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*When the Lights Come Down* 1/9/02 _________________________________ If you enjoy this free daily email service, I encourage you to spread the word to family and friends that we may bring inspiration into the lives of many! If you are not on the list and this has been passed along to you, join the thousands of HeartTouchers.com readers around the world by sending an e-mail with the word "Subscribe" in the subject line to: HeartTouchers@aol.com Visit our inspirational web site and read all the past stories in our archives at: http://www.HeartTouchers.com ____________________________________________ When the Lights Come Down By Kenneth L. Pierpont My son Chuck is now sixteen years old. He's six feet tall and he's starting to get muscles. The other night he was doing his evening push-ups. I usually watch and watching makes me tired. He said; "Join me Dad, I'll match you two for one. He did. I did twenty-five sloppy half push-ups and he did fifty swift and perfect. He hasn't been that way for long. I remember when he still had his baby fat. Seems like it was just a few weeks ago, in fact. Once those years ago it was after Christmas and I was working in my study. It was a time of the year I have always liked right after all the holidays are over and we are turning the corner on another year. I always look forward to diving into the New Year with new challenges and fresh opportunities. Lois was home still cleaning up after our big New Year celebration. She was taking down the lights and the tree and putting away the decorations for the year. Chuck and the others were helping. Chuck was three, maybe four. The phone rang and I answered it. Lois was on the line. "Ken," she said; "Chuckie wants to talk to you, I'll put him on." "Okay," I said. "Hey, little buddy, what's up?" There was silence for a minute on the other end of the line, than a little cracking voice croaked into the phone; "Dad, Mom's takin' down the Christmas tree, come home and stop her." I put away may work for a while and came home. I asked Chuck to help me with the tree. We put on our coats, hats and gloves and dragged the once stately tree out to the garden leaving a trail in the snow. Then we stood for a while and looked quietly at it bright green against white. It was a sunny afternoon. I put my arm around tiny Chuck and we were quiet for a while, then I cleared my throat and made a little eulogy speech for our departed friend. "Well, Chuck, it was a beautiful tree wasn't it? We all enjoyed getting it and having it in our house for Christmas. Now it's time to say good-bye to our tree. Chuckie, to our family the Christmas tree reminds us of eternal life. Jesus came to the world to die for us on the cross so we could have eternal life. In a minute we will light the tree and it will burn up and while it burns it will make us warm, but we will always have eternal life. Let's just pray right now and thank the Lord for sending his son the Lord Jesus so we could always have eternal life, even when Christmas is over." We prayed and then stood silently watching the tree burn. Then we turned and walked back in the house where Lois had some hot chocolate to warm us. (Even when my little speeches don't work, hot chocolate always helps at time like this). It is natural to have an emotional let-down after we have put so much into our celebration of Christmas. I'm sure the same thing was true when the Lord Jesus walked the hills of Palestine. Jesus celebrated Hanukah. After the last day of the celebration of Hanukah, the Festival of Lights, Jesus stood to teach where He often did, in the courtyard of the Temple on Solomon's Porch. During the feast huge beautiful Menorahs filled with candlesticks burned in the courtyard of the Temple. Each day throughout the festival as additional candles were lit, the light would grow brighter and brighter. People would gather to sing and worship and celebrate. But on this day those lights would have burned out making it gloomy in comparison and it was back to business as usual. It was on that day Jesus stepped forward and in a loud voice said something very significant; "I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." Can you see him now stepping out on the porch of heaven and watching us put away all our Christmas decorations. He knows the melancholy that often visits the human spirit at times like this. He sees into the deepest part of our over-shadowed souls and he steps out on the porch of heaven and says; "When all the lights are put away, I am still the light of the world." We live in a dark world where many have lost their way in the darkness of sin and all the foul things that go with that. But those who understand that Jesus came to earth to save his people from their sins, don't pack away their hope and joy with the Christmas lights. Kenneth L. Pierpont ken@kenpierpont.com Write to Ken and let him know your thoughts on his story! ________________________________ Ken Pierpont lives with his wife and eight children in Fremont, Michigan. He is a pastor who loves to tell stories, especially at Christmas time. You can meet