Inspirational Stories

[FineLinen]

A woman once asked John Wesley what he would do if he knew that he would die at midnight the next day.

"Why, Madam," he replied, "just as I intend to spend it now. I would preach this evening at Gloucester, and again at five tomorrow morning, after that I would ride to Tewkesbury, preach in the afternoon, and meet the societies in the evening. I would then go to Martin's house...talk and pray with the family as usual, retire myself to my room at 10 o'clock, commend myself to my Heavenly Father, lie down to rest, and wake up in glory."

[FineLinen]

The Colonial =

Death, Change, Despair, Spices, Broke, Persistance

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/inspiring-story-harland-sanders-founder-kfc-sharif-anower

[FineLinen]

Have you ever heard about how the Inuit Tribes kill wolves?

First, the Inuit people coat the blade of his knife with animal blood and allow it to freeze. He then adds and freezes more layers of blood, several coats, in fact, until the blade is completely covered with frozen blood. Next, he plants his knife in the snow, the blade facing up, and goes about his business.

When a wolf finds his way to the luring aroma of fresh blood, he starts licking. Then more and more vigorously, lapping it until the sharp blade of the knife is exposed. However, by this point, so intense is his craving for the scrumptious blood, that the wolf does not notice the sharp sting of the blade on his own tongue, nor does he even realize that his ravenous craving is now being satisfied by his very own blood! By the light of dawn, the hunter will find him lying dead in the snow.

[FineLinen]

Covered By The Cloud

This is a true story as told by Spencer January. It was a morning in early March, 1945, a clear and sunny day. I was 24 years old and a member of the U.S. Army's 35th Infantry Division, 137th Infantry Company I. Along with several other companies of American troops, we were making our way through dense woods, towards the Rhine River in the German Rhineland. Our objective was to reach and take the town of Ossenberg, where a factory was producing gunpowder and other products for use in the war. For hours we had pressed through an unrelenting thicket.

Shortly after midday word was passed that there was a clearing ahead. At last, we thought, the going would be easier. but then we approached a large stone house, behind which huddled a handful of wounded, bleeding soldiers who had tried to cross the clearing and failed. Before us stretched at least 200 yards of open ground, bordered on the far side by more thick woods. As the first of us appeared on the edge of the clearing there was an angry rat-tat-tat and a ferocious volley of bullets sent soil spinning as far as we could see. Three nests of German machine guns, spaced 50 yards apart and protected by the crest of a small hill to the left, were firing across the field. As we got our bearings it was determined that the machine guns were so well placed that our weapons couldn't reach them. To cross that field meant suicide.

Yet, we had no choice. The Germans had blockaded every other route into the town. In order to move on and secure a victory, we had to move forward. I slumped against a tree, appalled at the grim situation. I thought of home, of my wife and my 5-month old son. I had kissed him good-bye just after he was born. I thought that I might never see my family again, and the possibility was overwhelming. I dropped to my knees. "God," I pleaded desperately, "You've got to do something. Please do something." Moments later the order was given to advance. Grasping my M-1 rifle, I go to my feet and started forward. After reaching the edge of the clearing I took a deep breath. But just before I stepped out from cover, I glanced to the left. I stopped and stared in amazement.

A white cloud -- a long fluffy white cloud -- had appeared out of nowhere.

It dropped from over the trees and covered the area. The Germans' line of fire was obscured by the thick foggy mist. All of us bolted into the clearing and raced for our lives. The only sounds were of combat boots thudding against the soft earth as men dashed into the clearing, scrambling to reach the safety of the other side before the mist lifted. With each step the woods opposite came closer and closer. I was almost across! My pulse pounding in my ears, I lunged into the thicket and threw myself behind a tree. I turned and watched as other soldiers following me dove frantically into the woods, some carrying and dragging the wounded. This has to be God's doing, I thought. The instant the last man reached safety, the cloud vanished! The day was again bright and clear. The enemy, apparently thinking we were still pinned down behind the stone house on the other side, must have radioed their artillery. Minutes later the building was blown to bits but our company was safe and we quickly moved on. We reached Ossenberg and went on to secure more areas for the Allies. But the image of that cloud was never far from my mind. I had seen the sort of smoke screens that were sometimes set off to obscure troop activity in such situations. That cloud had been different. It had appeared out of nowhere and saved our lives. Two weeks later, as we bivouacked in eastern Germany, a letter arrived from my mother back in Dallas. I tore open the envelope eagerly. The letter contained words that sent a shiver down my spine.

