Some years ago, on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy
decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole that was behind his
house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back
door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went.

He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the
middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. In
the house, his mother was looking out the window. She saw the two as
they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward
the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could.

Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed, and made a U-turn
to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the
alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little
boy by the arms, just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began
a very incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much
stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to
let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from
his truck, took aim, and shot the alligator.

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy
survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of
the animal. On his arms, there were deep scratches where his
mother's fingernails dug into his flesh, in her effort to hang on to
the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma,
asked the boy if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his
pant legs. Then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But
look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them
because my Mom wouldn't let go."

You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No,
not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of
those scars are unsightly, and have caused us deep regret. But, some
wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the
midst of your struggle, He's been right there, holding on to you.

The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are a child of God. He
wants to protect you, and provide for you in every way. But,
sometimes, we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing
what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril ~
and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That is when the
tug-of-war begins. If you have the scars of His love on your arms,
be very, very grateful. He will not ever let you go.

Friends help make this life a little better each day. You can probably think of multiple instances where a good friend changed the day for you and made you look on the brighter side. That's exactly what God intended friendship to be. True friends know you well; they give you wise advice from the Word of God. No ministry would ever get off the ground without support from friends in the faith, and this ministry is certainly no exception. The wonderful things God has done through this outreach are a direct result of the commitment that friends like you have made to stand with us in reaching out to millions of people around the world. Everyone needs a faithful friend — so why not make a commitment today to be a friend to someone who needs you.

Did you ever have a dream? I'm not talking about a dream you have when you sleep. I'm talking about a conscious dream where you would like to see a new future, a different choice of employment, and a business of you own. How many times have you wished that you could be living a different existence than the one you are currently experiencing?

Dreams. No doubt we've all had them from time to time in our lives. Did you fulfill your dream? If not, why not? Did you start on your way to fulfilling a dream only to be derailed by letting other life's events get in the way? Did you make some initial first steps only to find roadblocks in your way that convinced you to give up? Or, if you fulfilled some aspects of your dream, did you find that you had limited success, and, therefore gave in to a negative view that you weren't meant to succeed?

Several years ago, I had a dream about inventing a board game that would change my life's fortunes. Along with a partner, who also had a similar dream, those dreams were turned into goals that were translated to action steps. After many long hours and many revisions, a board game was developed. Then came issues of financing. Not to be defeated by this obstacle, a plan was developed and carried out that saw shares being offered, all sold to a group of supporters, and a real live company created. Then, came marketing strategies, T.V. appearances, newspaper articles, trade show attendance, weekend promotional appearances, magazine advertising, and spot radio commercials.

It was an exciting time. The one time dream seemed to take off with sales starting to accumulate, a potential sale to a large and established game board company, and inroads to large chain stores. Then, it happened. Introduced to the board game market came one of the biggest hits never seen before. In short, their sales blew us out of the water, our distributor failed to pay us, and the business, once dreamed of, came to a screeching halt.

To make a long story short, the company was dissolved having dashed our dreams, and those of our shareholders. How devastating after all the hours of work, the hours of marketing, promotion, not to mention the loss of our own financial investment. It wasn't meant to be. The same old job, the same old daily grind loomed larger than ever.

Is that the end of the story? Well, it was for one of the game developers; the negative emotions, "it never was meant to be" thoughts dominated any future dreams of a different life. This person returned to the daily grind of a nine to five job always cynical, always jealous of those who had succeeded.

But, did it mean being unsuccessful to me? I didn't succeed to the level I wanted or desired, but, to me, at the very least I lived my dream by turning it into a reality. If I had never turned my dream into goals and then to action, I would have always wondered - what if. Was it then a failure? No, it wasn't. Was it the flaming success I'd hoped for - no. But, there were valuable lessons to be learned. After all, how many successful business people, inventors, authors, artists, etc. had immediate success in their first attempt? Probably none. Failure is our greatest teacher as long as the experience is viewed as lessons, and those lessons are internalized to provide fruits for greater achievements later.


