The Strangest Secret

An excerpt from
The Strangest Secret
by Earl Nightingale

George Bernard Shaw said, "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, they make them."

Well, it's pretty apparent, isn't it? And every person who discovered this believed (for a while) that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about.

Conversely, the person who has no goal, who doesn't know where he's going, and whose thoughts must therefore be thoughts of confusion, anxiety and worry - his life becomes one of frustration, fear, anxiety and worry. And if he thinks about nothing... he becomes nothing.

How does it work? Why do we become what we think about? Well, I'll tell you how it works, as far as we know. To do this, I want to tell you about a situation that parallels the human mind.

Suppose a farmer has some land, and it's good, fertile land. The land gives the farmer a choice; he may plant in that land whatever he chooses. The land doesn't care. It's up to the farmer to make the decision.

We're comparing the human mind with the land because the mind, like the land, doesn't care what you plant in it. It will return what you plant, but it doesn't care what you plant.

Now, let's say that the farmer has two seeds in his hand- one is a seed of corn, the other is nightshade, a deadly poison. He digs two little holes in the earth and he plants both seeds-one corn, the other nightshade. He covers up the holes, waters and takes care of the land...and what will happen? Invariably, the land will return what was planted.

As it's written in the Bible, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap."

Remember the land doesn't care. It will return poison in just as wonderful abundance as it will corn. So up come the two plants - one corn, one poison.

The human mind is far more fertile, far more incredible and mysterious than the land, but it works the same way. It doesn't care what we plant...success...or failure. A concrete, worthwhile goal...or confusion, misunderstanding, fear, anxiety and so on. But what we plant must return to us.

You see, the human mind is the last great unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams. It will return anything we want to plant.

Little Bell

Little Bell

Hidden in the back of the tree, deep in the branches, Little Bell hung out of sight.
Her brass surface tarnished and scratched after four generations of Christmas. The
pretty glass ornaments hung on the outer branches for all to see, but Little Bell was out of
sight.

Little Bell looked through the branches. She saw the other ornaments and was
sad. She saw the ceramic Santa, with the package in his hands. The package was torn by a
little boy, who thought there was a present inside. Santa's head had chips from years of
being hung and put away. The Santa ornament was damaged, but still placed near the
front of the tree for all to see. Little Bell was way in the back - hidden. All the ornaments Bell hung with through the years, were at the front of the tree, but Bell was alone.

Little Bell remembered when she hung at the front of the tree. Christmas came.
Boxes were carried to the living room and opened. The tree was placed in the center the
large room. Hands reached into the boxes. Bell, her brass surface shining brightly, would
be lifted from a box. The hand would shake her, and she would ring with joy. Her sound
brought smiles to those who held her. She'd be placed in the front and center of the tree,
for all to admire.

One year, smaller hands held her. They helped the big hands. The little hands
hung Bell in the right place, but they could not leave little bell alone. They'd touch Bell
to make her ring, but the big hands told them, "No! You might knock the tree down."
Bell was hung higher, away from the little hands.

Over the years, the little hands grew larger, and the big hands allowed them to
touch her. They placed her on the tree and allowed the smaller hands to move her.

A game began. Bell was moved around the tree. The one who found her, got to
hang her in a new place. Bell was hidden in the deepest and darkest places of the tree.
She waited patiently, until the smaller hands found her, made her ring, and then moved
her to a new spot.

Little Bell was the favorite ornament on the tree. She was proud.

After many years, the little hands got bigger. They hid her on the tree, and Little
Bell hung hidden from view - forgotten. The game was over. Bell was sad. She hung
alone at the back of the tree.

Years later, one of the big hands handed Little Bell to one of the small hands that
had grown. "This is yours. Take Little Bell with you."

The next Christmas, Bell was placed in the front of the tree. Her brass was
tarnished, but her ring was pure. She made the hand thing smile. She was happy.

A few Christmas' later, new small hands were putting "Little Bell" on the tree.
They played the game bell loved. Bell waited for the little hands to find her. They moved
her around the tree. Little Bell loved the game. She was the center of attention again. The
other ornaments hung brightly on the tree, but Little Bell, who was hidden, was the one
the hands reached for.

Those new little hands grew bigger, and Little Bell was once again placed on the
tree, her surface dull and tarnished from years of use. She was placed deep in the tree,
hidden from view. The big hands still playing the game, but there were no little hands to
look for her.

Little Bell was sad.

One day, a big hand reached out to her, "This is a pretty ornament! Where did it
come from?"

The other 'Big Hand' said, "That is the Little Bell. I played with it when I was a
kid. My brothers and I hid it on the tree and took turns trying to find it. Mom knew I
loved it and gave it to me, so her grandkids could play the game I did.

The new "Big Hand" took Little Bell, polished her brass, and hung her at the front
of the tree. Little Bell's brass reflected the lights and glowed with pride. The "Hand"
removed ornaments around Little Bell, so she would have her own special spot on the
tree. After years of hiding, Bell now hangs in a special spot at the front of the tree, but
prays for the day little hands will once again hide her.

Michael T. Smith

Kipp Family Christmas Tree 2009

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,
The gladness of Christmas give you hope,
The warmth of Christmas grant you love.

We finally got our tree up yesterday and the house now looks ready for Christmas. I might not be, but the house is! I think next year I would like to try my hand at making a tree skirt; one that combines Hanukkah symbols and Christmas symbols. I also want to make David a Christmas stocking that is green and has a rack of billiard balls toward the toe. Alas, lots of ideas and little time.

Today is baking day: orange-cranberry-nut cookies, gingerbread cookies, and white chocolate apricot oatmeal cookies. I have a cookie exchange at work Tuesday so it will be nice to have most of the baking done. The only other thing I'll be making it is my grandmother's poppy cake.