"You remember Mrs. Tankersly from our church?" my mother wrote. Who could forget her? I smiled. Everybody called Mrs. Tankersly the prayer warrior. "Well," continued Mom, "Mrs. Tankersly telephoned me one morning from the defense plant where she works. She said the Lord had awakened her the night before at one o' clock and told her, 'Spencer January is in terrible trouble. Get up now and pray for him!" My mother went on to explain that Mrs. Tankersly had interceded for me in prayer until six o' clock the next morning, when she had to go to her job. "She told me the last thing she prayed before getting off her knees was this" -- "Lord, whatever danger Spencer is in, just cover him with a cloud!" I sat there for a long time holding the letter in my trembling hand. My mind raced, quickly calculating. Yes, the hours Mrs. Tankersly was praying would indeed have corresponded to the time we were approaching the clearing. With a seven-hour time difference, her prayer for a cloud would have been uttered at one o'clock, the exact time Company I was getting ready to cross the clearing. From that moment on, I intensified my prayer life. For the past 52 years I have gotten up early every morning to pray for others. I am convinced there is no substitute for the power of prayer and its ability to comfort and sustain others, even those facing the valley of the shadow of death.

[FineLinen]

Waiting

When Louise Adams water broke at 22 weeks, it was bad. Very bad. Doctors said nothing could be done since her baby had not yet reached 24 weeks. They sent her home to wait for her unborn baby to die. But Louise refused to give up. After doing some research, the determined mom drank 3 gallons of water a day and wound up saving her baby boy's life!

https://www.godupdates.com/mom-drank-3-gallons-water-day-saves-baby/

[FineLinen]

Miracle Baby

If anyone deserved a break, it was Trisha Bell. The mom desperately wanted to make her only son a big brother, but each pregnancy ended in heartache. She suffered seven miscarriages before finally making it to the delivery room. But then, her baby boy was born with no heartbeat.

https://www.godupdates.com/miracle-baby-born-with-no-heartbeat-ezrah/

[FineLinen]

Poppy

Poppy Smith was born a tiny warrior. As a preemie, she had to fight to survive right away. After overcoming so many obstacles in her first year of life, the baby girl suffered hypoxic brain damage at two. Doctors didn't think she'd survive, let alone ever walk or talk. Then everything changed when her big sister blew kisses on her belly!

https://www.godupdates.com/big-sister-blew-kisses-brain-dead-baby-miracle/#slides

[FineLinen]

Jocelyn

After 3 healthy babies, you'd think the fourth pregnancy would be a breeze for Ashley Shirley. But this one was completely different. Instead, the mom of three got the worst news possible. Doctors said her baby girl, Jocelyn, had only half a brain, skeletal dysplasia, and would be lucky to live one hour past birth.

So, the faithful family turned to God in prayer, asking for a miracle. And they were more than lucky  they were blessed when prayer saved baby Jocelyn!

https://www.godupdates.com/miracle-baby-jocelyn-born-healthy/

[FineLinen]

Born with half a heart

Little Reggie suffers from hypoplastic left heart syndrom (HLHS). It's a rare disorder that caused the left side of his tiny heart to form improperly. Even if he survived the birth, Reggie would require a risky open-heart surgery almost right away, and a few more risky procedures in the future, and likely wouldn't live past his teenage years.

Given the struggles he'd face, doctors suggested abortion would be the best option. Lee and Michelle refused to give up on the son they'd waited for so long. And he's already defying the odds!

https://www.godupdates.com/miracle-baby-half-a-heart/

[FineLinen]

Asher

https://www.godupdates.com/deaf-born-baby-hears-first-words/

Never measure God's unlimited power by your limited expectations!

[FineLinen]

Marley

Rachel and Michael were worried when Rachel started getting contractions at only 24 weeks. They were terrified when Rachel went in to labor. But God had his hand on their little girl, Marley. At just 1lb 5oz, this miracle baby weighed less than a bunch of grapes, and the tiny warrior has defied all the odds!

https://www.godupdates.com/miracle-baby-weighed-less-than-a-bunch-of-grapes/

Never measure God's unlimited power by your limited expectations!

[FineLinen]

Peter Miller

Peter Miller was a plain Baptist preacher of Pennsylvania, in the days of the Revolutionary War.

Near his church, lived a man who maligned the pastor to the last degree.

The man became involved in treason and was arrested and sentenced to be hanged.

The preacher, Peter Miller, started out on foot and walked the entire way to Philadelphia roughly seventy miles away to plead for the man's life.

