Upwards Motion
Stories
Object:
Contents
What's Up This Week
"Upwards Motion" by Bryan Meadows
"Is It Truth?" by David Bales
What's Up This Week
As we enter the week where we commemorate the central event of our faith, it can be easy, in the world we live in, to question the truth of our faith. Our faith is assaulted constantly. It is easy to become weary. "Upwards Motion" offers insight as to how spending time in the word of God and in prayer can strengthen us to face those assaults. At times, those assaults can come even against the truth of the gospel. Did it really happen? David Bales chronicles such an occasion of doubt in "Is It Truth?" As we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus, that same question is asked today: "Is It Truth?" What is our answer?
* * * * * * * * *
Upwards Motion
Bryan Meadows
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Sometime ago the well-respected author and pastor, Max Lucado, had a short radio segment that was broadcasted over the Christian airwaves. It had a catchy title that drew me in and made me want to listen to what Max had to say. "The title," you ask? It's easy to remember: "UP-Words!"
It's easy to notice the play on words. At first, it sounds like "upwards," as if we were moving in an upward direction. Quickly the mind is able to comprehend the trick: Up-Words. Max was going to take a few minutes of our time and offer us words of inspiration that would help sustain us throughout our day. What a genuine gift of grace!
When you think about it, hearing a few "up-words" throughout the day can go a long way. Let's face it: life can be tough. There's the grind of going to work every day... even when you love your job.
If you have a family, then you know the pressures of getting the children off to school. Don't forget after school activities: musical recitals, ball practice and games, and the church functions. If you make it a point to eat at the table as a family, it too requires preparation and fortitude.
There's a payoff for being committed to your tasks and responsibilities, to be sure. Family unity, healthy relationships, the efforts to honor God and family -- those things make you smile, and they don't go unnoticed by our God in heaven.
However, if left unchecked, there's a dangerous trade off and it's called growing weary and tired. Fatigue is silent; it sneaks up you, and it tempts you to keep going, even when you feel run down. I dare say Max spoke directly into the hearts and souls of many people with his program called "UP-Words!"
Fact is, we need to hear words that are encouraging, supportive, compassionate, and strengthening. Add to that, the Bible is clear that as followers and believers of the Risen Christ, one of our most important responsibilities is to lift each other up in spirit through our words.
Isaiah hits this notion directly on the head in chapter 50, starting at verse 4, we read these words: "The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word" (NRSV).
When reading through Isaiah's book, it doesn't take long to learn that he's seen, heard, and been through his share of tough times. It would be very easy for Isaiah to give up and throw in the towel. One must wonder, "Why doesn't he?"
There's really only one answer that works here. It's God. From an early age, Isaiah opened himself up to the incredible workings of God, and over the years, it sustained him. It wasn't some new sports drink or miracle drug. Plain and simple, it was a full reliance upon God.
Call it obedience, confidence, or what have you. The fact is, Isaiah stayed strong, even in the weakest of moments, because he held on to the promises of God's word. Listen as Isaiah continues on in verses 4 and 5: "Morning by morning He wakens -- wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught. The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward."
Let us take a moment to learn from Isaiah. Each morning we have the opportunity to learn new lessons from God. It calls us back to that great hymn of old, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." As the song goes, "Morning by morning new mercies I see... All I have needed, your hand hath provided."
We have to ask ourselves: Will we be like Isaiah and open our ears, keeping our eyes fixed upon our king? Will we rely upon the word of God to sustain through our days in this life? Or will we grow rebellious and turn our backs on God?
Remember: When we grow tired and weary, it becomes ever so easy to gently drift away from God's plan for us. Straying just 1 degree from true north will eventually send us a million miles in the wrong direction. Once far enough away from God, our souls have the misfortune of becoming rebellious.
Perhaps it becomes a little clearer now as to why we need to fill our hearts, minds, and lives with the right kind of words -- those "up-words" if you will. They keep us on the right path. They sustain us, even when we are weary.
Richard Foster wrote an incredible book years ago titled Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth. I'll never forget where I was and what was happening when I read it. My wife and I had the good fortune of spending a few days in a log cabin down in southern Ohio in the dead of winter. We had no TV, but in exchange, we had an awesome fireplace with a working coffeemaker.
