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I Read Of A Man Who Had Committed A Crime For ... PRO
Contributed by Owen Bourgaize on Aug 26, 2003 (message contributor)
I read of a man who had committed a crime for which he was deeply ashamed. When he’d served his prison sentence and was about to be released he wondered if his family would reject him because of the scandal he’d caused and the shame brought on the family. He wrote his parents saying that he would be coming back by bus but didn’t want to embarrass them with his presence if they didn’t want him back. He asked them to tie a yellow ribbon on the old oak tree at the beginning of their street if it was all right for him to return home. If there was no ribbon on the tree when the bus passed he wouldn’t get off the bus.
He was in quite a state on the bus journey and as it got nearer his street he couldn’t bear to look at the tree. He was so emotional that he asked the driver to look at for him. He needn’t have worried. The tree was covered with yellow ribbons! The whole community joined his parents in welcoming him back.
There’s a famous American song written about this story: ’Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around the Old Oak Tree’. Here’s just a few lines:
’I’m coming home I’ve done my time
And I have to know what is or isn’t mine.
If you received my letter telling you I’d soon be free
Then you’d know what to do if you still want me.
O tie a yellow ribbon ’round the old oak tree
It’s been three long years - do you still want me?
A simple yellow ribbon’s all I need to set me...
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This Week I Was Reading The Story Of An ... PRO
Contributed by Andrew Hamilton on Oct 26, 2002
This week I was reading the story of an Australian couple who went to Bangladesh as missionaries. When Stuart and Margaret arrived in the country they were informed, by the Baptist missionaries already there that the Muslim people were impossible to reach with the Gospel message. For the six years ...read more
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Bill Broadhurst Was A Great Runner And He Entered ... PRO
Contributed by Steve Malone on Jan 26, 2005
Bill Broadhurst was a great runner and he entered a 10k race in Omahu, a race that Bill Rodgers would win in less than 30 minutes. Bill Broadhurst had a handicap, he was paralyzed on his entire left side from an aneurism early in life. But he still loved to run and for him to be in the same race ...read more
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The Covenant Of Faithfulness PRO
Contributed by Dan Cormie on Oct 25, 2002
THE COVENANT OF FAITHFULNESS In modern times we define a host of relations by contracts. These are usually for goods or services and for hard cash. The contract, formal or informal, helps to specify failure in these relationships. The Lord did not establish a contract with Israel or with ...read more
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At A Nursing Home In Florida, A Resident Group ... PRO
Contributed by Dan Cormie on Oct 25, 2002
At a nursing home in Florida, a resident group was discussing ailments: "My arms are so weak I can hardly lift this cup of coffee," said one. "Yes, I know, my cataracts are so bad I can’t even see my coffee," replied another. "I can’t turn my head because of the arthritis in my neck," said a third, ...read more
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The Old Man And The Gulls PRO
Contributed by Dan Cormie on Oct 25, 2002
THE OLD MAN AND THE GULLS It is gratitude that prompted an old man to visit an old broken pier on the eastern seacoast of Florida. Every Friday night, until his death in 1973, he would return, walking slowly and slightly stooped with a large bucket of shrimp. The sea gulls would flock to this ...read more
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