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Check out our Creation News Section!
Weekly articles, daily Q & A, and a Creation Comic!


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If you enjoy this email service, I encourage you to spread the word
to family and friends that we may bring inspiration to the lives of
many! If you are not on the list and this has been passed along
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Be sure to check out our inspirational list just for teenagers!

http://www.Heart4Teens.com/Heart4Teens


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http://www.hearttouchers.com/books


Looking for a great Christmas gift?

Michael's updated book Heart Touchers "Life-Changing Stories of Faith,
Love, and Laughter," is finally here! ($13.95) Visit the link below to
preview the book! Personalized autographed copies are available at
no extra charge and we pay the shipping for you! An E-book version is
also available for just $3.25!

http://www.hearttouchers.com/books


Be sure to let us know who you would like it autographed for and then allow
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It is with great pleasure that I introduce a new writer to HeartTouchers.com. Be sure
to write and give Shawna Williams a great big welcome after you read her wonderful
story today!

From my family to yours,
Author Michael T. Powers

______________________________________

 

My Father's Oldsmobile

by Shawna Williams


I've never been anything spectacular, rather plain and average actually.

I suppose a lot of words along such lines can be used to describe me.
However, none would be quite so fitting as the one bestowed upon me

during my freshman year in college. An all encompassing description
summed up in a single word, it was the result of a pointless discussion--the
kind that college girls are sometimes known to engage in--during the
course of a long drive; "if you were a car, what kind of car would you be?'
(yep, higher learning at its finest).

There were four of us that day, leaving town for the weekend to give our
intellect a rest, and as we drove the conversation ensued. We started
with Stephanie. Willowy, with long flowing hair and striking blue eyes,
she could catch a guy's attention faster than a Corvette. So that's what
she got to be. Next was Suzanne. With her intelligence and sophistication--evident
by her sense of style--a Mercedes seemed an appropriate personification. Then

we came to Lindy, slender and petite, her perky smile could turn anyone's day
around. She was nothing short of a breath of fresh air. And that's why she had
to be a convertible of some sort. We debated for a few minutes before settling
on an adorable, little, yellow VW convertible. Lindy grinned in approval.

I was last, and I sat there waiting to see what motorized distinction I would
be given. Stephanie and Lindy inspected me from bumper to bumper while
Suzanne drove. All three bit their lips as they contemplated. Finally, Lindy
had an answer, and sweet as she was I'm sure there was no hidden intent.
"An Oldsmobile," she blurted, grinning at her conclusion. Stephanie and
Suzanne, eyes as wide as headlights, didn't comment.

My heart stopped. Oldsmobile! Oldsmobile? A list of qualities started running
through my mind--everything I associated with what it meant to be an
Oldsmobile; plain, ordinary, common, dull, unfashionable, humdrum,
homely, uninteresting, and numerous other words depicting your garden-variety,
unremarkable, run-of-the-mill car. And, as much as I hated to admit it, I knew
it was me. I was--still am--an Oldsmobile.

I tried to look at the upside, and made a little joke to cover my hurt. "Yeah,
but I'm not my father's Oldsmobile," I said. We all laughed, and went on to
other mindless topics. But that distinction weighed heavy in my heart. And
later, when I was alone, I cried over it. I didn't want to be an Oldsmobile. No
one wanted an Oldsmobile. Oldsmobiles were boring, and went un-noticed.
They were meant strictly for transportation--no frills, no fun, just service.
Who wanted that, and who wanted to BE that?

For a long time that moment defined me; an unwanted, clunkard, of a
useless old car, or person -- at least that's what my distinction grew into
over the years. Sometimes I wrestled with it, thinking that if I had to be
an Oldsmobile I was going to be a dang nice one, and I made certain
to keep regular detailing appointments at the gym and with the beautician.
I also purchased frequent, elaborate, paint jobs in the form of clothes, and

new stiletto tires to match.

When I grew weary from my 'driving in circles' effort--which never quite
seemed to make me feel better -- I threw myself to the ground, and used
this title of mine as a means to flatten myself a bit more (and I'm not
referring to weight loss).You see, Oldsmobiles are large, heavy cars, good
for driving over one's esteem, putting in reverse, backing up and doing it again.
And such was the cycle for many years.

So, what has changed? Well, that's another story in itself, one that is
much too long to condense, and one that I'm not sure I would know
how to tell if I tried. There have been some definite 'ah ha' moments
in this transformation, but much of it has taken place in the subtle,
quiet, ordinary and un-noticed moments--the Oldsmobile moments.
Moments when I see the wonder of God's creation in my children, feel
the love of my husband after seventeen years of marriage, and realize

that Oldsmobiles are not unwanted. There have been the times that
I've helped a friend in need, or been helped by a friend whether in deed
or through encouraging words, and I see how significant an Oldsmobile
moment can be.