George Washington heard his plea, but he said, No, your plea for your friend cannot be granted.

My friend! said the preacher. He is the worst enemy I have.

What!, said Washington, you have walked nearly seventy miles to save the life of an enemy?

That puts the matter in a different light. I will grant the pardon.

[FineLinen]

Tsunami

Surrounded by her loving family as she relaxed by the pool on a dream holiday, Maria Belon felt she must be the luckiest woman in the world.

Seconds later, Maria and her terrified husband and three sons were swept away by a ferocious 30 foot wall of water that devoured everything in its path.

Maria was horrifically wounded as she was dragged under water by the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of Boxing Day 2004.

After being submerged for more than three minutes, she finally surfaced and clung on to a tree.

She was petrified, alone and convinced she was dying ? but in a miracle that has inspired new film The Impossible, the mum and her family survived.

Moments before paradise was smashed to bits, Maria was on a lounger at the Orchid Resort Hotel in Thailand while her boys, Lucas, 10, Tomas, eight, and Simon, five, were playing nearby with their dad.

The mother watched in horror as husband Quique Alvarez and their two youngest boys were submerged by the roaring mass of dark water that carried with it cars and the chalet the family had been staying in.


https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/real-story-behind-impossible-miracle-1519067

[FineLinen]

Tears, missing tooth, airline captain, tooth fairy

Lena and her family were flying from New York to their home state of South Carolina in the US, and on landing, the six-year-old noticed she was missing a tooth.

When they got to baggage claim Lena realised her tooth was missing and must have fallen out.

The six-year-old was overcome with tears after a turbulent 36-hour flight delay.

She was very concerned about losing her tooth because she always puts her lost tooth under her pillow for the tooth fairy, but alas she had nothing to leave.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/united-plane-captain-note-girl-lost-tooth-onboard-044609976.html

[FineLinen]

The Escorial

In Madrid, Spain, there exists the Escorial, one of the greatest cathedrals ever built by man. For centuries the kings of Spain have been buried there.

When that magnificent structure was under construction, the architect designed a vast arch, perhaps bigger than anything that had been built before. That arch was so flat at the top that the reigning king was frightened by the prospect of the tremendous weight of the roof collapsing on his head. He commanded the architect to build a column from the floor all the way to the center of that arch to hold it up.

The architect protested vehemently that it was not needed, but the king insisted and, over the laments of the architect, the column was built.

The king worshipped contentedly in the vast structure, having seen to it himself that the ceiling would not fall.

The years went by, the church stood, and the king finally died. Only then did the architect reveal that between the top of the column and the bottom of the arch there was a quarter of an inch of space.

In all these hundreds of years that have passed the arch has not sunk so much as a quarter of an inch.

Today a board is still passed over the column and under the arch for all to see.

So it is with the plan of God - that over-arching plan that encompasses all of reality and all of life. It needs no human support to hold it up. God is the Lord of all and He is working out His purposes in our lives, in all of the world, and through the whole universe.

[FineLinen]

During World War II, a U.S. marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific Island.

The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his comrades. Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves.

Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed. As he waited, he prayed, "Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen."

After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, "Well, I guess the Lord isn't going to help me out of this one.."

Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave.

As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave. "Ha," he thought. "What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a sense of humor."

As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on.

Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while.

"Lord, forgive me," prayed the young man. "I had forgotten that in you a spider's web are stronger than a brick wall."

[FineLinen]

Missionaries Dick and Margaret Hillis found themselves caught in China during the Japanese invasion.

The couple lived with their two children in the inland town of Shenkiu. The village was tense with fear, for every day brought terrifying reports of the Japanese advance. At the worst possible time, Dick developed appendicitis, and he knew his life depended on making the long journey to the hospital.

On January 15, 1941, with deep foreboding, Margaret watched him leave. Soon the Chinese colonel came with the news. The enemy was near and townspeople must evacuate. Margaret shivered, knowing that one-year-old Johnny and two-month-old Margaret Anne would never survive as refugees. So she stayed put.

Early next morning she tore the page from the wall calendar and read the new day's Scripture. It was Psalm 56:3 -- What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

The town emptied during the day, and the next morning Margaret arose, feeling abandoned. The new verse on the calendar was Psalm 9:10 -- Thou, Lord, has not forsaken them that seek thee.

The next morning she arose to distant sounds of gunfire and worried about food and her children. The calendar verse was Genesis 50:21 -- I will nourish you and your little ones.

