The Amish Witness

(Taken from thepoint.breakpoint.com)

A day after the tragic, execution-style murders of Amish girls in a one-room Lancaster County schoolhouse, the lead for this story on ABC's World News Tonight was not school safety, the sordid past of the shooter, or the ever unanswerable "why?" It was forgiveness. Amish relatives of the dead and injured girls stood before the cameras and told the world that they believe God is in control and that God's forgiveness of them leads them to forgive others.

The Amish are part of the Holiness Movement. The name derives from their theology, but there is something about these separatists, and their more worldly cousins the Brethren and Mennonites, that radiates holiness. You see it on their faces and feel it in their presence. Confronted with a tragic evil, the world that usually only sees quaint buggies and handmade quilts got a glimpse of the very real faith that undergirds this community They withdrew from the world, but when the world came to them, they were ready.

Posted by Kristine Steakley on October 03, 2006 at 09:57 PM in Religion & Society Permalink

Something ENLIGHTENING to think about...

ONLY IN AMERICA:

 

Only  America...do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front!

 

 

Only in America...do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries and a diet coke!

 

 

Only in America...do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters!

 

 

Only in America...do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and! put our useless junk in the garage!

 

 

Only in America...do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight

 

 

Only in America...do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'!

 

 

Only in America...do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering!

 

 

EVER WONDER...

 

 

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?

 

 

Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?

 

 

Why you never see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?

 

 

Why "abbreviated" is such a long word?

 

 

Why doctors call what they do "practice"?

 

 

Why lemon juice is made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?

 

 

Why the man who invests all your money is called a broker?

 

 

Why the time of day with the slowest traffic is called rush hour?

 

 

Why there isn't mouse-flavored cat food?

 

 

 

Why Noah didn't swat those two mosquitoes?

 

Why they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

 

You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!

 

 

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

 

 

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

 

 

If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?

 

 

If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

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Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to,

 

(maybe even a chuckle)...in other words, send it to everyone. We all need to smile every once in a while.

Demas loved the world.

In 2 Timothy 4:9 we read that Paul encouraged the believer to live a life worthy of receiving a crown or prize for eternity. This is good advice. He also illustrates this by giving a negative example in Demas.

Little is known of Demas. We know that he has left the faith. He chose the goods of this life and missed the eternal reward of God. Imagine reading the Sunday's paper only to find your name in print for choosing not the things of God.

In life, many would rather choose the things that bring pleasure and accumulate stuff of this world. But what of the non-tangibles? There are many whose worldly intangibles are just as worldly. Think about the many worries we amass. Think of the many anxieties we worry about. They are not things but have the same results.

We, like Demas, who live worldly lives. Worry and anxiety are just as natural. These things will also distract us from the faith God wants to give us.

The next time you find yourself in a crisis and you resort to worldly influence, consider this; God will reward our enduring faith that is laid up for Christ's glory. Storms will come (just as the disciples realized when caught up in a storm with Jesus) and they will challenge our faith. God wants to strengthen us and help us in times of trouble. He is faithful.

Let us run the race marked out for us. Let it not be said that (insert your name) "Demas" loved the world.