To All Mercy Co-Workers…

I want to apologize to all Mercy Co-workers who use Intense Living.com. When I transferred my website a week ago, I didn’t realize that it would cause the site to be blocked by the Mercy filter. I’m attempting to move the site to a location that won’t be blocked. Hopefully things will be back to ‘normal’ in a day or so. Please don’t unsubscribe as you haven’t done anything wrong. Thanks for your understanding.

Jeremiah 1:4-10

“The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’ ‘Alas, Sovereign LORD,’ I said, ‘I do not know how to speak; I am too young.’ But the LORD said to me, ‘Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the LORD. Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.’” – Jeremiah 1:4-10 (NIV)

Consider: God knows us better than we know ourselves. Since we trust in Him, we can trust Him when He asks to do things that we normally wouldn’t have chosen to do on our own. That is the question though – do we trust Him? Do we have faith?

Simon Cowell’s Past Zingers from American Idol

• If you sang like this two thousand years ago, people would have stoned you.
• If your lifeguard duties were as good as your singing, a lot of people would be drowning.
• That was extraordinary. Unfortunately, extraordinarily bad.
• That was one of my favorite songs … not anymore.
• You don’t need a judge, you need an exorcist.
• You had as much passion as a kitten mewing.
• You sang like someone who sings on a cruise ship … halfway through I imagined the ship sinking.
• I think you’re amazing … amazingly dreadful.
• You have just invented a new form of torture.
• After one contestant finishing singing, “I Believe I Can Fly,” Cowell responded, “I don’t.”

Dust If You Must

Dust if you must, but wouldn’t it be better to paint a picture, or write a letter, bake a cake, or plant a seed? Ponder the difference between want and need.

Dust if you must, but there is not much time, with rivers to swim and mountains to climb. Music to hear, and books to read, friends to cherish and life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world’s out there with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair, a flutter of snow, a shower of rain. This day will not come round again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind, old age with come and it’s not kind. And when you go, and go you must, you yourself, will make more dust.

A Rumor is Like a Check

“A rumor is like a check– don’t endorse it until you are sure it’s genuine.”

A Healthful Place

Mr. Peterson, a tourist from Toronto, arrived in Israel. In an airport taxi cab, Peterson asked the driver, “Say, is this really a healthful place?”

“It sure is,” the cabby replied. “When I came here I couldn’t say one word. I had hardly any hair on my head. I didn’t have the strength to walk across a room, and I had to be lifted out of bed!”

“That’s wonderful!” said the tourist, “How long have you been here?”

“I was born here.”

Wedding Happiness

Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother, “Why is the bride dressed in white?”

“Because white is the color of happiness, and today is the happiest day of her life.”

The child thought about this for a moment, then said, “So why is the groom wearing black?”

Getting Into Heaven

I was testing the children in my Sunday school class to see if they understood the concept of getting to heaven.

I asked them, “If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?”

“NO!” the children answered.

“If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?”

Again, the answer was, “NO!”

By now I was starting to smile. Hey, this was fun! “Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children, and loved my husband, would that get me into Heaven?” I asked them again.

Again, they all answered, “NO!”

I was just bursting with pride for them. “Well,” I continued, “then how can I get into Heaven?”

A five-year-old boy shouted out, “YOU GOTTA BE DEAD.”

Site Announcement – New Home on the Web

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for being a great support to IntenseLiving.com. If you visit our site, you’ll see that things look a little different. Intense Living.com has moved to a new home on the web, but that shouldn’t have any affect on email subscriptions or the content. You may see some broken images or links around, but I’ll be hunting those down and fixing them.