An old woman suddenly popped in with a pail of steaming goat's milk, and another straggler arrived with a basket of eggs. Through the day, sounds of warfare grew louder, and during the night Margaret prayed for deliverance. The next morning she tore the page from the calendar to read Psalm 56:9 -- When I cry unto Thee, then shall my enemies turn back. The battle was looming closer, and Margaret didn't go to bed that night. Invasion seemed imminent. But the next morning, all was quiet. Suddenly, villagers began returning to their homes, and the colonel knocked on her door. For some reason, he told her, the Japanese had withdrawn their troops. No one could understand it, but the danger had passed.

They were safe. Margaret glanced at her wall calendar and felt she had been reading the handwriting of God.

[FineLinen]

Hebrews 12:1-3

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Anyone that has run a marathon can attest to how difficult the race is.  Well, at the 1968 Olympic Games which took place in Mexico City featured a true story of grit and determination.

Hours behind the runner in front of him, the last marathoner finally entered Olympic stadium. By that time, the drama of the day's event was almost over and most of the spectators had gone home. But the story of Tanzanian marathoner John Stephen Akwari was still being played out. Limping into the arena, Akwari grimaced with every step, his knee bleeding and bandaged from an earlier fall. His ragged appearance immediately caught the attention of the remaining crowd, who cheered him on to the finish line.

Why did he stay in the race? What made him endure his injuries to the end? When asked these questions later, he replied, "My country did not send me 7,000 miles away to start the race. They sent me 7,000 miles to finish it!"

[FineLinen]

The Perfect Mistake

My mother's father worked as a carpenter. On this particular day, he was building some crates for the clothes his church was sending to orphanages in China. On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to find his glasses, but they were gone. When he mentally replayed his earlier actions, he realized what had happened; the glasses had slipped out of his pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the crates, which he had nailed shut. His brand new glasses were heading for China!

The Great Depression was at its height and Grandpa had six children.

He had spent $20 for those glasses that very morning. He was really upset by the thought of having to buy another pair. "It's not fair," he told God as he drove home in frustration. "I've been very faithful in giving of my time and money to your work, and now this."

Months later, the director of the orphanage was on furlough in the United States. He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him in China, so he came to speak one Sunday at my grandfather's small church in Chicago.

The missionary began by thanking the people for their faithfulness in supporting the orphanage. "But most of all," he said, "I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year. You see, the Communists had just swept through the orphanage, destroying everything, including my glasses. I was desperate. Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses. Along with not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my coworkers and I were much in prayer about this. Then your crates arrived. When my staff removed the covers, they found a pair of glasses wedged between two blankets.

The missionary paused long enough to let his words sink in. Then, still gripped with the wonder of it all, he continued: "Folks, when I tried on the glasses, it was as though they had been custom made just for me! I want to thank you for being a part of that."

The people listened, happy for the miraculous glasses. But the missionary surely must have confused their church with another, they thought. There were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas. But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, an ordinary carpenter realized the Master Carpenter had used him in an extraordinary way.

There are times we want to blame God instead of thanking him! Perhaps it is something we ought to try more often, "Thank you, God, for not allowing my car to start this morning." He may have been saving your life from a car accident. "Lord Jesus, thank you for letting me lose my glasses; I'm sure they'll be put to good use or there is a lesson to be learned."

Always look for the "perfect mistakes."

God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. - Phil 4:19

[FineLinen]

Mark 10:44-45 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be servant of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

A non-commissioned officer was directing the repairs of a military building during the American Revolution. He was barking orders to the soldiers under his command, trying to get them to raise a heavy wooden beam. As the men struggled in vain to lift the beam into place, a man who was passing by stopped to ask the one in charge why he wasn't helping the men. With all the pomp of an emperor, the soldier responded, "Sir, I am a corporal!"

"You are, are you?" replied the passerby, "I was not aware of that." Then, taking off his hat and bowing, he said, "I ask your pardon, Corporal." Then the stranger walked over and strained with the soldiers to lift the heavy beam. After the job was finished, he turned and said, "Mr. Corporal, when you have another such job and have not enough men, send for your Commander in Chief, and I will come and help you a second time." The corporal was thunderstruck. The man's name was General George Washington.

[FineLinen]

The Tablecloth

At Christmas time men and women everywhere gather in their churches to wonder anew at the greatest miracle the world has ever known. But the story I like best to recall was not a miracle, not exactly. It happened to a pastor who was very young but his church was very old.

Once long ago it had flourished. Famous men had preached from its pulpit and prayed before its altar. Rich and poor alike had worshipped there and built it beautifully. Now the good days had passed from the section of town where it stood. But the pastor and his young wife believed in their run-down church. They felt that with paint, hammer, and faith they could get it in shape. Together they went to work.

