----- Original Message ----- From: Ann Lemaster- Applegate <[email protected]> To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;> Sent: Thursday, May 04, 2000 11:07 PM Subject: Fw: Makes you think... > > Makes you think... > > There once was a man named George Thomas, a pastor in a small New England > town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a > rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Several eyebrows > were > raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak. > "I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming > toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three > little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and > asked, "What you got there, son?" > "Just some old birds," came the reply. > "What are you gonna do with them?" I asked. > "Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. I'm gonna tease'em > and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real > good time." > "But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do > then?" > "Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll > take'em to them." > The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those > birds, > son?" > "Huh??!!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old > field birds. They don't sing - they ain't even pretty!" > "How much?" the pastor asked again. > The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?" > The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed > it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor picked > up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was > a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, > and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them > free. > Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, > > Then the pastor began to tell this story: > One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come > from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I > just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used > bait > I knew they couldn't > resist. Got 'em all!" > "What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked. > Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to > marry > and divorce each other, > how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm > gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm > really gonna have fun!" > "And what will you do when you get done with them?" Jesus asked. > "Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly. > "How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked. > "Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take > them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill > you!! You don't want those people!!" > "How much?" He asked again. > Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your tears, and all your blood. > Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price. > > The pastor picked up the cage he opened the door and he walked from the > pulpit. > > Notes: > Isn't it funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder > why the world's going to hell.? > Isn't it funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what > the Bible says? > Isn't it funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not > have > to believe, think, say, or do > anything the Bible says. > Or is it scary? > Isn't it funny how someone can say "I believe in God" but still follow > Satan (who, by the way, > also "believes" in God). > Isn't it funny how you can send a thousand jokes through e-mail and they > spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the > Lord, people think twice about sharing. > Isn't it funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass freely through > cyberspace, but > the public discussion of Jesus is suppressed in the school and > workplace? > FUNNY, ISN'T IT? > Isn't it funny how someone can be so fired up for Christ on Sunday, but be > an invisible Christian the rest of the week. > Are you laughing? > Isn't it funny how when you go to forward this message, you will not send > it > to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or > what they will think of you for sending it to them. > Isn't it funny how I can be more worried about what other people think of > me > than what God thinks of me. > > > > >

Steve: Thanks for this message. It really does make you think.... God has been very good to me, and I believe in him. Ilene Jones > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Ann Lemaster- Applegate <[email protected]> > To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;> > Sent: Thursday, May 04, 2000 11:07 PM > Subject: Fw: Makes you think... > > > > > > Makes you think... > > > > There once was a man named George Thomas, a pastor in a small New > England > > town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a > > rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Several > > eyebrows > > were > > raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak. > > "I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming > > toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three > > little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad > and > > asked, "What you got there, son?" > > "Just some old birds," came the reply. > > "What are you gonna do with them?" I asked. > > "Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. I'm gonna tease'em > > and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good > > time." "But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will > > you do then?" "Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like > > birds. I'll take'em to them." The pastor was silent for a moment. "How > > much do you want for those birds, son?" "Huh??!!! Why, you don't want > > them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing > > - they ain't even pretty!" "How much?" the pastor asked again. The boy > > sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?" The pastor > > reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the > > boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor picked up the cage > > and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and > > a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly > > tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free. Well, that > > explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, > > > > Then the pastor began to tell this story: > > One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come > > from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I > > just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait > > I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!" "What are you going to do with > > them?" Jesus asked. Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna > > teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse > > each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how > > to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!" > > "And what will you do when you get done with them?" Jesus asked. "Oh, > > I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly. "How much do you want for them?" > > Jesus asked. "Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, > > you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse > > you and kill you!! You don't want those people!!" "How much?" He asked > > again. Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your tears, and all your > > blood. Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price. > > > > The pastor picked up the cage he opened the door and he walked from the > > pulpit. > > > > Notes: > > Isn't it funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder > > why the world's going to hell.? Isn't it funny how we believe what the > > newspapers say, but question what the Bible says? Isn't it funny how > > everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not have to believe, > > think, say, or do anything the Bible says. > > Or is it scary? > > Isn't it funny how someone can say "I believe in God" but still follow > > Satan (who, by the way, also "believes" in God). Isn't it funny how you > > can send a thousand jokes through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, > > but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think > > twice about sharing. Isn't it funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and > > obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but the public discussion of > > Jesus is suppressed in the school and workplace? FUNNY, ISN'T IT? Isn't > > it funny how someone can be so fired up for Christ on Sunday, but be an > > invisible Christian the rest of the week. Are you laughing? Isn't it > > funny how when you go to forward this message, you will not send it to > > many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or > > what they will think of you for sending it to them. Isn't it funny how I > > can be more worried about what other people think of me than what God > > thinks of me. > > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== McCARTY Mailing List ==== > Email Archives: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl > > ============================== > Free Web space. ANY amount. ANY subject. > RootsWeb's Freepages put you in touch with millions. > http://cgi.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/acctform.cgi > [email protected]