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KEEP FAITH There is no problem in this World That true faith cannot solve It helps a person to fathom things Whatever they involve. Faith is the key to happiness Without it we are lost. Faithful hearts are those who win, Without it we are Lost. No wind or rain, nor heartache, pain can stop our faithful souls. For overcoming obstacles That keep us from our goals. So many times throughout my life On faith I must depend If I should gain without much strife I'll keep this faith unto the end. Little Barren Church Green County, KY
Shannon could hear the footsteps behind her as
she walked toward home.
The thought of being followed made her heart
beat faster."You're being silly," she told
herself, "no one is following you."
To be safe,she began to walk faster, but the
footsteps kept up with her pace.
She was afraid to look back and she was glad
she was almost home.Shannon said a quick prayer,
"God please get me home safe." She saw the
porch light burning and she leaned against the door
for a moment, relieved to be in the safety of her home. She
glanced out the window to see if anyone was there.
The sidewalk was empty.
After tossing her books on the sofa, she
decided to grab a snack and go online.
She logged on under her screen name
ByAngel213. She checked her Buddy List and
saw GoTo123 was on.
She sent him an instant message: ByAngel213:
Hi. I'm glad you are on! I thought someone was
following me home today. It was really weird!
GoTo123: LOL You watch too much TV. Why would
someone be following you? Don't you live in a safe
neighborhood?
ByAngel213: Of course I do. LOL I guess it
was my imagination cuz' I didn't see anybody when I
looked out.
GoTo123: Unless you gave your name out
on-line. You haven't done that have you?
ByAngel213: Of course not. I'm not stupid you
know.
GoTo123: Did you have a softball game after
school today?
ByAngel213: Yes and we won!!
GoTo123: That's great! Who did you play?
ByAngel213: We played the Hornets. LOL. Their
uniforms are so gross! They look like bees.
LOL GoTo123: What is your team called?
ByAngel213: We are the Canton Cats. We have
tiger paws on our uniforms.They are really cool.
GoTo123: Did you pitch?
ByAngel213: No I play second base. I got to
go. My homework has to be done before my parents get
home. I don't want them mad at me....Bye!
GoTo123: Catch you later. Bye
Meanwhile......GoTo123 went to the member
menu and began to search for her profile. When it came
up, he highlighted it and printed it out. He took
out a pen and began to write down what he knew about
Angel so far.
Her name: Shannon
Birthday: Jan. 3, 1985 Age:13
State where she lived: North Carolina
Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going
to the mall.
Besides this information, he knew she lived
in Canton because she had just told him.
He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 p.m.
every afternoon until her parents came home from
work He knew she played softball on Thursday
afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the
Canton Cats.
Her favorite number 7 was printed on her
jersey. He knew she was in the seventh grade at the
Canton Junior HighSchool.
She had told him all this in the
conversations they had on-line.
He had enough information to find her now.
Shannon didn't tell her parents about the
incident on the way home from the ball park that day.
She didn't want them to make a scene and stop her
from walking home from the softball games. Parents
were always overreacting and hers were the worst.
It made her wish she was not an only child. Maybe if
she had brothers and sisters, her parents wouldn't be
so overprotective.
By Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about the
footsteps following her Her game was in full
swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at
her. It was then that the memory came back. She
glanced up from her second base position to see a man
watching her closely. He was leaning against the fence
behind first base and he smiled when she looked at
him. He didn't look scary and she quickly dismissed
the fear she had felt.
After the game, he sat on a bleacher while
she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile
once again as she walked past him. He nodded and
she smiled back. He noticed her name on the back
of her shirt. He knew he had found her. Quietly, he
walked a safe distance behind her. It was only a few
blocks to Shannon's home, and once he saw where she
lived he quickly returned to the park to get his
car. Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to
eat until the time came to go to Shannon's house.
He drove to a fast food restaurant and sat
there until time to make his move.
Shannon was in her room later that evening
when she heard voices in the living room.
"Shannon, come here," her father called. He
sounded upset and she couldn't imagine why. She went
into the room to see the man from the ballpark
sitting on the sofa. "Sit down," her father began, "this
man has just told us a most interesting story
about you."
Shannon sat back..........How could he tell her parents anything?