As I eased myself into a comfy chair near the hearth, along with a steaming cup of coffee, I saw the snow gently start to drop through the trees and on to the sides of the hill. All was quiet; all was calm. Then I opened the book and, from page one to the last word, my life was rocked!
With great insight, depth, and clarity, I learned not what Christ followers should do to grow spiritually. On the contrary, I learned why believers should practice spiritual disciplines.
Regular participation in spiritual disciplines is like filling the tank with fuel. Over time, those practices and disciplines create a reservoir in the soul. When things get tough -- and they will eventually get tough -- you have a source of strength to draw upon. There in the midst of tough times, like Isaiah, you can find your source of strength.
Listen as Isaiah continues in this portion of the passage: "The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint... It is the Lord God who helps me" (vv. 7-9).
You have to give it to Isaiah for his confidence. Even when standing in the midst of his troublemakers, he's able to say, "I have set my face like flint." Over the years, Isaiah has continually practiced giving himself to God. He made it a point to attempt to honor God in all he did. In time, those practices paid off in the fact that depending upon God became like drawing a breath of air. Leaning on God was simply a natural response for Isaiah.
We would all do well to keep in mind the spiritual disciplines that keep us moving closer to our God in Jesus Christ. In regards to the idea of "up-words," it's always a healthy practice to read and search God's Word for his promises, revelations, and spiritual sustenance. The Word of God is absolutely necessary for our spiritual health. It's our spiritual food of choice!
Also consider joining these forms of spiritual disciplines with that of reading God's word: Worshiping and studying with our fellow believers on a regular basis; making and taking time to pray; celebrating in the Lord's Supper; challenging yourself to fast, thus relying upon the Spirit to sustain you; going and serving in mission so that it completely benefits someone else. Don't forget the act of giving with your financial resources.
All of these practices serve to fill the spiritual tank in our lives. It builds our confidence in a God who completely understands our station in life. It creates spiritual muscle. The more we do it, the stronger we grow. There's no substitute for it. It's you and God, working it out every day.
In the end, it all starts with the right words. I can think of no better words than those of Jesus in John's gospel: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (10:10).
Remember friends, God intends for you to live in the upward motion. A life in Christ is an abundant life, full of God's blessings, mercies, and divine grace. Don't grow weary. Rather, cling to the word, as Isaiah once did, as well as Jesus. As they proved so long ago, the right words will keep you moving up, right up to the gates of heaven. Amen.
Rev. Bryan Meadows has served as pastor of The Huntsville United Methodist Church since 1998, following his graduation from The Methodist Theological School. He and his wife, Alice, are the parents of three children: Caleb, Josie, and Hannah. Rev. Meadows enjoys photography, playing guitar, and bird hunting with his dogs.
Is It Truth?
By David O. Bales
Matthew 26:14--27:66
Near the city of Rome in the year later numbered 49 AD, Aaron's father brought Aaron, then ten years old, to a synagogue where they'd never been. Only male believers in Jesus were summoned. They received two days' notice: "Every male member of a household believing in Christ must arrive at the synagogue in the port city of Ostia by midday."
As soon as Aaron and his father entered the synagogue, his father pointed Aaron to the other boys and told him to wait with them. His father joined the thirty or so men speaking softly as they huddled in a corner. Aaron was pleased to see Caleb among the other boys. Caleb was two years older than Aaron and he made it his business to answer all of Aaron's questions. "What's going on?" Aaron asked. "Abba just said we had to come but he didn't say why."
"Something about the emperor," Caleb said. He looked around quickly. "When we left home early this morning Imma was crying."
"My Imma hugged me so hard it hurt," Aaron said.
Caleb began to say, "Abba thinks they might want us out of the city so they can..." when the synagogue's front door opened. Four fully equipped soldiers entered, leading an old man. For a few heartbeats no Jew moved or spoke. One soldier stepped forward and announced in Latin and then repeated himself in Greek, "Over here. Listen to this man." The Jewish males turned toward the soldiers and the old man with them. The old man was dressed as a Jew. Aaron scurried to his father's side, glancing at the soldiers' swords as he did.
