Three Wishes

An Arab had spent many days crossing the desert without finding a source of water. It got so bad that his camel died of thirst.

He crawled through the sands, certain that he was breathing his last breath, when suddenly, he saw a shiny object sticking out of the sand several yards ahead of him.

He crawled to the object, pulled it out of the sand, and discovered that he had a Manischewitz wine bottle.

It appeared that there may be a drop or two left in the bottle, so he unscrewed the top, and out popped a genie. BUT this was no ordinary genie. This genie appeared to be a Chasidic Rabbi, complete with black alpaca coat, black hat, side curls, and tzitzis.

"Vell kid," said the genie, "you know how it voiks. You got three vishes."

"I'm not going to trust you,' says the Arab. "I'm not going to trust a Jewish genie!"

"Vott'ya you got to lose? Looks ta me - you're a gonner anyvay!"

The Arab thought about this for a minute, and decided that the genie was right. "Okay, I wish I were in a lush oasis, with plentiful food and drink."

** * * * * * * P O O F * * * * * * * * *

The Arab found himself in the most beautiful oasis he had ever seen and he was surrounded with jugs of wine and platters of delicacies.

"Okee-dokee kiddo, vat's your second vish?"

"My second wish is that I were rich beyond my wildest dreams."

** * * * * * P O O F * * * * * * * * *

The Arab found himself surrounded by treasure chests filled with rare old coins and precious gems.

"Okay kid, you got just vone more vish. Better you should make it a good vone!"

After thinking for a few minutes, the Arab says, "I wish that no matter where I go, beautiful women will always need and want me!"

** * * * * * * * P O O F * * * * * *

He was turned into a tampon.

AWARENESS

Once upon a time a king had an only son a Prince who was young, courageous, skillful and intelligent. So the king sent his son away to see a Wise Old man to open his mind to

“AWARENESS”

He sent the Prince to meet the Wise Old man. As he met the old man he pleaded “Enlighten me as to the path in life I should take.” The Wise man replied, “My words will only vanish like footsteps in the sand” However, the Wise man said I will give you some instructions on your path; you will come across three Gates. Read the sayings on each of the Gates. Follow the pathway to discovery. You will be overwhelmed during the journey. But do not seek to turn back, for you will be condemned to live again and again that which you had run away from all your life. I can not say any more. It is time you must follow the road, right ahead of you. As the Wise elder departed, and the Prince started walking on his journey on the Path of Life. The Prince soon came across the first large gate on which he read:

“CHANGE THE WORLD”

This is precisely what I intended to do, thought the Prince.  But, he started its first struggle. Driven by ideal, his passion and his strength pushed him to be confronted with the world, he undertook, conquered, replicated reality to his desire.  He experienced the pleasure and the exhilaration of the conqueror, but his heart was not at rest. He managed to change certain things but others would not give way. Long years went by.

One day, he met the Wise Old Man who asked him: "What did you learn on the path?"

The Prince replied. I learned what was in my power and what was beyond my power. Thus I now see what things I had influence in and things beyond my control.  Well done, said the Old Man. Use your strength to act upon on what you can. Forget about what is beyond you. And the old  man vanished. As the Prince continued on his journey. Sometime later, the Prince came across a second gate. One could read on it:

"CHANGE OTHERS"

This is precisely what I intend to do, thought the Prince. And he rose against all that could upset or displease him in his fellow being. But he struggled to alter their minds, and correct their faults. Many more years went by. One day, as he was meditating on the failures of his attempts to change others, he came across the Wise Old man and he asked him: "What did you learn on the path?"  The Prince replied. That other people are not the source of my joys or sorrows, my achievements or failures. They are only there to make me aware. "You are right, said the Wise Man.” Though what they awaken in you, they made you aware of yourself. Be grateful towards those who make you feel joy and pleasure. But be also grateful to these who hurt and frustrate  you for through them Life Teaches you. And the Old Man vanished. A little time after, the  Prince came across a Third Gate. One can read on it:

"CHANGE YOURSELF"

The Prince paused a moment to himself and said…. “If I am myself the   cause of my problems, this is that I have to do." And he started his third struggle. He tried to inflect his character, to fight his imperfections, to remove his defects, and change every thing which didn't correspond to his ideal. After many years of struggle during which he was at times successful at times defeated, the Prince met the Wise man again. The old man asked the Prince  "What did you learn on the path?"

