The couple was 85 years old, and had been married for sixty years. Though they were far from rich, they managed to get by because they watched their pennies. Though not young, they were both in very good health, largely due to the wife’s insistence on healthy foods and exercise for the last decade.

One day, their good health didn’t help when they went on a rare vacation and their plane crashed, sending them off to Heaven.

They reached the pearly gates, and St. Peter escorted them inside. He took them to a beautiful mansion, furnished in gold and fine silks, with a fully stocked kitchen and a waterfall in the master bath. A maid could be seen hanging their favorite clothes in the closet.

They gasped in astonishment when he said, “Welcome to Heaven. This will be your home now.”

The old man asked Peter how much all this was going to cost.

“Why, nothing,” Peter replied, “Remember, this is your reward in Heaven.”

The old man looked out the window and right there he saw a championship golf course, finer and more beautiful than any ever built on Earth.

“What are the greens fees?” grumbled the old man.

“This is Heaven,” St. Peter replied. “You can play for free every day.”

Next they went to the clubhouse and saw the lavish buffet lunch, with every imaginable cuisine laid out before them, from seafood to steaks to exotic deserts, and free flowing beverages.

“Don’t even ask,” said St. Peter to the man. “This is Heaven, it is all free for you to enjoy.”

The old man looked around and glanced nervously at his wife.

“Well, where are the low fat and low cholesterol foods, and the decaffeinated tea?” he asked.

“That’s the best part,” St. Peter replied. “You can eat and drink as much as you like of whatever you like, and you will never get fat or sick.   This is Heaven!”

The old man pushed, “No gym to work out at?”

“Not unless you want to,” was the answer.

“No testing my sugar or blood pressure or…”

“Never again. All you do here is enjoy yourself.”

The old man glared at his wife and said, “You and your bran muffins. We could have been here ten years ago!

One LINER  
“I learned something important about burning leaves – wait until they fall off the trees.”

Thought for the day   
Proverbs 17:9
He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

“It’s just a little harmless gossip.” The Wise Teacher reminds us that gossip is neither little nor harmless. Its consequences are huge and its damage horrible. Instead, it is much better to be a peacemaker and an offense-mender.

The student asked the professor how many problems there would be on the final exam.

The professor looked the student over and replied, “I think you will have lots of problems on the final.” 

One Liner
For Sale: Parachute. Only used once, never opened, small stain.

Thought for the day  
Isaiah 55:8-9
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Remember the original sin was to try to become like God in terms of knowledge and understanding. Take on His character but never His majesty.

AN OLD FARMER’S ADVICE

~ Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

~ Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

~ A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

~ Words that soak into your ears are whispered…not yelled.

~ Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.

~ Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.

~ Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

~ It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.

~ You cannot unsay a cruel word.

~ Every path has a few puddles.

~ When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

~ The best sermons are lived, not preached.

~ Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.

~ Don’t judge folks by their relatives.

~ Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

~ Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.

~ Don’t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t botherin’ you none.

~ If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.

~ Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

~ The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with watches you from the mirror every mornin’.

~ Always drink upstream from the herd.

~ Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

~ Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.

~ If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around

One Liner
I gave up jogging for my health. My thighs kept rubbing together and setting fire to my underwear.

Thought for the day
A man’s heart reflects the man. Proverbs 27:19 (NIV)

The Bible says what is in your heart is what you really are, not what others think you are, or what circumstances force you to be (Proverbs 27:19). Your heart is the real you. It determines why you say the things you do, why you feel the way you do, and why you act the way you do.

I deliver pizza to help cover my college tuition. Once I called on customers who sent their seven-year-old son to pay me. As he approached the screen door, I noticed he was carrying a check in one hand and two dollars in the other, which I assumed was my tip.

To my dismay, he pocketed the bills before handing me the check, which was for the exact cost of the pizza.

“Could that have been a tip?” I asked, trying not to sound accusatory.

“Yep,” he replied proudly. “not bad for just a walk from the living room and back!”

One Liner
Like a lot of husbands throughout history, Webster would sit down and try to talk to his wife. But as soon as he would start to say something, his wife said, …..”And what’s that supposed to mean?”

Thus, Webster’s Dictionary was born.

Thought for the day
“No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:4 NASB).