The soldiers stepped back and blocked the door. A few men turned to look at the other door. Soldiers had stepped in quietly from the back, also. The adults all looked around desperately. The old man raised his hand and spoke, "Peace. Peace," he said in Aramaic. "It is well. It is well."
Aaron could tell that his father's hearing the man speak in Aramaic helped him relax a little.
"I've been sent by Emperor Claudius, savior of the world, benefactor of mankind, patron of art and reverence. May he prosper and may sacrifices in Jerusalem continue to be offered for his well-being."
The Jewish men shuffled their feet or looked down at this description of the emperor, but all remained silent.
"I've come to remind us Jews how reverently and benevolently the empire has treated us. We are exempted from military service, are we not? Our obedience to the holy sabbath is honored, is it not? And even though many of us dwell in Rome because Pompey brought our great grandfathers here as slaves, we witness to how quickly our people here have been granted freedom."
The old man paused and stroked his beard. "Now, however, some of you have provoked other Jews to riot because of this Jesus. So the government that protects all lands and seas informs you now for your own good about the Jesus you call Messiah. The truth that our faithful auxiliary legions reported nearly a generation ago is that a man named Jesus Barabbas was crucified in Jerusalem by Pilate -- not Jesus of Nazareth. Barabbas was a great hero of our people. He offered himself in place of the Nazarene, who was a simple country teacher who in Jerusalem found himself confused when opposition mounted and his supporters abandoned him."
Aaron looked up at his father who held his lips tightly shut and his eyes straight forward.
"An unfortunate misunderstanding arose that Jesus of Nazareth was killed and was magically restored to the living. This mistaken report has been twisted twenty different ways by 100 fools around the sea in the middle of the inhabited world. The certified report states that Jesus died a few years later in Bethlehem and some of his sincere and grief-stricken students snatched his body from his family and buried him not in a tomb, but in a grave in the Essene cemetery by the Dead Sea. His grave remains there beside that of his Uncle Zechariah for anyone to inspect."
Aaron's thoughts were pounding through his ten-year-old head. He had learned that Jesus suffered and that God resurrected him, proving he was the Messiah. Aaron nudged his father's hand and set face set to ask a question, but his father shushed him.
The old man began to speak slower, pausing between each word, "Remember, I tell you this as the Emperor's messenger... with your safety in the balance."
Without another word or gesture, he turned and the soldiers with him followed as he exited. The soldiers who had been at the rear door, instead of leaving as they came, paraded through the synagogue to leave by the front door.
To Aaron the gasps and sighs that followed sounded as though everyone started to breathe again. He grabbed his Father's hand firmly this time and tugged him down. "Abba, is it truth?"
A man was speaking to his father on his other side and everyone was moving quickly toward the synagogue's door. His father pulled Aaron hastily from the building as he said, "Son, if Jesus hasn't been raised from the dead, you can say that anything is true. Now hang on to Abba's hand."
Aaron held tightly as other grandfathers, fathers, and sons scurried toward home. He and Caleb saw one another as their fathers yanked them into different groups scurrying back toward Rome. Before they lost sight of each other, Aaron and Caleb gave one another a confused wave.
David Bales was a Presbyterian pastor for 33 years. He is retired and is a full-time writer living in Ontario, Oregon. His sermons and articles have appeared in Lectionary Homiletics, Preaching Great Texts, Interpretation, and other magazines. He is author of Gospel Subplots: Story Sermons of God's Grace (CSS) and Toward Easter and Beyond (CSS). David is currently in his third year writing for Emphasis (CSS). Bales is a graduate of the University of Portland and San Francisco Theological Seminary.
**********************************************
How to Share Stories
You have good stories to share, probably more than you know: personal stories as well as stories from others that you have used over the years. If you have a story you like, whether fictional or "really happened," authored by you or a brief excerpt from a favorite book, send it to StoryShare for review. Simply email the story to us at storyshare@sermonsuite.com.
**************
StoryShare, March 16, 2008, issue.
