Dusty Roads

July 28, 2013

Dusty Roads

Ever since you were little,

I was there while you slept,

And I watched over you as the sun rose,

Above the horizon

And I made a decision a long time ago,

When my feet were heavy,

And the road was dusty,

To go to Jerusalem

My back hurt in the morning,

When I woke up from sleeping on the ground,

And my eyes were tired,

As people started coming to see me,

From all around….almost every day.

But I made a decision,

Every step of the way,

To go to Jerusalem

For the world, for those that would love me,

For those who would never, ever love me.

I went for them –

And I went for you.

Oh I know all about you….

Since you were little;

I’ve made sure that you were taken care of.

And when you were unaware,

When you worried, I was there,

Always doing more for you then you realized.

And before you were born I made a decision,

In the garden,

During the trial,

In front of Pilate,

On the way up the hill to Calvary,

Each step, every breath, every moment,

I made a decision…..

To give my life for you.

I know you’ve been troubled at times,

And lonely, afraid, and discouraged sometimes.

But if you never give your heart to me,

Or give anything to me,

I want you to know that I made my decision,

Gave my word,

Kept my promises,

And chose to risk everything for you.

When you woke up this morning,

I was there.
and I made my decision long ago,

…..I will always be there for you.

I know you don’t always agree with me.

I know sometimes I make you angry,

And confused.

But I want to be your Lord and your friend.
I bought you with my own life.

……Not so I could hurt you or desert you,

But so that someday,

When the dusty roads and the tears are all gone,

We can be together forever……

By Randy Stahla

www.DesertSnow.org

The Starfish Story

July 20, 2013

Thank you WWDD and little Daniel Barden!!

A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. 

When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. 

People watched her with amusement.

She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, 

"Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can't save all these starfish. 

You can't begin to make a difference!"

The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. 

But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean.

 Then she looked up at the man and replied, 

"Well, I made a difference to that one!!"

The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved. 

~adapted from the Star Thrower by Loren C. Eiseley~

"Perseverance through great odds and against the criticism of others is the very hallmark of value-based idealism, as is refusing to accept failure. The understanding that we hold in our hands the power to change a life, a mind, or a circumstance today~right now~ is a powerful insight and motivator. At the same time, idealistic acts, even highly symbolic ones, have the power to inspire others to act, and sometimes in numbers significant enough to make a major or even complete impact on the problem at hand. 

Perhaps most inspiring of all is to witness the idealistic power of children and young people in action. The idealism of youth is a powerful force for leading to change in the world. Often it is our youth who put into action values that we have instilled in them but have failed to act on ourselves. Therefore, the world depends on the idealism of youth to lead the way."

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