Marion United Methodist Church

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Marion, Kentucky, United States
Never blame a legislative body for not doing something. When they do nothing, they don't hurt anybody. When they do something is when they become dangerous............. -- Will Rogers

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Relationships in TROUBLE!!


These are just for fun:
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Gertie and Gip brought their new baby home, and Gertie suggested that Gip should try his hand at changing diapers. Gip answered, "I'll do the next one." Well, the next time came around, and Gertie asked again. A bit agitated, Gip replied, "I didn't mean the next diaper. I meant the next baby!"
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An angry young wife told her lazy husband who refused to get a job, "I'm ashamed of the way we live. My father pays our rent. My mother buys all of our food. My sister buys our clothes. My aunt bought us a car. I'm just so ashamed!" Speaking from where he was lying on the couch, the husband said, "You ought to be ashamed! Those two worthless brothers of yours never give us a cent!"
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And finally, two fellows were fishing in a boat under a bridge. As a funeral procession passed over, one fellow stood up, took off his cap, and bowed his head. After the procession passed he returned to his fishing. The other guy said to him, "That was a nice thing to do. Did you know them?" The first guy replied, "Sure did. She died day before yesterday. I was married to her for 50 years!"
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Saturday, November 8, 2008

In God We Trust


...E pluribus unum was approved for use on the Great Seal of the United States in 1782. What many do not know is that the other motto that appears on U.S. coins and currency, In God We Trust, was not officially approved by Congress until 1956. The Congressional Record of that year reads: "At the present time the United States has no national motto. The committee deems it most appropriate that In God We Trust be so designated as United States national motto." Why 1956? Probably because the nation was beset at that time by fears of "Godless communism."
...Although the origins of the phrase are obscure, some think it stems from one of the lesser-known verses of "The Star-Spangled Banner," which includes this line: And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.'
...The motto first appeared on U.S. coins during the Civil War, when Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase sent this instruction to the director of the U.S. Mint: "Dear Sir: No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in his defense. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins. You will cause a device to be prepared without unnecessary delay with a motto expressing in the fewest and tersest words possible this national recognition."
...The use of In God We Trust on American money has been the subject of debate, even before the 1956 act of Congress declaring it the national motto. Some have thought it violates the separation of church and state.
...Theodore Roosevelt opposed it. Ah, but his opposition was for a quite different reason: He thought it a sacrilege to inscribe the name of God on something so common as money!
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Friday, November 7, 2008

Do You Remember?

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.....I thought this item from the May/June Upper Room may speak to those of you parents still trying to get used to your kids being off in college. It's by Susi Lockard.
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.....When my children were infants and I rocked them to sleep, I sang to them and prayed for them. I remember holding my 14-month-old son and praying for his future relationships with his roommates, his friends, his wife. For years, I came back to the same prayer. I know I must have wearied the Lord with my prayers; but Matthew 7:7 tells us to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking.
.....When my son went off to college, I couldn't wait to hear about his roommate. "Well, Mom, he is a recovering drug addict. He was sent here for a year of rehabilitation and is studying art, taking part in sports, and trying to re-enter normal life."
.....I felt as if God had let me down, and my disappointment came through. "I don't understand. I have prayed for 18 years for you to have a good roommate who would have a good influence in your life.
.....My son, wiser than I, answered, "Maybe his mother was praying the same prayer." My son knew that he had been nurtured all his life and now had a chance to nurture a young man with serious problems.
.....God answers our prayers from wisdom greater than ours. I thought that my son needed a strong Christian friend; God knew that my son needed to be a strong Christian friend.
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Do You Grumble?

.....A man had a habit of grumbling at the food his wife placed before him at family meals. Then he would ask the blessing.
.....One day after his usual combination complaint-prayer, his little girl asked, "Daddy, does God hear us when we pray?"
....."Why, of course," he replied. "He hears us every time we pray."
.....She paused on this a moment, and asked, "Does he hear everything we say the rest of the time?"
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Commentary: OUCH!