I like just about everyone here. Even the ones that tend to rub me the wrong way (Don't ask who you are -- if you don't know, it's just as well, since I have bad judgement sometimes, too).

The following article illustrates a principle that is valid without regard for your religious (or non-) views. Each of you is valuable, even if life has left it's skuff-marks on you.

YOU Are Valuable!

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this."

He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless.

But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value in God's eyes. To Him, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to Him. Psalm 17:8 states that God will keep us, "as the apple of His eye."

THOUGHT: The worth of our lives come not in what we do or who we are but by WHOSE WE ARE! You are special. Now, go have a great day...

If you're not happy with your current place in life, either change places or change your attitude!

Some of you think Christians are required to judge others and find them lacking. Immature Christians do just that. So do people who want to pass themselves off as Christians. They know the stereotype and want to blend in.

God thinks you're special. I might say I agree because it's doctrine and sinful to express a contrary opinion. There are a lot of folks who stand to profit if you don't get that message. They want power over you that doesn't belong to them. If you believe you have worth you deny them this power.

You are special. Some of you needed to hear that as children and didn't. Some of you need to hear that now. None of you don't need to hear it. All of us need to believe it, not just about ourselves, but each other.

If we all believed this way and acted accordingly, Kossovo would be merely another geographical location, the home of interesting people we'd like to visit some time.

Racism, hate, famine, and war would all be abstract concepts.

You can't force anyone to have that sort of attitude. You just have to put it on yourself. If you really believe it, others will want to do likewise.

That's what "Love thy neighbor as thyself" means.

</soapbox>

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"He's dead, Jim."
"You find his car keys, I'll get his wallet!"
www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/8641/

Hey, very nice, Baloo. You do have some cool cousins....you should get them in here sometime...

wait, that'll put you out of a job now...wouldn't it?

Also... "God thinks you're special....There are a lot of folks who stand to profit if you don't get that message." There also people who profit if you do believe it. They call themselves churches...

Okay, sorry, I just had to make my comments. I agree w/ the sentiment, though.