Winter Wonderland Blizzard 2009

Hello friends from the frozen tundra!

We are still digging out after a foot of snow was dumped on us Tuesday through Wednesday. Some places have 5 foot drifts. We were let out of school, work dismissed us early and the drive home was awful. We had a late start at work Wednesday and David and I made it in OK, but one of my coworkers lives in IA and he headed out to work, forgot his cell phone, slid into a ditch and waited 4 hours for help. The state patrol and the National Guard found him because the snow plows had been pulled off that highway during the time he was waiting.

Three days later and our street still isn't plowed; we're parking 6 blocks away and walking from the house to the car. At least the home is warm and we are safe; that's what really counts.

I love this song so much; we've been singing it during the Advent season. The melody is an old Irish tune. Listen by clicking the link at the right.

Lyrics

1. My soul cries out with a joyful shout
that the God of my heart is great,
And my spirit sings of the wondrous things
that you bring to the ones who wait.
You fixed your sight on your servant's plight,
and my weakness you did not spurn,
So from east to west shall my name be blest.
Could the world be about to turn?

Refrain
My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,
and the world is about to turn!

2. Though I am small, my God, my all,
you work great things in me,
And your mercy will last from the depths of the past
to the end of the age to be.
Your very name puts the proud to shame,
and to those who would for you yearn,
You will show your might, put the strong to flight,
for the world is about to turn.

3. From the halls of power to the fortress tower,
not a stone will be left on stone.
Let the king beware for your justice tears
ev'ry tyrant from his throne.
The hungry poor shall weep no more,
for the food they can never earn;
There are tables spread, ev'ry mouth be fed,
for the world is about to turn.

4. Though the nations rage from age to age,
we remember who holds us fast:
God's mercy must deliver us
from the conqueror's crushing grasp.
This saving word that our forebears heard
is the promise which holds us bound,
'Til the spear and rod can be crushed by God,
who is turning the world around.

The Christmas Pageant

THE CHRISTMAS PAGEANT



My husband and I had been happily married (most of the time) for five years but hadn't been blessed with a baby.

I decided to do some serious praying and promised God that if he would give us a child, I would be a perfect mother, love it with all my heart and raise it with His word as my guide.

God answered my prayers and blessed us with a son.

The next year God blessed us with another son.

The following year, He blessed us with yet another son.

The year after that we were blessed with a daughter.

My husband thought we'd been blessed right into poverty. We now had four children, and the oldest was only four years old.

I learned never to ask God for anything unless I meant it As a minister once told me, "If you pray for rain, make sure you carry an umbrella."

I began reading a few verses of the Bible to the children each day as they lay in their cribs.

I was off to a good start. God had entrusted me with four children and I didn't want to disappoint Him.

I tried to be patient the day the children smashed two dozen eggs on the kitchen floor searching for baby chicks.

I tried to be understanding...when they started a hotel for homeless frogs in the spare bedroom, although it took me nearly two hours to catch all twenty-three frogs .

When my daughter poured ketchup all over herself and rolled up in a blanket to see how it felt to be a hot dog, I tried to see the humor rather than the mess.

In spite of changing over twenty-five thousand diapers, never eating a hot meal and never sleeping for more than thirty minutes at a time, I still thank God daily for my children.

While I couldn’t keep my promise to be a perfect mother - I didn't even come close... I did keep my promise to raise them in the Word of God.

I knew I was missing the mark just a little when I told my daughter we were going to church to worship God , and she wanted to bring a bar of soap along to "wash up" Jesus, too.

Something was lost in the translation when I explained that God gave us everlasting life, and my son thought it was generous of God to give us his "last wife."

My proudest moment came during the children's Christmas pageant.

My daughter was playing Mary, two of my sons were shepherds and my youngest son was a wise man. This was their moment to shine.

My five-year-old shepherd had practiced his line, "We found the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes."

But he was nervous and said, "The baby was wrapped in wrinkled clothes."

My four-year-old "Mary" said, "That's not 'wrinkled clothes,' silly. That's dirty, rotten clothes."

A wrestling match broke out between Mary and the shepherd and was stopped by an angel, who bent her halo and lost her left wing.

I slouched a little lower in my seat when Mary dropped the doll representing Baby Jesus, and it bounced down the aisle crying, "Mama-mama."

Mary grabbed the doll, wrapped it back up and held it tightly as the wise men arrived.

My other son stepped forward wearing a bathrobe and a paper crown, knelt at the manger and announced, "We are the three wise men, and we are bringing gifts of gold, common sense and fur."

The congregation dissolved into laughter, and the pageant got a standing ovation.

"I've never enjoyed a Christmas program as much as this one," laughed the pastor, wiping tears from his eyes

"For the rest of my life, I'll never hear the Christmas story without thinking of gold, common sense and fur."

"My children are my pride and my joy and my greatest blessing," I said as I dug through my purse for an aspirin.

Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.

Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher .

Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.

Had no army, yet kings feared Him.

He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.

He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.


He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

Feel honored to serve such a Leader who loves us

Messiah

Hello everyone, I hope all of you are enjoying your holiday preparations and time with friends and family. We are slowly pulling things together for Hanukkah and Christmas. I'll get the tree up at some point this weekend but I need to replace lights first. Holiday baking will begin this weekend as well since I have a cookie exchange and Secret Santa at work next Tuesday. I sang in the Messiah yesterday with the Voices of Omaha and it was an incredible experience that I will be enjoying for years to come.

It was gorgeous and the sound in the hall was wonderful. I had never physically seen a harpsichord, much less heard one, before the concert so it was all very neat.

It is definitely a moving piece to sing and challenging to learn. We dedicated the Hallelujah chorus to our loved ones who are no longer with us.

Here are some pictures. I am the 3rd from the left in the picture with just the back row onstage.