The Prince replied. That there are some things that can be improved, others which resist and can't be changed.""Well done," said the Wise man. The Prince replied “I'm getting weary of fighting against myself. Won’t this ever end? When will I be at rest? I wish to stop fighting and give up and let go."The wise old man said. “This happens to be your next lesson.”

But before going any further, turn around and look back at the way you have already walked And the Old Man vanished. As he looked back, the Prince saw in the distance the 3rd gate and realized that one could read a different message on the back of the gate and it read:

"ACCEPT YOURSELF"

The Prince wondered why he hadn't noticed this inscription when it had crossed the gate the first time, in the opposite direction."When one is fighting, one becomes blind, he said to himself."  He also saw, spread on the ground around him, every thing he had rejected and fought within himself: his faults, his dark side, his fears, his limits, and all his old demons.  He then learnt how to recognize them, accept them and love them. He learnt how to love himself without comparing himself, judging himself, blaming himself. He came across the Wise Old man who asked him: What did you learn along the path? The Prince replied " That to hate or refuse part of myself was to condemn myself never to be at peace within myself. I learned how to accept myself, completely and unconditionally." Well done, said the wise Old Man, it is the first stage of Wisdom. Now you go through the 3rd gate again." Just as he had reached the other side of the gate, the Prince saw the back face of the second gate and it read:

"ACCEPT OTHERS".

All around him he recognized the people he had met in his life; those he had loved, those he had hated, those he had helped, those he had fought. But to his surprise, he was now unable to see their faults, which had disturbed him so much, and against which he had fought so much He came across the Wise Old man who asked him. "What did you learn on your path?" The Prince replied. That if I were in peace with myself, I would have nothing to blame others for, nothing to fear of them I have learned to accept others totally and unconditionally." "Well done, said the Wise Old man, It is the second stage of Wisdom. Now you can go through the 2nd gate again

Just as he had reached the other side of the gate, the Prince saw the back of the first gate and it read:

"ACCEPT THE WORLD."

That is strange, he thought, "Why didn't I see the inscription the first time?“ He looked around him

and recognized the world he had tried to conquer, transform, and change. He was hit by an awe the brightness and the beauty of all things. And yet it was the same world as it used to be. Had the world changed, or his perception of it changed? He came across the Wise Old man and asked him.
"What did you learn on your path?" The Prince replied….. “That the world is the mirror of my soul. That my soul, my heart does not see the world, but sees itself in the world. “…. “…When it is cheerful, the world seems merry. When it is gloomy, the world seems sad. The world is neither merry nor sad. It just is; that is all.” … It was not the world that was troubling me, but the IDEA I had of it. I accepted to accept it without judging it, to reckon, unconditionally This is the 3rd Wisdom, said the Old Man. “You are now at grace within yourself & others in the World." A deep feeling of peace, serenity and fulfillment overwhelmed the Prince. Silence was within him.

Simple but inspiring Story of Potatoes - Hatred

Once a Junior School teacher asked her students to bring some potatoes in a plastic bag to school. Each potato will be given a name of the person whom that child hates. Like this, the number of potatoes will be equal to the number of persons they hate. On a decided day the children brought their potatoes well addressed. Some had two, some had three and some had even five potatoes. The teacher said they have to carry these potatoes with them everywhere they go for a week. As the days passed the children started to complain about the spoiled smell that started coming from these potatoes. Also some students who had many potatoes complained that it was very heavy to carry them all around. The children got rid of this assignment after a week, when it got over.

The teacher asked, "How did you feel in this one week?" The children discussed their problems about the smell and weight. Then the teacher said, "This situation is very similar to what you carry in your heart when you don't like some people. This hatred makes your heart unhealthy and you carry that hatred in your heart everywhere you go. If you can not bear the smell of spoiled potatoes for a week, imagine the impact of this hatred that you carry through out your life, on your heart?"

MORALE:
OUR HEART IS A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN THAT NEEDS A REGULAR CLEANING OF UNWANTED WEEDS.

FORGIVE THOSE WHO HAVE NOT BEHAVED WITH YOU AS EXPECTED AND FORGET THE BAD THINGS. THIS ALSO MAKES ROOM AVAILABLE FOR STORING GOOD THINGS.

Some relationships are not good

A woman’s husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months, yet she stayed by his bedside every single day. When he came to, he motioned for her to come nearer.

As she sat by him, he said, "You know what? You have been with me all through the bad times. When I got fired, you were there to support me. When my business failed, you were there. When I got shot, you were by my side. When we lost the house, you gave me support. When my health started failing, you were still by my side... You know what?"