Copyright 2008 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
What's Up This Week
"Upwards Motion" by Bryan Meadows
"Is It Truth?" by David Bales
What's Up This Week
As we enter the week where we commemorate the central event of our faith, it can be easy, in the world we live in, to question the truth of our faith. Our faith is assaulted constantly. It is easy to become weary. "Upwards Motion" offers insight as to how spending time in the word of God and in prayer can strengthen us to face those assaults. At times, those assaults can come even against the truth of the gospel. Did it really happen? David Bales chronicles such an occasion of doubt in "Is It Truth?" As we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus, that same question is asked today: "Is It Truth?" What is our answer?
* * * * * * * * *
Upwards Motion
Bryan Meadows
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Sometime ago the well-respected author and pastor, Max Lucado, had a short radio segment that was broadcasted over the Christian airwaves. It had a catchy title that drew me in and made me want to listen to what Max had to say. "The title," you ask? It's easy to remember: "UP-Words!"
It's easy to notice the play on words. At first, it sounds like "upwards," as if we were moving in an upward direction. Quickly the mind is able to comprehend the trick: Up-Words. Max was going to take a few minutes of our time and offer us words of inspiration that would help sustain us throughout our day. What a genuine gift of grace!
When you think about it, hearing a few "up-words" throughout the day can go a long way. Let's face it: life can be tough. There's the grind of going to work every day... even when you love your job.
If you have a family, then you know the pressures of getting the children off to school. Don't forget after school activities: musical recitals, ball practice and games, and the church functions. If you make it a point to eat at the table as a family, it too requires preparation and fortitude.
There's a payoff for being committed to your tasks and responsibilities, to be sure. Family unity, healthy relationships, the efforts to honor God and family -- those things make you smile, and they don't go unnoticed by our God in heaven.
However, if left unchecked, there's a dangerous trade off and it's called growing weary and tired. Fatigue is silent; it sneaks up you, and it tempts you to keep going, even when you feel run down. I dare say Max spoke directly into the hearts and souls of many people with his program called "UP-Words!"
Fact is, we need to hear words that are encouraging, supportive, compassionate, and strengthening. Add to that, the Bible is clear that as followers and believers of the Risen Christ, one of our most important responsibilities is to lift each other up in spirit through our words.
Isaiah hits this notion directly on the head in chapter 50, starting at verse 4, we read these words: "The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word" (NRSV).
When reading through Isaiah's book, it doesn't take long to learn that he's seen, heard, and been through his share of tough times. It would be very easy for Isaiah to give up and throw in the towel. One must wonder, "Why doesn't he?"
There's really only one answer that works here. It's God. From an early age, Isaiah opened himself up to the incredible workings of God, and over the years, it sustained him. It wasn't some new sports drink or miracle drug. Plain and simple, it was a full reliance upon God.
Call it obedience, confidence, or what have you. The fact is, Isaiah stayed strong, even in the weakest of moments, because he held on to the promises of God's word. Listen as Isaiah continues on in verses 4 and 5: "Morning by morning He wakens -- wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught. The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward."
Let us take a moment to learn from Isaiah. Each morning we have the opportunity to learn new lessons from God. It calls us back to that great hymn of old, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." As the song goes, "Morning by morning new mercies I see... All I have needed, your hand hath provided."
We have to ask ourselves: Will we be like Isaiah and open our ears, keeping our eyes fixed upon our king? Will we rely upon the word of God to sustain through our days in this life? Or will we grow rebellious and turn our backs on God?
Remember: When we grow tired and weary, it becomes ever so easy to gently drift away from God's plan for us. Straying just 1 degree from true north will eventually send us a million miles in the wrong direction. Once far enough away from God, our souls have the misfortune of becoming rebellious.
Perhaps it becomes a little clearer now as to why we need to fill our hearts, minds, and lives with the right kind of words -- those "up-words" if you will. They keep us on the right path. They sustain us, even when we are weary.
Richard Foster wrote an incredible book years ago titled Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth. I'll never forget where I was and what was happening when I read it. My wife and I had the good fortune of spending a few days in a log cabin down in southern Ohio in the dead of winter. We had no TV, but in exchange, we had an awesome fireplace with a working coffeemaker.
