God Really Does Answer Prayer
By George Dalton
Seven years ago my father died after a long illness and went home to be with the lord. At his funeral I met a cousin that I had not seen since we were boys fifty years ago. You know how you do when you see someone that you were once close too. “Give me your phone number; here take down my number.”
My wife and I had a ranch in east Texas, part of which was on four hundred acres of leased land. We sold all of the cattle and equipment and moved to a large city. Several large bales of hay were left in the field from the year before and the owner asked me to make sure they were removed. I contacted a neighboring rancher and asked him if he could help me get rid of the old hay. We agreed to meet back at the ranch one morning a week after my father’s funeral. While driving to the ranch, my cell phone rang, and you guessed it: it was my long lost cousin. His words were, “How are you fixed for cash money.” I was stunned. I haven’t seen this man for five decades and the first thing he wants to know is how much money do you have? I asked, “Why, what do you need?” He responded, “I need to borrow a thousand dollars today.” I asked, “Why do you need a thousand dollars today?” He said, “I am over drawn at the bank and if I don’t get a thousand dollars today I will have checks bouncing all over town.”
I knew right then I was in over my head. I told him I was on the way to the ranch and would call him as soon as I got back. As soon as he hung up I thought of Gideon and his fleece. So I started to pray, “Dear God I don’t know this man anymore. Is he a drug addict, an alcoholic, a gambler? Father I don’t know him, but you do. Please give me a sign telling me if I should give him the money he wants or not.”
Remembering Gideon’s fleece, I drove for a few minutes thinking about how could God give me a sign. I prayed, ”Father use the old hay. If Bud charges me to haul off the old hay, I will know that you do not want me to give that man the money. If he offers to buy the hay for any amount over $5.00 per bale, I will know that you want him to have the money.”
Bud walked around the field and asked me how many bales I had? I didn’t know so we counted them. Exactly one hundred bales. Then he asked me how much I wanted for the hay. I decided that I wouldn’t say a word because I had made a deal with God just a few miles up the road. I said, “You tell me what it is worth to you and that is what I will take.” He walked around the field for a few minutes looking at the bales and then said, “I’ll give you $10.00 a bale. Is it Ok if I pick them up Saturday?” Do the math. I had one hundred bales and he was going to pay $10.00 per bale.
I raced home and told my wife that I needed a check for $1,000.00. When I told her the story, she immediately agreed that we should take the money to my cousin. When I delivered the check to him, my cousin, that I only had seen once in fifty years, thanked me then informed me that he had no idea when he would be able to repay the loan. I told him about my prayer and then said, “I made my deal with God. If you pay me or don’t pay me, that is between you and God.”
I shook his hand and walked out of the Wal-Mart where he worked, a happy blessed man. Because I knew I had just witnessed God’s direct answer to an urgent prayer.
You’re Fat, Crappa!
By Lane R. Johnson
The television commercial was for a weight loss program and featured names like Dan Marino and Don Shula. It promised incredible results and advertised itself to be just the thing for men. I had seen the ad a hundred times and really wasn’t paying attention. After all, Cullen, my five year old grandson, was sitting next to me and I felt like I was on top of the world! Anyway, that commercial was for fat people.
Words Mean Things
By Ed Crumley
When our mothers said, “If you do that again, I’ll . . .”, did we believe her? I guess it depended on whether or not she followed up on the threat to do whatever it was she said she would do. Some of us knew her words were true, while others knew they might be true after a time of repeated threats but not when they were first uttered.
Water From The Rock
There’s a fountain on my property. Oh, it’s not one of those lovely Tuscan things I’ve drooled over while watching HGTV. It’s not even one of those fiberglass faux-rock models I could purchase in the lawn and garden department at WalMart. It makes a lovely sound, though. Gurgle, gurgle, splash, splash. The water is crystal clear and refreshingly cold. The thing is the fountain bubbles and flows in the middle of my asphalt driveway. I know what you’re thinking. Ritzy! She has a circle drive with an orb of lush grass right in the middle and center-stage is a concrete water feature to rival Buckingham Fountain in the heart of Chicago.
It Does Not Make Sense
By Bob Kaku
For years I had a difficult time managing my finances. I ran up my credit cards, paid portions of my bills, and incurred hefty interest and penalties when my payments were late. When I ran out of money, I borrowed from my parents.
