more »