As I eased myself into a comfy chair near the hearth, along with a steaming cup of coffee, I saw the snow gently start to drop through the trees and on to the sides of the hill. All was quiet; all was calm. Then I opened the book and, from page one to the last word, my life was rocked!
With great insight, depth, and clarity, I learned not what Christ followers should do to grow spiritually. On the contrary, I learned why believers should practice spiritual disciplines.
Regular participation in spiritual disciplines is like filling the tank with fuel. Over time, those practices and disciplines create a reservoir in the soul. When things get tough -- and they will eventually get tough -- you have a source of strength to draw upon. There in the midst of tough times, like Isaiah, you can find your source of strength.
Listen as Isaiah continues in this portion of the passage: "The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint... It is the Lord God who helps me" (vv. 7-9).
You have to give it to Isaiah for his confidence. Even when standing in the midst of his troublemakers, he's able to say, "I have set my face like flint." Over the years, Isaiah has continually practiced giving himself to God. He made it a point to attempt to honor God in all he did. In time, those practices paid off in the fact that depending upon God became like drawing a breath of air. Leaning on God was simply a natural response for Isaiah.
We would all do well to keep in mind the spiritual disciplines that keep us moving closer to our God in Jesus Christ. In regards to the idea of "up-words," it's always a healthy practice to read and search God's Word for his promises, revelations, and spiritual sustenance. The Word of God is absolutely necessary for our spiritual health. It's our spiritual food of choice!
Also consider joining these forms of spiritual disciplines with that of reading God's word: Worshiping and studying with our fellow believers on a regular basis; making and taking time to pray; celebrating in the Lord's Supper; challenging yourself to fast, thus relying upon the Spirit to sustain you; going and serving in mission so that it completely benefits someone else. Don't forget the act of giving with your financial resources.
All of these practices serve to fill the spiritual tank in our lives. It builds our confidence in a God who completely understands our station in life. It creates spiritual muscle. The more we do it, the stronger we grow. There's no substitute for it. It's you and God, working it out every day.
In the end, it all starts with the right words. I can think of no better words than those of Jesus in John's gospel: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (10:10).
Remember friends, God intends for you to live in the upward motion. A life in Christ is an abundant life, full of God's blessings, mercies, and divine grace. Don't grow weary. Rather, cling to the word, as Isaiah once did, as well as Jesus. As they proved so long ago, the right words will keep you moving up, right up to the gates of heaven. Amen.
Rev. Bryan Meadows has served as pastor of The Huntsville United Methodist Church since 1998, following his graduation from The Methodist Theological School. He and his wife, Alice, are the parents of three children: Caleb, Josie, and Hannah. Rev. Meadows enjoys photography, playing guitar, and bird hunting with his dogs.
Is It Truth?
By David O. Bales
Matthew 26:14--27:66
Near the city of Rome in the year later numbered 49 AD, Aaron's father brought Aaron, then ten years old, to a synagogue where they'd never been. Only male believers in Jesus were summoned. They received two days' notice: "Every male member of a household believing in Christ must arrive at the synagogue in the port city of Ostia by midday."
As soon as Aaron and his father entered the synagogue, his father pointed Aaron to the other boys and told him to wait with them. His father joined the thirty or so men speaking softly as they huddled in a corner. Aaron was pleased to see Caleb among the other boys. Caleb was two years older than Aaron and he made it his business to answer all of Aaron's questions. "What's going on?" Aaron asked. "Abba just said we had to come but he didn't say why."
"Something about the emperor," Caleb said. He looked around quickly. "When we left home early this morning Imma was crying."
"My Imma hugged me so hard it hurt," Aaron said.
Caleb began to say, "Abba thinks they might want us out of the city so they can..." when the synagogue's front door opened. Four fully equipped soldiers entered, leading an old man. For a few heartbeats no Jew moved or spoke. One soldier stepped forward and announced in Latin and then repeated himself in Greek, "Over here. Listen to this man." The Jewish males turned toward the soldiers and the old man with them. The old man was dressed as a Jew. Aaron scurried to his father's side, glancing at the soldiers' swords as he did.