It may take a few more attempts, or many attempts but success is only achieved once dreams are put into action, where failure becomes the launching pad for smarter choices, or better action plans in future endeavors. Will success come on the next adventure, or the next one after that, or will it take many more? Who is to say? The important point here is that success only comes by turning dreams into reality and realizing that obstacles are only stepping-stones to final success.

For those who are wondering about my own eventual success, I'll tell you this.

After many attempts, many failures, many lessons, and many false starts, success arrived but only through believing in what I've said earlier. Learn valuable lessons from failure; turn dreams into action plans, and don't let a dream only be that - a dream!

By Byron Pulsifer

In the mid 1970's, Ed Roberts created the world's first commercially
successful personal computer (PC). He hired a 19 year old named Bill
Gates to write software for him.

Roberts sold his computer business in 1977 and bought a farm. Seven
years later, at age 41, he entered medical school. Today Bill gates is
the head of the largest computer software company in the world. Ed
Roberts is a physician in a small Georgia town.

Roberts says, "The implication is that the PC is the most important
thing I've ever done, and I don't think that's true. Every day I deal
with things that are equally if not more important here with my
patients."

How can we evaluate the significance of our lives? Something deep
inside tells us such a thing cannot be measured by wealth and fame.

As we look at the apostle Paul's turbulent life, it seems noteworthy
that he approached the end with a peaceful sense of successful
completion. He wrote, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished
the race, I have kept the faith." (2 timothy 4:7) Paul looked
confidently not to the world but to "the Lord, the righteous Judge"
for approval and reward (vs 8).

Since sooner than later we'll face our creator,
Whose gaze pierces through to the heart,
Let's make sure our dreams, our goals and grand schemes
Have Christ in our plans from the start.

The measure of a life is determined by the Ruler of the Universe.

Friends. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some have big hearts. A few deliver the sunshine of laughter. One may offer a slender shoulder for you to cry on. One ally might listen while you whine, while another may speak the truth even when it hurts. One friend may bring a casserole when you are sick, still another offers a prayer for healing. Pals will compliment you, hug you, watch your kids, and send you a birthday card. Or they might call once a year just to catch up on life. Whatever type of friends filter through your life, true healthy friendships are a gift from God.

We learn the importance of friendship at a very early age. I remember my friend’s three- year-old daughter throwing out the worst insult she could conceive. Her little freckled face in a scowl, she would growl, “You no my friend!”

Throughout our lives, we long for friendship. This fact is supported by the television shows viewers loyally tune into throughout the decades. We hum lyrics from the Cheers theme song “Sometimes you want to go, where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.” We watch “Friends” with hopes we too might develop friends through the ups and downs of life.

Today’s verse, “The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense,” reminds us of the importance of friendship in our lives, Friendships enrich our lives. They help us through the valleys of despair and rejoice with us on the mountaintops of joy. Friends do life with us. Which of your friends has been with you through thick and thin?

Friends help hold us accountable in what we do. My friend, Sally, holds me accountable to exercise with her. If it weren’t for her, I would stay in my pajamas, instead of putting on my walking shoes. Scriptures tells us, “You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17 MSG). Sally keeps me dedicated to our agreement to improve our health and fitness. Another friend encourages me in my walk with God. I admire her dedication to God. Her passion sharpens my desire for a closer walk with the Lord Do you have a friend that inspires you in some way?

Of course, in order to have good friends, you must be a good friend to others. Certain qualities promote deep and lasting friendships. For example, honesty and loyalty set the foundation for friendship that can last a lifetime. My best friends are people I can trust and I want them to know they can trust me too. In addition, patience, kindness and a sense of humor are essential in developing and maintaining enduring friendship. Recently, I forgot a lunch date with a girlfriend. Hours later I was horrified when I remembered. I called only to discover she had completely forgotten it too. Relieved, we laughed together at our forgetfulness. A good chuckle at our human foibles helps us to keep in mind that even the best friendships will have imperfections. Do you show kindness, patience, humor and grace in your friendships?

Friendship! It’s one of the true riches we can have in this life. Will you thank God today for your personal friends?

By Susanne Scheppmann