him on-line at www.kenpierpont.com or write him at ken@kenpierpont.com. Every Monday morning he starts the week by sending a new original story to about fifteen hundred friends who receive the Stonebridge Newsletter. If you ask real nice he will add you to the list. _________________________________________ Happy New Year from HeartTouchers.com From now on we will be offering our book, Straight From the Heart "A Celebration of Life" for only $13 (instead of the regular price of $14.95), and best of all, we will pay the shipping! So if you have any interest in purchasing an autographed copy of the book for yourself, or as a gift for your loved ones, now is the time to get it! To order your autographed copy send a check or money order for $13 (We pay the shipping!) for each book made out to Michael T. Powers, and then send it to: Michael T. Powers 1918 Liberty Lane Janesville, WI 53545 To preview the book by reading some of the stories visit: http://www.HeartTouchers.com/michael_t__powers/ AOL Users Click below: Straight From the Heart: A Celebration of Life _________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet." Verse for the Day: "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, to be content." -- Philippians 4:11 Kid's Thought For The Day: "Dirt is only considered bad when it's not on the ground." Parent's Thought For The Day: "A mother is neither cocky, nor proud, because she knows the school principal may call at any minute to report that her child has just driven a motorcycle through the gymnasium." -- Mary Kay Blakely Coach's Thought For The Day: "It's not true that nice guys finish last. Nice guys are winners before the game even starts. -- Addison Walker Writer's Thought For The Day: "Go on writing plays, my boy. One of these days one of those London producers will go into his office and say to his secretary, 'Is there a play from Shaw this morning?' and when she says 'No,' he will say, 'Well then, we have to start on the rubbish,' and that's your chance, my boy." --George Bernard Shaw Deep Thought For The Day: "The great thing about living in a small town is when you don't know what you're doing, someone else does." ___________________________________________ _ /_/\/\ MICHAEL T. POWERS \_\ / HeartTouchers@aol.com /_/ \ "For I have been crucified with Christ and I no \_\/\ \ longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I \_\/ live in the body I live for the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20 ___________________________________________ The copyrights to the stories that appear in HeartTouchers.com are owned by the authors and are used with their permission. We refuse to run stories without the author's permission and contact info listed after the story. We also refuse to publish stories listed as "author unknown." (All of which violates Copyright Law and the rights of the authors.) This e-mail may be forwarded in its entirety, but please do not cut and paste the stories to be used elsewhere unless you have contacted and been given permission by the individual writer. Thank you so much for honoring the rights of those writers who graciously share their stories with us! __________________________________________ Video Imagery --Michael's Video Production Business "I thought of you first after my family sat down to watch the video we gave them. They loved it, to say the least! Within thirty seconds my mom was crying and my dad did too. They said it was the best Christmas gift we could have given them!! You did such a beautiful job! They were so surprised and so touched--they really, really, really loved it. Thanks for helping to make it so special to us all. My mom mentioned how the songs were perfect for the video too! Thanks again!" Kelli-- College Station, TX Let me make you a video from your pictures or home movies! Check out the web page for Michael's video production business! Visit: http://www.hearttouchers.com/video_imagery/ AOL Users click here: Video Imagery ___________________________________________ Would you like to see your story in HeartTouchers.com? Writer's guidelines can be found on our Web site here: http://www.HeartTouchers.com/guidelines/ AOL Users click here: Writer's Guidelines ___________________________________________ SUBSCRIBE: "I need a daily source of inspiration and encouragement in my life!" To become a HeartTouchers.com Member send an e-mail with "Subscribe" in the subject line to: HeartTouchers@AOL.COM Then get ready to laugh, cry, and be deeply touched by some of the best stories on the Internet! __________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: All you have to do is send an e-mail with the word "Unsubscribe" in the subject line to: HeartTouchers@aol.com Give it a day or two to be processed... __________________________________________ Do you feel as if life has no meaning for you? http://www.greatcom.org/english/four.htm AOL Users click here: The Four Spiritual Laws __________________________________________ |
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Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
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