"What dear?" She asked gently. "I think you bring me bad luck."

The moral of the story is that some relationships are not good. Some people are not good for one another. Some associations are not good because some people are not good.

Brothers and sisters, it’s true that bad company can get any person into a lot of trouble.

I Cor. 15:33 “Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."

You Be Jesus!

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, 5, and Ryan, 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake... Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.’” Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus!”

An Inspirational Lighthouse Story

 

Many years ago there was a little village on a rocky seacoast, where storms often battered and seas were ever treacherous. Many ships were driven onto the rocks by the storms, and the lives of many sailors were lost because of the raging seas.

One day the people decided among themselves that they should establish a lighthouse and life saving station on a little peninsula on the coast, to warn ships away from the rocks and to save the lives of those who were cast into the icy waters. They approached the government and began to secure the necessary funds for their project. Soon they set forth and built a tower, and set a beacon in it; they organized a lookout system; and they bought boats and learned how to man them; and soon they were in business. The business of saving lives!

Soon the effects of what they were doing became known far and wide. Fewer ships went on the rocks; and when such a tragedy did occur, and the alarm was sounded, the people risked their own lives to rescue those who had been cast into the raging, icy waters. Within a few short years, people came from great distance to study their lighthouse, and to use it as a model.

One day someone suggested that, since they all spent so much time at the lighthouse that they should gather there occasionally and enjoy good fellowship. And soon they began to get together (at first infrequently, and then more often) at the lighthouse. In fact, many people began to build their homes near the lighthouse. Then when the lookout sounded the alarm, they were there, ready to go out.

Next, it was decided that if they were going to spend so much time there, they must make the place more comfortable. So arrangements were made to heat the lighthouse. The gray walls were painted a brilliant white. Some of the walls were paneled; rugs were put on the floors to disguise the bare concrete; a fine kitchen was installed with a handsome stove; and generally speaking the lighthouse became a nice place to spend your time waiting for the alarm to be sounded. Everything about the lighthouse was made comfortable and nice. The lighthouse soon became the center of life in the little town that grew up around it.

One night a fierce storm blew in, as storms had blown in for years. Many ships were tossed on the jagged rocks, and the men at the lighthouse spent long hours picking sailors from the bitter cold icy waters and taking them to the lighthouse, where they were fed and provided with dry clothing. This had happened many times over the years, but this time, after the storm subsided and the sailors had all left the lighthouse, there were some men who were angry. It seems the storm had made them leave the comfort of the lighthouse, and go out into the wet, dangerous seas; and they got cold; very cold. The sailors, when they were delivered to the lighthouse, soiled the carpets. The kitchen was a mess, not to mention the stove. After a brief meeting it was first decided that sailors, when they were brought to the lighthouse, should be taken to the basement, not to the nice upper areas.

Some time later, another storm blew in; and about one half of the men went out in the boats, and again picked sailors from the frigid waters. This time the ship, which had broken apart on the rocks, was from another nation; and the men who manned her spoke another language, and even worse were of a different color. After this storm, a few more men joined those who refused to enter the sea. They decided that men like these did not belong in the lighthouse at all; some said they felt that the lighthouses’ job was not supposed to be saving sailors from other lands, because they were so much different. There were those, too, who objected to leaving the comfort of the lighthouse to go out into the storm. These men petitioned the government and they also agreed. So, finally, it was decided that the beacon would be kept lit, but the rescue work would be discontinued.

A small group disagreed, however, and went down the coast, a short distance, and started a new lighthouse. This small group decided that they should establish the biggest life saving station on the little peninsula, and so they did. Every day they warned ships and sometimes attempted to save lives from the icy water. Fame of the new lighthouse grew and the lighthouse back up the bay eventually turned out its beacon. Some people say the beacon can still be seen today in you and I. Oh yes, they also say the small group running the new lighthouse were those once rescued from the raging seas.

We as people all have a choice to make with regards to our rescue work. We can choose to allow our lives to become comfortable and we can find ourselves very content. And often times we may find that we have turned out our beacon of hope for one another. Or perhaps, I hope and pray that we find ourselves lighting and saving the path of others both in our words and deeds.

A Storyteller’s Storyteller - The Prodigal Son (The Parable of the Lost Son)

When the great American storyteller Mark Twain was asked, "Who do you think is the best storyteller every lived?" Mark twain answered, "Jesus Christ." "Then which story is the greatest story every told?" He replied, "The story of the Prodigal Son."

The Prodigal Son (The Parable of the Lost Son)

Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father.

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'

"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "