Two ways of Looking at a Problem ~~
By: Jill Briscoe

"There are two ways of looking at a problem. You can look at your problem through God, or you can look at God through your problem. If God is in front of the problem, it appears insignificant. But if God is behind the problem, then the problem dominataes everything."

---Drifting
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-Tony Evans

THE story is told of a little boy who was floating his boat on a pond when the boat drifted away. A man came by, saw the boat drifting out on the pond, and began throwing stones on the far side of the boat. The boy asked, "What are you doing?"

But then something very interesting happened. As the stones hit the water beyond the boat, they created ripples which pushed the boat back toward the boy. Even though the stones disturbed the smooth water, they achieved the desired result.

That's how it is with God sometimes. When we drift away from Him, He throws the disturbing stones out beyond us in order to push us back to the shore of His love. ~~

-Real Friends ~

'Real friends are those who, when you've made a fool of yourself, don't feel that you've done a permanent job.'

--Erwin T. Randall

-Taking Sides
--By: Zig Ziglar

A little guy was confronted by three bullies, any one of whom could have obliterated him, and they were giving some evidence that they had that plan in mind. The little guy was very bright, so he backed away from the three bullies, drew a line in the dirt, backed up a few more steps, looked into the eyes of the biggest of the three, and said, "Now, you just step across that line."

Confidently, the big bully did exactly that, and the little guy just grinned and said, "Now, we're both on the same side."
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The reason a dog has so many friends is because he wags his tail instead of his tongue.

-Resourcefulness

While I was shopping with my eight-year-old, he spotted a toy he wanted but didn't have enough money to buy. Since I wanted to teach him financial responsibility, I told him I couldn't give him the extra money.

In a brilliant display of resourcefulness, he reached into his mouth and, to the astonishment of onlookers, pulled out a loose baby tooth and handed it to me.

He got his toy.

--Donna McLean

-Diplomacy, Criticism ~~

In Be a People Person, John Maxwell tells this story:

Mr. Myrick had to go to Chicago on business and persuaded his brother to take care of his cat during his absence. Though he hated cats, the brother agreed. Upon his return, Myrick called from the airport to check on the cat.

"Your cat died," the brother reported. Then hung up.

Myrick was inconsolable. His grief was magnified by his brother's insensitivity, so he called again to express his pain. "There was no need for you to be so blunt," he said.

"What was I supposed to say?" asked the perplexed brother.

"You could have broken the news gradually," explained Myrick. "You could have said, "The cat was playing on the roof.' Then, later in the conversation, you could have said, 'He fell off.' Then you could have said, 'He broke his leg.' Then when I came to pick him up, you could have said, 'I'm so sorry. Your cat passed away during the night.' You've got to learn to be more tactful....By the way, How's Mom?"

After a long pause, the brother replied, "She's playing on the roof."

--Mike Neifert