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I'm Going To Be Quoting From The Book Messy ... PRO
Contributed by Nathan Garcia on Mar 8, 2005 (message contributor)
I’m going to be quoting from the book Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconelli. “In a book by New Zealand author Mike Riddell, Vincent has met and fallen in love with a young girl named Marilyn. Neither one of them is seeking a relationship, but a relationship is seeking them. Swept up by their emotions, the two become deeply involved. Marilyn, a prostitute, is not prepared to fall in love and is certainly not prepared for the honesty love requires. She must tell Vincent who she is, knowing full well that her painful disclosure will probably mean the end of their relationship.
“Vincent?”
“Mmmmm”
“There’s ah…there’s something we need to talk about.”
“Only if you want to. I’m happy just to sit here and look at you. Sorry, this looks like something serious.” Looks a lot like the intro to the Dear John speech, truth be told.
It’s about me and what I do.”
Yeah, I wondered when you were going to pluck up the courage to talk about it. Don’t tell me, you work for the CIA, right? Sorry, sorry, I’ll shut up.”
She is totally absorbed in the remains of her salad, scrutinizing it for something. Anything to avoid his eyes.
“There’s no easy way of saying this. I’m a prostitute. I sleep with men for my living. It’s a business. I’m very professional.”
Time and silence have this thing they do together. They make a chasm that has no bottom to it. And there you are, standing right on the edge of it. Aware that at any moment you may be falling and falling and falling, with no hope of recovery. At the moment they are at either side of it, each consumed by their own private terror. She looks up at last from her salad. Vincent is crying. The tears are streaming down his cheeks, and he is biting his lip to stop himself from sobbing.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to deceive you. I’m sorry Vincent. I’m sorry.”
He can’t speak. He wants to, but nothing is working. He is looking at her, at her beautiful face, at her eyes, at the slight hardness around her mouth. And weeping and weeping. She...
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Susanna Petroysan Heard Her Daughter's Pleas, But ... PRO
Contributed by Joel Vicente on May 27, 2004
Susanna Petroysan heard her daughter’s pleas, but there was nothing she could do. She and four-year-old Gayaney were trapped beneath tons of collapsed concrete and steel. Beside them in the darkness lay the body of Susanna’s sister-in-law, Karine, one of the fifty-five thousand victims of the worst ...read more
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A Recent E-Mail Asked Readers To Reflect On The ... PRO
Contributed by Jim Kane on Jan 28, 2003
A recent e-mail asked readers to reflect on the following questions: 1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world. 2. Name the last five heisman trophy winners. 3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest. 4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. 5. Name the ...read more
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Richard Dehaan Tells Of A Soldier Who Was Doing ... PRO
Contributed by Kenneth Squires on Jan 27, 2003
Richard Dehaan tells of a soldier who was doing sentry duty on the front line in WWI. After being relieved of duty, as a Christian, he wanted to pray, to thank God for protecting him and to ask specifically for his continued protection. But the enemy lines were very close and he couldn’t go far, so ...read more
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1 Corinthians 13 — Church Version PRO
Contributed by Jim Kane on Jan 28, 2003
1 Corinthians 13 - church version “If our church could hold services in five languages or our members could speak three, but we didn’t love others, we would be all talk and no action. If our church really expressed it’s spiritual gifts with wholehearted service and we became spiritual giants, but ...read more
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Church Membership Vows PRO
Contributed by Jim Kane on Jan 28, 2003
Church Membership Vows Will you ___________, take your church to be your church; to live together in the holy covenant of membership? Will you love, comfort, honor, and keep your church and be faithful to your church as long as you live? Do you ___________, take your church to be your church, ...read more
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