I just wanted you to be aware and please do let me know if you find a part of the site that isn’t working correctly. Thanks! – Greg

What I've Learned So Far

• I’ve learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we sing “Silent Night”. – Age 5
• I’ve learned that our dog doesn’t want to eat my broccoli either. – Age 7
• I’ve learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back. – Age 9
• I’ve learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up again. – Age 12
• I’ve learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up. – Age 14
• I’ve learned that although it’s hard to admit it, I’m secretly glad my parents are strict with me. – Age 15
• I’ve learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice. – Age 24
• I’ve learned that brushing my child’s hair is one of life’s great pleasures. – Age 26
• I’ve learned that wherever I go, the world’s worst drivers have followed me there. – Age 29
• I’ve learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it. – Age 30
• I’ve learned that there are people who love you dearly but just don’t know how to show it. – Age 42
• I’ve learned that you can make some one’s day by simply sending them a little note. – Age 44
• I’ve learned that the greater a person’s sense of guilt, the greater his or her need to cast blame on others. – Age 46
• I’ve learned that children and grandparents are natural allies. – Age 47
• I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. – Age 48
• I’ve learned that singing “Amazing Grace” can lift my spirits for hours. – Age 49
• I’ve learned that motel mattresses are better on the side away from the phone. – Age 50
• I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. – Age 51
• I’ve learned that keeping a vegetable garden is worth a medicine cabinet full of pills. – Age 52
• I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terribly after they die. – Age 53
• I’ve learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life. – Age 58
• I’ve learned that if you want to do something positive for your children, work to improve your marriage. – Age 61
• I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. – Age 62
• I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back. – Age 64
• I’ve learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you. – Age 65
• I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision. – Age 66
• I’ve learned that everyone can use a prayer. – Age 72
• I’ve learned that it pays to believe in miracles. And to tell the truth, I’ve seen several. – Age 75
• I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. – Age 82
• I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch – holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. – Age 90
• I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. – Age 92

Exhausting All Possibilities

“When you’ve exhausted all possibilities, remember this: You haven’t!” – Robert H. Schuller

The Hi-Tech Watch

A man is at Grand Central Station waiting for his train which leaves at 6:00 PM but he has forgotten his watch. So he looks for someone to ask the time. He spots this guy walking past carrying 2 suitcases and sporting this fabulous hi-tech watch, so he asks him for the time.

The guy replies “Sure, which country?”

The fella asks “How many countries have you got?”, to which the reply is “All the countries in the world!”

“Wow! That’s a pretty cool watch you’ve got there.”

“That’s nothing. This watch also has a GPS facility, fax, e-mail and can even receive NTSC television channels and display them on its miniature active color pixel LCD screen!”

“Boy, that’s incredible. I wish I had a watch like that one . . . You wouldn’t consider selling it by any chance?”

“Well, actually the novelty has worn off for me, so for $900, if you want it, it’s yours.”

The watchless traveller can hardly whip out his check book fast enough, and hands over a check for $900.

The seller takes off the watch and gives it to him. “Congratulations, here is your new hi-tech watch” and then, handing the 2 suitcases over as well he says, “and here are the batteries.”

The Cheapskate – CNET News

“The Cheapskate” scours the Web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets, and all the other tech stuff that makes life worth living.

The Cheapskate – CNET News

Math Word Problem

Mrs. Applebee, the 6th grade teacher, posed the following problem to one of her arithmetic classes:

“A wealthy man dies and leaves ten million dollars. One-fifth is to go to his wife, one-fifth is to go to his son, one-sixth to his butler, and the rest to charity. Now, what does each get?”

After a very long silence in the classroom, Little Morris raised his hand.

The teacher called on Little Morris for his answer.

With complete sincerity in his voice, Little Morris answered, “A lawyer!”

Math Word Problem

Mrs. Applebee, the 6th grade teacher, posed the following problem to one of her arithmetic classes:

“A wealthy man dies and leaves ten million dollars. One-fifth is to go to his wife, one-fifth is to go to his son, one-sixth to his butler, and the rest to charity. Now, what does each get?”

After a very long silence in the classroom, Little Morris raised his hand.

The teacher called on Little Morris for his answer.

With complete sincerity in his voice, Little Morris answered, “A lawyer!”

The Brave Man

“The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” – Nelson Mandela

The Brave Man

“The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” – Nelson Mandela

Weighing the Faults of Others

“When weighing the faults of others, be careful not to put your thumb on the scale.”

You Must First Have a Goal

“Before you can score, you must first have a goal.” – Greek Proverb

Waiting too Long to Give

“Those who give when they are asked to have waited too long.” – Kobi Yamada