The soldiers stepped back and blocked the door. A few men turned to look at the other door. Soldiers had stepped in quietly from the back, also. The adults all looked around desperately. The old man raised his hand and spoke, "Peace. Peace," he said in Aramaic. "It is well. It is well."
Aaron could tell that his father's hearing the man speak in Aramaic helped him relax a little.
"I've been sent by Emperor Claudius, savior of the world, benefactor of mankind, patron of art and reverence. May he prosper and may sacrifices in Jerusalem continue to be offered for his well-being."
The Jewish men shuffled their feet or looked down at this description of the emperor, but all remained silent.
"I've come to remind us Jews how reverently and benevolently the empire has treated us. We are exempted from military service, are we not? Our obedience to the holy sabbath is honored, is it not? And even though many of us dwell in Rome because Pompey brought our great grandfathers here as slaves, we witness to how quickly our people here have been granted freedom."
The old man paused and stroked his beard. "Now, however, some of you have provoked other Jews to riot because of this Jesus. So the government that protects all lands and seas informs you now for your own good about the Jesus you call Messiah. The truth that our faithful auxiliary legions reported nearly a generation ago is that a man named Jesus Barabbas was crucified in Jerusalem by Pilate -- not Jesus of Nazareth. Barabbas was a great hero of our people. He offered himself in place of the Nazarene, who was a simple country teacher who in Jerusalem found himself confused when opposition mounted and his supporters abandoned him."
Aaron looked up at his father who held his lips tightly shut and his eyes straight forward.
"An unfortunate misunderstanding arose that Jesus of Nazareth was killed and was magically restored to the living. This mistaken report has been twisted twenty different ways by 100 fools around the sea in the middle of the inhabited world. The certified report states that Jesus died a few years later in Bethlehem and some of his sincere and grief-stricken students snatched his body from his family and buried him not in a tomb, but in a grave in the Essene cemetery by the Dead Sea. His grave remains there beside that of his Uncle Zechariah for anyone to inspect."
Aaron's thoughts were pounding through his ten-year-old head. He had learned that Jesus suffered and that God resurrected him, proving he was the Messiah. Aaron nudged his father's hand and set face set to ask a question, but his father shushed him.
The old man began to speak slower, pausing between each word, "Remember, I tell you this as the Emperor's messenger... with your safety in the balance."
Without another word or gesture, he turned and the soldiers with him followed as he exited. The soldiers who had been at the rear door, instead of leaving as they came, paraded through the synagogue to leave by the front door.
To Aaron the gasps and sighs that followed sounded as though everyone started to breathe again. He grabbed his Father's hand firmly this time and tugged him down. "Abba, is it truth?"
A man was speaking to his father on his other side and everyone was moving quickly toward the synagogue's door. His father pulled Aaron hastily from the building as he said, "Son, if Jesus hasn't been raised from the dead, you can say that anything is true. Now hang on to Abba's hand."
Aaron held tightly as other grandfathers, fathers, and sons scurried toward home. He and Caleb saw one another as their fathers yanked them into different groups scurrying back toward Rome. Before they lost sight of each other, Aaron and Caleb gave one another a confused wave.
David Bales was a Presbyterian pastor for 33 years. He is retired and is a full-time writer living in Ontario, Oregon. His sermons and articles have appeared in Lectionary Homiletics, Preaching Great Texts, Interpretation, and other magazines. He is author of Gospel Subplots: Story Sermons of God's Grace (CSS) and Toward Easter and Beyond (CSS). David is currently in his third year writing for Emphasis (CSS). Bales is a graduate of the University of Portland and San Francisco Theological Seminary.
**********************************************
How to Share Stories
You have good stories to share, probably more than you know: personal stories as well as stories from others that you have used over the years. If you have a story you like, whether fictional or "really happened," authored by you or a brief excerpt from a favorite book, send it to StoryShare for review. Simply email the story to us at storyshare@sermonsuite.com.
**************
StoryShare, March 16, 2008, issue.
Copyright 2008 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
