The Story Behind the Picture of the Praying Hands

Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade any other paying chore he could find in the neighbourhood. Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of Albrecht Durer the Elder's children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy. After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by labouring in the mines.
They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht's etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works. When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honoured position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfil his ambition. His closing words were, "And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you." All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over, "No ...no ...no ...no." Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, "No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look ... look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother ... for me it is too late." More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Durer's hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolours, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer's works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office. One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother's abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply "Hands," but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love "The Praying Hands."
The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a second look. Let it be your reminder, if you still need one, that no one - no one - ever makes it alone!

The Beginnings of...

If you aren't practicing, someone else is. In the 1880s a young man who was an earnest Christian found employment in a pawnshop. Although he disliked the work, he did it faithfully "as unto the Lord" until a more desirable opportunity opened for him. To prepare himself for a life of Christian service, he wrote on a scrap of paper the following resolutions: "I do promise God that I will rise early every morning to have a few minutes - not less than five - in private prayer. I will endeavour to conduct myself as a humble, meek, and zealous follower of Jesus, and by serious witness and warning I will try to lead others to think of the needs of their immortal souls. I hereby vow to read no less than four chapters in God's Word every day. I will cultivate a spirit of self-denial and will yield myself a prisoner of love to the Redeemer of the world." That young man was William Booth, who later led thousands to Christ and founded the Salvation Army.

Belongil Regatta

- A Study In Bureaucracy -

Once upon a time Byron Council and Ballina Council decided to engage in an annual boat race on the Belongil Creek. Both teams trained long and hard to reach their peak performance. On the big day Ballina won by a mile.
The Byron team was rather discouraged by their loss and morale sagged. Senior management decided that a reason for the crushing defeat must be found and a project team was set up to investigate the problem and take appropriate action.
It was found that while Ballina had eight people rowing and one person steering, Byron had one person rowing and eight people steering.
Senior management accordingly hired consultants to study Byron's team structure.
For half a million dollars, the consultants advised that the team needed to be better coordinated so that more effort went into rowing. The new Byron team consisted of four steering managers, three senior steering managers, one executive steering manager and the rower.
A performance appraisal system was set up to give the rower more incentive and he was sent to courses run by the consultants so that he would feel more empowered.
The next year the Ballina team won by two miles. Byron council sacked the rower for poor performance, sold off the paddles and halted work on a new canoe. The money saved was used as performance bonuses for senior management."
Reprinted from the "Byron Shire News" 19.7.95

No Loose Strings

We must face the fact that many today are notoriously careless in their living. This attitude finds its way into the church. We have liberty, we have money, we live in comparative luxury. As a result, discipline practically has disappeared. What would a violin solo sound like if the strings on the musician's instrument were all hanging loose, not stretched tight, not "disciplined"? - A.W. Tozer in Men Who Met God

Discipline

When Polish pianist Ignace Jan Paderewsky played before Queen Victoria, he won her enthusiastic approval. "Mr. Paderewsky," she exclaimed, "you are a genius."
Paderewsky shook his head. "Perhaps, Your Majesty, but before that I was a drudge," he replied, alluding to the number of hours he spent practicing every day.

Expectations

A traveler nearing a great city asked an old man seated by the road, "What are the people like in this city?"
The man replied, "What were they like where you came from?"
"A terrible lot," the traveler reported. "Mean, untrustworthy, detestable in all respects."
"Ah," said the old man. "You will find them the same in the city ahead."
Scarcely had the first traveler gone on his way when another stopped to inquire about the people in the city before him. Again the old man asked about the people in the place the traveler had just left.
"They were fine people, honest, industrious, and generous to a fault. I was sorry to leave," declared the second traveler.
Responded the wise one, "So you will find them in the city ahead."

Becoming...

If you treat people to a vision of themselves, if you apparently overrate them, you make them become of what they are capable of becoming. You know, if we take people as they are, we make them worse. If we take them as they should be, we help them become what they can be.... If you say this is idealism - overrating man - then I must answer, 'Idealism is the real realism, because you help people actualise themselves.'

- Viktor Frankl -

What's worth making

We are blind until we see
That in the human plan
Nothing is worth the making
If it does not make the man.
Why build these cities glorious
If man unbuilded goes?
In vain we build the world
Unless the builder also grows. - Vince Lombardi

What if?