However late in December a severe storm whipped through the river valley and the worst blow fell on the little church, a huge chunk of rain-soaked plaster fell out of the inside wall just behind the altar.

Sorrowfully the pastor and his wife swept away the mess but they couldn't hide the ragged hole. The pastor looked at it and had to remind himself quickly, Thy will be done! But his wife wept, Christmas is only two days away!

That afternoon the dispirited couple attended an auction held for the benefit of a youth group. The auctioneer opened a box and shook out of its folds a handsome gold and ivory lace tablecloth. It was a magnificent item, nearly 15 feet long; but it, too, dated from a long vanished era. Who, today, had any use for such a thing?

There were a few halfhearted bids. Then the pastor was seized with what he thought was a great idea. He bid it in for $6.50. He carried the cloth back to the church and tacked it up on the wall behind the altar. It completely hid the hole! And the extraordinary beauty of its shimmering handwork cast a fine, holiday glow over the chancel. It was a great triumph. Happily he went back to preparing his Christmas sermon.

Just before noon on the day of Christmas Eve as the pastor was opening the church, he noticed a woman standing in the cold at the bus stop. The bus won't be here for 40 minutes!, he called and invited her into the church to get warm. She told him that she had come from the city that morning to be interviewed for a job as governess to the children of one of the wealthy families in town but she had been turned down. A war refugee, her English was imperfect.

The woman sat down in a pew and clasped her hands and rested.

After a while she dropped her head and prayed. She looked up as the pastor began to adjust the great gold and ivory cloth across the hole. She rose suddenly and walked up the steps of the chancel. She looked at the tablecloth. The pastor smiled and started to tell her about the storm damage but she didn't seem to listen. She took up a fold of the cloth and rubbed it between her fingers. It is mine! she said. It is my banquet cloth! She lifted up a corner and showed the surprised pastor that there were initials monogrammed on it. My husband had the cloth made especially for me in Brussels! There could not be another like it.

For the next few minutes the woman and the pastor talked excitedly together. She explained that she was Viennese and that she and her husband had opposed the Nazis and decided to leave the country. They were advised to go separately. Her husband put her on a train for Switzerland. They planned that he would join her as soon as he could arrange to ship their household goods across the border. She never saw him again. Later she heard that he had died in a concentration camp. I have always felt that it was my fault , to leave without him, she said. Perhaps these years of wandering have been my punishment!? The pastor tried to comfort her and urged her to take the cloth with her. She refused. Then she went away.

As the church began to fill on Christmas Eve, it was clear that the cloth was going to be a great success. It had been skillfully designed to look its best by candlelight. After the service, the pastor stood at the doorway. Many people told him that the church looked beautiful. One gentle-faced middle-aged man,  he was the local clock-and-watch repairman, looked rather puzzled. It is strange, he said in his soft accent. Many years ago my wife, and I owned such a cloth. In our home in Vienna, my wife put it on the table, and here he smiled, only when the bishop came to dinner.

The pastor suddenly became very excited. He told the jeweler about the woman who had been in church earlier that day. The startled jeweler clutched the pastor's arm. Can it be? Does she live?

Together the two got in touch with the family who had interviewed her. Then in the pastor's car they started for the city. And as Christmas Day was born, this man and his wife who had been separated through so many saddened Yule tides were reunited.

To all who hear this story, the joyful purpose of the storm that had knocked a hole in the wall of the church was now quite clear. Of course, people said it was a miracle; but I think you will agree it was the season for it!

[FineLinen]

There is an old Indian fable which tells of a mouse who was in constant distress because of its fear of cats.

So a magician took pity on it and turned it into a cat so it would have no more fear.

Now, as a cat, it was in fear of dogs.

So the magician turned it into a dog.

Now, as a dog, it was stressed out in fear of tigers.

Then the magician turned the dog into a tiger.

Now, as a tiger, it was shaking in fear of hunters.

The magician finally said to the tiger, Be a mouse again. You only have the heart of a mouse, and I cannot help you.

[Song]

Thanks for sharing these stories Brother FineLinen.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

As you mention in the story about the mouse, us humans will always have something to stress  about, no matter what position we're in. The poorest person can worry about how they'll get enough food to eat. The richest person can worry about how they'll protect all of their wealth.

But, it's up to us, our spirit, to not worry, to not give into fear, but rather of power and love. After all, God is for us, who can be against us?