Real servants make themselves available to serve. Servants don’t fill up their time with other pursuits that could limit their availability. They want to be ready to jump into service when called on

A minister was preoccupied with thoughts of how he was going to ask the congregation to come up with more money than they were expecting for repairs to the church building.

Therefore, he talked with the organist to see what kind of inspirational music she could play after the announcement about the finances to get the congregation in a giving mood.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ll think of something.”

During the service, the minister paused and said, “Brothers and Sisters, we are in great difficulty; the roof repairs cost twice as much as we expected, and we need $4,000 more. Any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up.”

Just at that moment, the organist started playing, “The Star Spangled Banner.”

One Liner
I used up all my sick days, so I’m calling in dead.

Thought for the Day
Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don’t compare yourself with others. Galatians 6:4 (CEV)

There are two reasons why you should never compare your spiritual shape, ministry, or the results of your ministry with anyone else. First, you will always be able to find someone who seems to be doing a better job than you and you will become discouraged
Or you will always be able to find someone who doesn’t seem as effective as you and you will get full of pride.

The new librarian decided that instead of checking out children’s books by writing the names of borrowers on the book cards herself, she would have the youngsters sign their own names.  She would then tell them they were signing a ‘contract’ for returning the books on time.

Her first customer was a 2nd grader, who looked surprised to see a new librarian. He brought four books to the desk and shoved them across to the librarian, giving her his name as was the custom..  The new librarian pushed the books back, smiled, and told him to sign them out himself. The boy carefully printed his name on each book card and then handed them to her with a look of utter disgust.

Before the librarian could even start her speech he said, scornfully, “At least that other librarian we had could write.”

One Liner
If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, you can bet the water bill is higher.

Thought for the Day
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6 (NLT)

Don’t worry about anything
Pray about everything
Thank God in all things 

John and Nancy, married for 40 years, planned a second wedding to renew their vows.

Nancy described to her friend the dress she would wear.

Nancy’s friend asked, “What color shoes?”

Nancy replied, “Silver.”

John chimed in: “Yep, silver … to match her hair.”

With a pointed look at John’s bald spot, Nancy’s friend said: “So, John, I guess you’ll go barefoot.”

One Liner
Half the people you know are below average.

Thought for the day
2 Corinthians 1:9b-10, “This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us . . . and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us”

The purpose of the dead end is to teach you to trust in God.

In Washington, D.C., the application form for federal employment includes this question: “Why did you leave your previous employment?”

One applicant, a former U.S. Congressman, responded: “The express wish of 116,000 voters.”

One Liner
How can I miss you if you won’t go away?

Thought for the day
Romans 12:1b says, “Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him” (GNT).

God gave you your abilities. Now you need to give them back to Him.  Use them for the purpose for which He gave them to you.

Mahatma Gandhi, as you may know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet.

He also ate very little, which made him rather frail, and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath.

This made him – ready for it? – a super callused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

One Liner
I was struck by an odd thought recently. Fortunately, it was only a glancing blow.

Thought for the day
Job 37:14, “Pause a moment, Job, and listen; consider the wonderful things God does” (GNT).

God wants to spend time with you.

I LOVE MY JOB

(apologies to Dr. Seuss)

I love my job, I love the pay, I love it more and more each day.

I love my boss and he’s the best. I love HIS boss and all the rest.

I love my office and it’s location. I hate to have to take vacation.

I love my desk, drab and gray, and love those paper piles each day.

I love my chair in my padded cell; there’s nothing else I love so well.

I love to work among my peers. I love their leers ‘n jeers ‘n sneers.

I love my computer and all its ware; I hug it often to show I care.

I love each program and every file; I even try using it once in a while.

I’m happy to be here, I am, I am…I’m the happiest slave to my Uncle Sam.

I love this work; I love these chores; I love the meetings with deadly bores.

I love my job AND I’ll say it again, I even love these friendly men:

These men who’ve come to visit today, in lovely white coats to take me away!

One Liner
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they are sticking to their diets.

Thought for the day
“When people sin, you should forgive and comfort them, so they won’t give up in despair (2 Corinthians 2:7 CEV). 

We all need mercy, because we all stumble and fall and require help getting back on track. We need to offer mercy to each other and be willing to receive it from each other.