What if God couldn't take the time to bless us today because we couldn't take the time to thank Him yesterday?
What if God decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we did not follow Him today?
What if we never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when God sent the rain?
What if God didn't walk with us today because we failed to recognise it as His day?
What if God took away the Bible tomorrow because we would not read it today?
What if God took away His message because we failed to listen to His messenger?
What if the door of the church was closed because we did not open the door of our heart?
What if God stopped loving and caring for us because we failed to love and care for others?
What if God would not hear us today because we would not listen to Him yesterday?
What if God answered our prayers the way we answer His call for service?
What if God met our needs the way we give Him our lives???

9 Steps to Third World Living

FIRST, take out the furniture: leave a few old blankets, a kitchen table, maybe a wooden chair. You've never had a bed, remember?
SECOND, throw out your clothes. Each person in the family may keep the oldest suit or dress, a shirt or blouse. The head of the family has the only pair of shoes.
THIRD, all kitchen appliances have vanished. Keep a box of matches, a small bag of flour, some sugar and salt, a handful of onions, a dish of dried beans. Rescue the mouldy potatoes from the garbage can: those are tonight's meal.
FOURTH, dismantle the bathroom, shut off the running water, take out the wiring and the lights and everything that runs by electricity.
FIFTH, take away the house and move the family into the toolshed.
SIXTH, no more postman, fireman, government services. The two-classroom school is three miles away, but only two of your seven children attend anyway, and they walk.
SEVENTH, throw out your bankbooks, stock certificates, pension plans, insurance policies. You now have a cash hoard of $5.
EIGHTH, get out and start cultivating your three acres. Try hard to raise $300 in cash crops because your landlord wants one third and your moneylender 10 percent.
NINTH, find some way for your children to bring in a little extra money so you have something to eat most days. But it won't be enough to keep bodies healthy—so lop off 25 to 30 years of life.

The Icing on the Cake

Talk about a big mistake! A cake decorator was asked by a bride to inscribe I John 4:18 on a wedding cake. Unfortunately, the decorator didn't know the Bible very well. The text was supposed to be "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear..." from John's First Epistle. But the decorator turned to the Gospel of John and inscribes John 4:18: "You have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband." The bride and groom did not see the cake until their reception, as they were getting ready to cut it.

The Gift

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box.
Curious, and somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold.
Angry, he rose his voice to his father and said "with all your money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house.
Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realised his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still gift-wrapped Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt 7:11, "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in Heaven, give to those who ask Him?"
As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL. How many times do we miss God's blessings because we can't see past our own desires?

The valley of decision

At this dawning, shall we choose His direction or plot a course where temporal achievements define reward and promise hope in a fleeting and flawed perfection? Which heading to select? Shall it be forgiveness, death of self, and a loving Shepherd's eternal vision; or shall we choose derision, and opt for the material as lasting provision? - Or how about fame? Which future - which forever - shall we claim? Dawn – once more – in the valley of decision.

“In the Spirit’s Flow....”

Creating and renewing God, as we worship you this day, we recognise that we stand in the great flow of your Spirit’s work throughout all the ages
The same Spirit who moved at Pentecost, the same Spirit that brooded over creation, the same Spirit that came upon Gideon, the same Spirit who inspired prophets to speak your word, dwells and moves among us today. We draw courage and strength from the ways in which your servants served you in their frailty and weakness, through trials and opposition that we have never known, learning to draw on Your Spirit’s presence and empowering
Challenge us to move beyond the comfort of trusting in our own resources to the place where we rely on your Spirit’s moving. Teach us to be released from the anchors of our traditions and comforts into the wind of Your Spirit, where we can leave all in your control.
Help us, O God, to be a standard, an example, for future generations, that they too, in the frailty of their faith, might like us learn to venture out in the strength and power of the Spirit of God. (All) Spirit of God, come again, move afresh, stir, inspire and empower us, for Your glory. Amen.

Think freely....

Practice patience: Smile often: Savour special moments: Live God’s message: Make new friends: Discover old ones: Tell those you love that you do: Feel deeply: Forget trouble: Forgive an enemy.
Laugh heartily: spread joy: Take a chance: Reach out: Let someone in: Truy something new: Slow down: Be soft sometimes: Celebrate life: Believe in yourself: Trust others: See a sunrise: Listen to rain: Reminisce: Cry when you need to.
Hope: Grow: Be crazy: Count your blessings: Observe miracles: Make them happen: Discard worry: give: Give in: Trust enough to take.
Be Alive!

