If you Believe

Creation calls

Playing Cards in Church

On one particular Sunday a certain soldier was in a little church with his regiment and during the Service he was shuffling a pack of cards. Every so often he would stop for a while and look at one card in paticular, before shuffling them again and looking at another one. His Commanding Officer was furious. "How dare you play cards in the church", he admonished him after the service, "Consider yourself on a charge. Report to the Commander-in-Chief at once, you are in big trouble, soldier." The Commander-in-Chief was even more furious about the soldier playing cards in church, "How dare you!" he shouted at him. "Before I give you a suitable punishment perhaps you could explain, if you can, what you were doing." The soldier took a deep breath and rather nervously tried to explain to his Commander-in Chief what he was really doing. And this what the soldier told him.... The ACE in the cards reminds me of the one and only God who is first and foremost, like this card which comes first. The TWO reminds me of the two books in the Testament, the Old and the New. The THREE represents the Blessed Trinity, the three aspects of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The FOUR, of course, are the four Gospel writers, the evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The FIVE card reminds me of the five wise girls who took enough oil for their lamps to the wedding feast; and the five foolish girls who did not because they were not prepared. The SIX is the six days that God took to create the world and the SEVEN is the day of rest, the last day of the week. The EIGHT reminds me of the eight beatitudes which Jesus gave in his sermon on the mount. The eight is also the family of Noah who took all the animals into his ark. The number NINE card is the nine lepers (out of the ten) who came back and thanked Jesus for curing them. The TEN represents the ten commandments that God gave to Moses so that we could lead better lives. The JACK, or Knave, is the devil who tries to make us do wrong. The QUEEN represents Mary, the mother of Jesus, the highest lady in the land. And the King is God, only one king, and the King of all the Universe. The TWO reminds me of the two books in the Testament, the Old and the New. In all the cards there are 365 spots, the number of days in a year. There are 52 weeks in a year, the number of cards in a pack. There are 4 suits, the number of weeks in a month. In the pack there are 12 pictures, one for each month of the year. There are 13 tricks possible, the number of weeks in a quarter of the year; and it is also the number of cards in each suit. He went on to tell his Commander-in-Chief that his pack of cards was a Bible, an Almanac and a Prayer Book. The pack of cards reminded him of God, of his wonderful creation, and how out of chaos, God ordered our world into the seasons, months, weeks and days of the year. "So you see, Sir, I was not really playing cards during the church Service. I was using them to remind me of my Faith in God, how Jesus came to save us all, and how important to me the Bible stories are." On hearing this the Commander-in-Chief told the soldier that he was truly a good man with a much deeper insight into things that he had at first imagined; and with that, he let the soldier go, telling him that all the charges had been dropped. "Thank you," said the soldier, "and may God be with you." And this is a true story of Wing Commander............ who made a recording of this story in the 1960's. by Wing Commander..........

A message from Medjugorje

If you could answer one prayer...

A cowboy's Prayer

My Song is Love Unknown

My song is love unknown, my Savior's love to me Love to the loveless shown that they might lovely be.  O who am I that for my sake, my Lord should take frail flesh and die? He came from His blest throne, salvation to bestow But men made strange and none the longed-for Christ would know.  But O my Friend, my Friend indeed, Who at my need His life did spend! Sometimes they strew his way, and His sweet praises sing  Resounding all the day Hosannas to their King.  Then: "Crucify" is all their breath, and for His death they thirst and cry. Why, what hath my Lord done? What makes this rage and spite?  He made the lame to run, he gave the blind their sight.  Sweet injuries, yet they at these themselves displease and 'gainst Him rise. They rise, and needs will have my dear Lord made away  A murderer they save, the Prince of Life they slay.  Yet cheerful He to suff'rings goes, that He His foes from thence might free. In life no house, no home my Lord on earth did have  In death no friendly tomb but what a stranger gave.  What may I say? Heaven was His home, but mine the tomb wherein He lay. Here might I stay and sing, no story so divine  Never was love, dear King, never was grief like Thine  This is my Friend, in whose sweet praise I all my days will gladly spend. My Song is Love Unknown- -Samuel Crossman