stories that inspire - Trees That Wood
Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."
Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."
Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."
After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter" ... and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.
At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.
When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one", and he cut it down.
When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.
Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time. Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.
The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.


Building Your House



An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business to live a more leisurely life with his wife and enjoy his extended family. He would miss the paycheck each week, but he wanted to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go & asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but over time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.

When the carpenter finished his work, his employer came to inspect the house. Then he handed the front-door key to the carpenter and said, "This is your house... my gift to you."

The carpenter was shocked!

What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.

So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we would do it much differently.

But, you cannot go back. You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Someone once said, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Your attitude, and the choices you make today, help build the "house" you will live in tomorrow. Therefore, Build wisely!

The Rose Within


A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully and before it blossomed, he examined it.
He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought, "How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns? Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and just before it was ready to bloom... it died.
So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose. The God-like qualities planted in us at birth, grow amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the defects.
We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential.
Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must show it to them. One of the greatest gifts a person can possess is to be able to reach past the thorns of another, and find the rose within them.
This is one of the characteristic of love... to look at a person, know their true faults and accepting that person into your life... all the while recognizing the nobility in their soul. Help others to realize they can overcome their faults. If we show them the "rose" within themselves, they will conquer their thorns. Only then will they blossom many times over.


Proof of confidence

The present government received an unprecedented high number of votes of confidence at the end of a protracted Lower House debate on the government’s plan of action.
Never before did a prime minister manage to garner such an impressive show of support; of the 119 deputies present, 111 voted in favour of the government’s political, economic and social platform.
This result constitutes about 93 per cent of all lawmakers present and voting at the confidence session. The figure may not be representative of the sentiment of the population of which only around 60 per cent voiced satisfaction with the government’s performance, according to a recent opinion poll, but if people’s representatives found it fit to cast their vote that way, it must be that they had a reason.
This overwhelming success might lie in the prime minister’s ability to win the confidence and trust of so many deputies. For, in the final analysis, it is this article of faith in the premier that made the difference.
The government’s scope of action is wide; it touches on many issues of public concern, including effecting reforms in a transparent and effective way, fighting corruption at all levels, combating violence, checking unemployment and poverty, reducing the national budget deficit, addressing water shortages, protecting the environment, a commitment to not raise taxes and a call on deputies to reexamine the Elections Law.
The pledge of the prime minister to deal with these issues is not rhetorical, but real. And while the premier admitted that he does not have a magic wand to address the challenges ahead, he pledged to address them in an “objective and realistic” manner.
What counts most for the people are issues of bread and butter, particularly taxes. The government knows, or should know, that taxes are already too high for a nation whose standards of living are often modest and among whose citizens many live below the poverty line.
The government must also be aware that the cost of living has become too high for the majority of the people. In many ways, Jordanians are more heavily taxed than peoples living in developed countries.
While recognising that the government is hard pressed to balance the budget, people also feel that this must be done by reducing expenditure and not by levying more taxes on them, as they already bear the brunt of the economic slowdown and runaway inflation.
The prime minister pledged to the deputies that there will be no unilateral decisions by the government to raise taxes, and that any intended measures will be coordinated with the MPs. But it would be wise to show more transparency not only with the deputies, but also with the population who is apprehensive because it is usually at the receiving end of any economic decision.

Kuwait courts keep academic, writer in jail
Kuwaiti courts on Monday kept two leading activists detained on charges of undermining the emir and premier, a day ahead of a crucial showdown between opposition MPs and the government.
The criminal court extended the detention of Obaid Al Wasmi, a prominent academic and constitutional expert, as it opened his trial on charges of undermining the status of the Gulf state's ruler, his lawyer said.
The Kuwait University law professor's first hearing was held behind closed doors with only lawyers allowed to attend, Al Humaidi Al Subaie told AFP.
"The judge [Adel Al Huwaidi] rejected a request by the defence team to release Wasmi and set January 17 for the next hearing," the lawyer said.
During the session, the court charged Wasmi with spreading false news abroad, taking part in a public gathering with criminal intent, and undermining the status of Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, the lawyer said.



South Korea must stay united against North Korea -Lee




SEOUL (AFP) - South Korean President Lee Myung-bak called Monday for national unity in the face of North Korean attacks, saying the communist state would exploit divisions to strike again.

Lee, in a fortnightly radio address, also told South Koreans not to fear war with what he called the world's "most belligerent regime", even though Seoul's hope is for peace.

The South has staged a series of military exercises, including one with the United States, since the North shelled an island near the disputed Yellow Sea border last month and killed four people, including two civilians.


Russia finds Khodorkovsky guilty in 2nd trial

A Moscow court on Monday found tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky guilty in his second fraud trial, a judgement seen as a pivotal moment in Russia's post-Soviet history that rang alarm bells in the West.