Thinking

It’s a busy world we live in,
We get caught up in the race,
And at times our sense of values
Slips a little out of place
It’s a good thing to pull over
To the roadside now and then,
And get ourthinking straight
Before we start again.

Life is...

Life is just a minute;
Only sixty seconds in it;
Forced upon you, can’t refuse it,
Didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it,
But it’s up to you to use it,
You must suffer if you lose it;
Give an account if you abuse it;
Just a tiny little minute,
But eternity is in it;
And when you use your minute,
God will use you to make a difference

A Great Complexion

A dear old lady was asked what she used to make her complexion so beautiful and her whole being so bright and attractive. She answered:
I use for my lips — truth;
I use for my voice — kindness;
I use for my ears — compassion;
I use for my hands — charity;
I use for my figure — uprightness;
I use for my heart — love;
I use for anyone who doesn't like me — prayer.

Life Observations

It takes years to build up trust, but only seconds to destroy it.

You can get by on charm for about 15 minutes. After that, you'd better know something.

Don't compare yourself to the best others can do, but to the best you can do.

It's not what happens to people that's important. It's what they do about it.

Always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

You control your attitude or it controls you.

It isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

Your background and circumstances may have influenced who you are, but you are responsible for who you become.

Even if you do the right thing for the wrong reason, it's still the wrong thing to do.

What you see

A man whose axe was missing suspected his neighbor's son. The boy walked like a thief, look like a thief, and spoke like a thief. But the man found his axe while he was digging in the valley, and the next time he saw his neighbor's son, the boy walked, looked and spoke like any other child

- Traditional German and American Indian Quotations by Howard J. Langer -

The Winds of Change

God of freedom, God of justice, God of all creation, we gather to worship you this day.
Yet the speed and the shape of our lives often alienates us from your presence each day. While we are locked in traffic jams, boxed in houses and offices, strictured in traditions and regulated practices, limited by habit and prejudice, we envy Your Spirit’s freedom to move.
Spirit of God, move in your sovereign freedom amongst us we pray. Through human walls and edifices, over barriers of ignorance, around excuses and faithlessness, you continue to touch and transform.
Spirit of Jesus, help us to be open to the possibilities of life in You, even though we cannot yet see them. Holy Spirit come afresh to us this day:
Let not our time of worship immunise us to the pain of this world, to the needs of our neighbour, to the realities of our existence; Neither let it be a simple reinforcement of the status quo:
Give us the courage to move beyond the present.
The Winds of the Spirit seem to us somehow stilled, O God. Remove the barriers within us which resist the dynamics of His presence.
Come Holy Spirit, renew the work of grace in us, rekindle the flame of passion for you, stir our hearts to your presence, your love, and your grace. Our lives are an open book before you, Lord. Speak to us of what you read there, and of the potential you hold before us as your gift.
Give us new sight, new perception, new hearts, that we might be part of your glorious work, that our lives might speak of your presence and grace. Come alive in our midst, Lord.
Meet us in our time of worship, that you might lead us in the conduct of our whole lives. In the name of the risen Christ. Amen.

Technological Change

Working as a computer instructor for an adult-education program at a community college, I am keenly aware of the gap in computer knowledge between my younger and older students. My observations were confirmed the day a new student walked into our library area and glanced at the encyclopaedia volumes stacked on a bookshelf. "What are all these books?" he asked. Somewhat surprised, I replied that they were encyclopaedias. "Really?" he said. "Someone printed out the whole thing?"

The Visit

Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. She read the letter:
Dear Ruth, I'm going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I'd like to stop by for a visit.'
Love Always - Jesus
Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. "Why would the Lord want to visit me? I'm nobody special. I don't have anything to offer." With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets. "Oh my goodness, I really don't have anything to offer. I'll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner." She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents. "Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least." She threw on her coat and hurried out the door. A loaf of french bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk...leaving Ruth with grand total of twelve cents to last her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.
"Hey lady, can you help us, lady?" Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn't even noticed two figures huddled in the alleyway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags. "Look lady, I ain't got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it's getting cold and we're getting kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us, lady, we'd really appreciate it."
Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled bad and, frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to.
"Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I'm having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him."
"Yeah, well, OK lady, I understand. Thanks anyway." The man put his arm around the woman's shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley. As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart.
"Sir, wait!" The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them. “Look, why don't you take this food. I'll figure out something else to serve my guest." She handed the man her grocery bag. "Thank you lady. Thank you very much!" "Yes, thank you!" It was the man's wife, and Ruth could see now that she was shivering.
"You know, I've got another coat at home. Here, why don't you take this one." Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman's shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street...without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest.
"Thank you lady! Thank you very much!" Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn't have anything to offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox. "That's odd. The mailman doesn't usually come twice in one day." She took the envelope out of the box and opened it....
Dear Ruth,
It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal. And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.
Love Always - Jesus .
The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer noticed.

