Heart Touchers

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{HeartTouchers.com} *FIND JOY IN THE ORDINARY*

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If you enjoy this email service, I encourage
you to spread the word to family and friends that we
may bring inspiration the lives of many! If you
are not on the list and this has been passed along
to you, join us by visiting:

http://www.HeartTouchers.com

Be sure to check out our inspirational list just for teenagers!

http://www.Heart4Teens.com

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Michael's updated book Heart Touchers "Life-Changing Stories of Faith, Love, and Laughter," is finally here! ($13.95)

Visit the link below to preview the book! Personalized autographed copies are available at no extra charge and we pay the shipping for you! An E-book version is also available for just $3.25!

http://www.hearttouchers.com/books

Be sure to let us know who you would like it autographed for and then allow about two weeks for us to sign it and send it on its way to you.Credit card, PayPal, Checks, and Money orders accepted! The book is also available through Amazon.com, Borders.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Booklocker.com

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FIND JOY IN THE ORDINARY

by Max Lucado

We played every game we knew. We ran up and down the hall. We
played "find me" behind the couch. We bounced the beach ball off each
other's heads. We wrestled, played tag, and danced. It was a big
evening for Mom, Dad, and little Jenna. We were having so much fun
that we ignored the bedtime hour and turned off the T.V. And if the
storm hadn't hit, who knows how late we would have played.

But then the storm hit. Rain pattered, then tapped, then slapped
against the windows. The winds roared in off the Atlantic and gushed
through the nearby mountains with such force that all the power went
off. The adjacent valley acted as a funnel, hosing wind on the city.
We all went into the bedroom and lay on the bed. In the darkness we
listened to the divine orchestra. Electricity danced in the sky like
a conductor's baton summoning the deep kettledrums of thunder.

I sensed it as we were lying on the bed. It blew over me mixed with
the sweet fragrance of fresh rain. My wife was lying silently at my
side. Jenna was using my stomach for her pillow. She, too, was quiet.
Our second child, only a month from birth, rested within the womb of
her mother. They must have sensed it, for no one spoke. It entered
our presence as if introduced by God himself. And no one dared stir
for fear it would leave prematurely.

What was it? An eternal instant.

An instant in time that had no time. A picture that froze in mid-
frame, demanding to be savored. A minute that refused to die after
sixty seconds. A moment that was lifted off the time line and
amplified into a forever so all the angels could witness its majesty.

An eternal instant.

A moment that reminds you of the treasures surrounding you. Your
home. Your peace of mind. Your health. A moment that tenderly rebukes
you for spending so much time on temporal preoccupations such as
savings accounts, houses, and punctuality. A moment that can bring a
mist to the manliest of eyes and perspective to the darkest life.

Eternal instants have dotted history.

It was an eternal instant when the Creator smiled and said, "It is
good." It was a timeless moment when Abraham pleaded for mercy from
the God of mercy, "But if there are just ten faithful." I was a
moment without time when Noah pushed open the rain-soaked hatch and
breathed in the clean air. And it was a moment in the "fullness of
time" when a carpenter, some smelly shepherds, and an exhausted,
young mother stood in silent awe at the sight of the infant in the
manger.

Eternal instants.

You've had them. We all have. Sharing a porch swing on a summer
evening with your grandchild. Seeing her face in the glow of the
candle. Putting your arm into your husband's as you stroll through
the golden leaves and breathe the brisk autumn air. Listening to
your six-year-old thank God for everything from goldfish to Grandma.

Such moments are necessary because they remind us that everything is
okay. The King is still on the throne and life is still worth living.
Eternal instants remind us that love is still the greatest possession
and the future is nothing to fear.

The next time an instant in your life begins to be eternal, let it.
Put your head back on the pillow and soak it in. Resist the urge to
cut it short. Don't interrupt the silence or shatter the solemnity.
You are, in a very special way, on holy ground.

Max Lucado, © 2005

With more than 28 million books in print, Max Lucado has touched millions with his signature storytelling writing style. Awards and accolades follow Max with each book he writes. Max is the first author to win the Gold Medallion Christian Book of the Year three times -- 1999 for Just Like Jesus, 1997 for In the Grip of Grace and 1995 for When God Whispers Your Name.

Max serves as the pulpit minister of the Oak Hills Church of Christ in San Antonio, Texas. But he says his greatest accomplishment is finding a one-in-a-million wife in Denalyn and having three unbelievable daughters: Jenna, Andrea, and Sara.

You can visit his website at: http://www.MaxLucado.com

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Thought For The Day:

"The next time you feel like complaining, remember that your garbage disposal probably eats better than 30 percent of the people in the world."

Verse for the Day:

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have..." Hebrews 13:5

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Kid's Thought For The Day:

An elderly woman noticed that her granddaughter felt
embarrassed by her freckles. "I love your freckles," she said,
kneeling beside the girl and admiring her face.

"Not me," the child replied.

"Well, when I was a little girl I always wanted freckles," the
grandmother said, tracing her finger across the child's cheek.
"Freckles are beautiful."

The girl looked up. "Really?"

"Of course," said her grandmother. "Why just name me one thing
that's prettier than freckles."

The little girl peered into the old woman's smiling face.
"Wrinkles," she answered softly.

She knew about beauty.

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Parent's Thought For The Day:

"I looked on child-rearing not only as a work of love and duty but as a profession that was fully as interesting and challenging as any honorable profession in the world and one that demanded the best that I could bring it." -- Rose Kennedy

Coach's Thought For The Day:

"It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tiredyou quit when the gorilla is tired." --Robert Strauss

Writer's Thought For The Day:

"I'm writing a book. I've got the page numbers done."

Deep Thought For The Day:

"I'm in shape ... Round is a shape isn't it?"

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Video Imagery --Michael's Video Production Business

Dear Michael,

I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for the beautiful video you made for me! It was so special to see both of my parents in tears as they watched their children grow up in pictures before their eyes! I loved the way you made Estania's part set aside from the rest--that was the part that really got them! The music was beautiful. My mom kept blubbering, "What song is that?" I don't know how you did such a beautiful job with the video in such a short time. I really appreciate your doing it so quickly. You have a wonderful gift, and I thank God that you are using it to create such sentimental memories. I hope that I can find my niche like that in an area that I love. Your video gave us one of our most lasting Christmas memories! I hope yours was filled with moments to be treasured forever!
Love,
Trisha
Silverhill, AL

Let me make you a video from your photos!
Check out my video production business
by visiting: http://www.hearttouchers.com/video_imagery

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Do you feel as if life has no meaning for you?
http://www.greatcom.org/english/four.htm