She had never seen him before today!
"Do you know who I am, Shannon?" the man
asked.
"No," Shannon answered.
"I am a police officer and your online
friend, GoTo123."
Shannon was stunned. "That's impossible! GoTo
is a kid my age! He's 14 and he lives in
Michigan!"
The man smiled. "I know I told you all that,
but it wasn't true. You see, Shannon, there are people
on-line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them. But while
others do it to find kids and hurt them, I belong to a group
of parents who do it to protect kids from
predators. I came here to find you, to teach you how
dangerous it is to give out too much information to people
on-line. You told me enough about yourself to make
it easy for me to find you. Your name, the
school you went to, the name of your ball team and
the position you played. The number and name on
your jersey just made finding you a breeze."
Shannon was stunned. "You mean you don't live
in Michigan?"
He laughed. "No, I live in Raleigh. It made
you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn't it?"
She nodded. "I had a friend whose daughter
was like you. Only she wasn't as lucky. The guy found
her and murdered her while she was home alone. Kids
are taught not to tell anyone when they are
alone, yet they do it all the time on-line. The wrong
people trick you into giving out information a
little here and there on-line. Before you know it, you
have told them enough for them to find you without even
realizing you have done it. I hope you've learned a
lesson from this and won't do it again" "Tell
others about this so they will be safe too?" "It's a
promise!" That night Shannon and her dad and
Mom all knelt down together and thanked God for
protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.
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THATS NOT MY JOB this is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it. but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybodys job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it. but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldnt do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have. Does this story sound familiar?
People need Love the most when they deserve it the least.
"I wish for you..."
* Comfort on difficult days,
* Smiles when sadness intrudes,
* Rainbows to follow the clouds,
* Laughter to kiss your lips,
* Sunsets to warm your heart
* Gentle hugs when spirits sag,
* Friendships to brighten your being,
* Beauty for your eyes to see,
* Confidence for when you doubt,
* Faith so that you can believe,
* Courage to know yourself,
* Patience to accept the truth,
* And love to complete your life.
* God Bless you!
God is a little like.......
God is a little like General Electric.
He brings good things to life.
God is a little like Hallmark cards.
He cared enough to send the very best.
God is a little like Coca-Cola.
He is the real thing.
God is a little like Tide.
He gets out the stains that others leave behind.
God is a little like VO-5 Hair Spray.
He holds through all kinds of weather.
God is a little like Allstate Insurance.
You're in good hands with Him.
God is a little like Sears.
He has everything.
God is a little like Hellmann's Mayonnaise.
He brings out the best.
God is a little like a Visa card.
He's everywhere you want to be.
God is a little like Ford.
He has a better idea.
God is a little like Alka Seltzer.
Oh, what a relief He is.
God is a little like Scotch Tape.
You can't see Him but you know He's there.
God is a little like Folger's Coffee.
He's the best part of waking up.
God is a little like the Energizer Bunny.
He keeps going, and going, and going....
God is a little like American Express.
Don't leave home without Him.
God is a little like Dial Soap.
Aren't you glad you know Him?
Don't you wish everyone did?
"The Pledge of Allegiance - Senator John McCain
From a speech made by Capt. John S. McCain, US, (Ret) who
represents Arizona in the U.S. Senate:
As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner
of war during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our
imprisonment,
the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell.
In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into
large rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room. This was, as
you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the
efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs
10,000 miles from home.
One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named
Mike Christian. Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama.
He didn't wear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he
enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going to
Officer Training School. Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and
was shot down and captured in 1967. Mike had a keen and deep
appreciation of the opportunities this country and our military
provide for people who want to work and want to succeed.
As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some
prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages
were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing. Mike got
himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months, he
created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt. Every
afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's shirt
on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know the
Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part of our
day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed
the most important and meaningful event.
One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically,
and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it.
That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the
benefit of all of us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple
of hours. Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in.
We cleaned him up as well as we could.
The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on
which we slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room. As
I said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the
excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and
sitting there beneath that dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another
shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting
there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had received,
making another American flag.
He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel
better. He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us
to be able to Pledge our allegiance to our flag and country.
So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never
forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have
made to build our nation and promote freedom around the world.
You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country.
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
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