Zen and Consumerism

The Zen Master is visiting New York City from Tibet. He goes up to a hot dog cart and says, "Make me one with everything."
The hot dog vendor fixes a hot dog and hands it to the Zen Master, who pays with a $20 bill.
The vendor puts the bill in the cash box and closes it.
"Where's my change?" asks the Zen Master.
The vendor responds, "Change must come from within."

How to get started...

Do you want to know the secret of how to get started? Well, it's very simple—if you want to get started, get started.
Action will change your attitude.
Motion will change your emotions.
Movement will change your moods.
George Gershwin got most of his ideas by just sitting at the piano, playing. He didn't wait for inspiration. He would just hit various chords, play a bit of this and a bit of that and pretty soon something would come to him. Throughout his career, he demonstrated that the way to learn how to do anything is to do it.
Remember: IT'S THE START THAT STOPS MOST PEOPLE.

The Difference

Between moments of dispensing wisdom, it seems that historical religious leaders had also learned software programming. One day, a great contest was held to test their skills. After days and days of fierce competition, only two leaders remained for the last day's event: Jesus and Mohammed.
The judge described the software application required for the final test, and gave the signal to start writing code. The two contestants feverishly typed away on their keyboards. Routines, classes, applets and applications flew by on their screens at incredible speeds. Windows, dialogs, and other intricate graphics began forming on their monitors. The clock showed that the contest would soon be finished.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightening flashed and the power went out. After a moment, it came back on-just in time for the clock to announce that the last competition was over. The judge asked the two contestants to reveal their finished software. Mohammed angrily said that he'd lost it all in the power outage. The judge turned to the other competitor. Jesus smiled, clicked a mouse, and a dazzling application appeared on his screen.
After just a few moments, the judge was clearly impressed and declared Jesus the victor. When asked why the decision was made, the judge pointed out the unique characteristic that set the winner apart from all the other leaders: Jesus saves.

Oatmeal Days

It’s not always the red-flag crisis days that are the hardest to take. The ordinary, ‘zero’ days of little or no consequence. The ho-hum days filled with nothing of particular interest. Colourless. Uninteresting. Unfascinating. Unspectacular. And unfun. The days everyone deals with.
We cope. We wend our way through the tangle of tedious activity and sandpaper people scattered through our day and get no applause, because coping is expected.
Not so during red-flag crisis times. People tend to rally behind us with loving support. We’re lifted above the crisis and enabled beyond human comprehension at times.
On oatmeal days, after a crisis has peaked, it may seem as if friends have forsaken us, as if God doesn’t care. But the reality will be that life has merely pushed us and our friends one step further in the christian growth-walk.
The God of the crisis times is the God of the oatmeal days too. Because He said He is. Because He keeps His promises - always. Because we can’t get along without Him. And because we wouldn’t want to if we could.

Hope Makes a Difference

Hope looks for the good in people instead of harping on the worst in them.
Hope opens doors where despair closes them.
Hope discovers what can be done instead of grumbling about what cannot be done.
Hope draws its power from a deep trust in God and the basic goodness of mankind.
Hope ‘lights a candle’ ‘instead of cursing the darkness’.
Hope regards problems, large or small, as opportunities.
Hope cherishes no illusions, nor does it yield to cynicism.

Give us more pocket-watch Christians

Many christians are like wheelbarrows: no good unless pushed
Other are like canoes: they need to be paddled
Some are like kites: if you don’t keep a string on them, they fly away
Still others are like balloons: full of wind and just waiting for a chance to explode
Then there are others like footballs: you can’t tell which way they will bounce
But praise the Lord, many christians are like good pocket watches: with open faces and busy hands, they are well-regulated and full of good works. Christians like this are the back-bone of every church.

Making Mistakes

Many of us grow up thinking of mistakes as bad, viewing errors as evidence of fundamental incapacity. This negative thinking pattern can create a self-fulfilling prophecy, which undermines the learning process. To maximise our learning it is essential to ask: “How can we get the most from every mistake we make?”

- Michael Gelb and Tony Buzan -