Then I consider that King David had been a shepherd, and Peter,
a fisherman; even Mary most likely seemed quite average to anyone
other than God. But they loved the Lord and sought to serve Him with
all of their heart, and through that they found purpose in His eyes
To take it a step further, God used the ordinary with His own Son.
Christ was born in a manger. He was a carpenter's son, and he rode
into Jerusalem on a donkey. A donkey! Transpose the time period and
that's sort of like coming to town in an Oldsmobile. If God could use
such insignificance to His glory, he can use me.

So, I've done some contemplating about the qualities of an Oldsmobile;
dependable and sure, sturdy, with room to carry many, comfortable,
sensible, and an instrument of service, and I've come to a conclusion.
I am happy and honored to be My Father's Oldsmobile.

Shawna Williams
shawnawilliams@allegiance.tv

Write Shawna and give her a great big HeartTouchers.com welcome!


I Peter 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to
serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

Shawna Williams is a homeschooling mother of three. She lives with
her children and husband on a ranch in Mena, Arkansas, where they
raise longhorn cattle and miniature horses, plus a variety of other farm
animals and pets. She is a member of the Christian Writers Guild and an aspiring author.



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Creation Q & A

 
Q: A Miniature Big Bang or More Hot Air?

A: Scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
have hit the switch to activate the nearly $9 billion Large Hadron Collider.
But what will it produce a mini big bang or more hot air?
 
Flowing champagne marked the startup this week of the Large Hadron
Collider (LHC), a nearly 17-mile-long (27 km) tube located 300 feet (91 m)
beneath the Swiss-French border. The new LHC is the world's largest and
most powerful particle accelerator, designed to (essentially) hurl two beams
of magnet-accelerated particles at each other inside a vacuum, with the
inevitable, hoped-for result being some incredible collisions.
 
CERN researchers separately test fired two proton beams through the LHC,
and they plan to begin the actual high-energy collisions in about a month.
When they do, more than 9,000 magnets will accelerate the two proton beams
to 99.99978% the speed of light, each transiting the LHC racetrack some 11,000
times per second. At full speed, each proton beam will have an energy equivalent
to a car being driven at over 1,000 miles per hour (1700 kph).
 
The beams will then intersect at predetermined places for "experiments," with
particles colliding up to 600 million times a second?all near detectors that
will allow scientists to monitor the collisions for "interesting events," as the
BBC puts it. This is despite the fact that the individual particles are so small
that the "task of making them collide is akin to firing needles from two positions
10 km [6 mi] apart with such precision that they meet halfway," CERN's
website explains.
 
But what are the aspirations for the expensive project, which is already two
years late in starting up?

Read the rest of our examination of the Large Hadron Collider and the research
to be conducted there at: http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2008/09/11/big-bang-or-hot-air

 
Source: AnswersInGenesis.org

http://www.hearttouchers.com/Creation_News


Creation News

Click on the Bible above or visit the web site listed below!
http://www.HeartTouchers.com/Creation_News

This new addition to our web site will give you an article on the leading news in the
Creation/Evolution controversy each day.

This section also includes a rotating Question and Answer feature and a weekly
Creation Comic strip from the people at AnswersInGenesis.org.

Be sure to come back and visit each day for an informative article that will
help you keep up to date on the latest news in this controversial area!

___________________________________________ 

  

 
 
Thought For The Day

"Man who waits for roast duck to fly into mouth must wait very, very
long time." --Chinese Proverb


Verse for the Day

"The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is weary of bringing it to his
mouth again." --Proverbs 26:15


Kid's Thought For The Day

"Forget the cake! Go straight for the icing!"


Parent's Thought For The Day

"To be in your children's memories tomorrow, you have to be in
their lives today."


Coach's Thought For The Day

"We can't win at home. We can't win on the road. As general manager, I
just can't figure out where else to play." --Pat Williams, Orlando Magic general
manager, on his team's 7-27 record, 1992.


Creation/Evolution Thought For The Day

"To improve a living organism by random mutation is like saying
you could improve a Swiss watch by dropping it and bending one
of its wheels or axis. Improving life by random mutations has the
probability of zero." -Albert Szent-Gyorgi, Nobel Laureate (Medicine, 1937).


Writer's Thought For the Day

"As a writer, or a storyteller, try to tell the stories that only you can
tell. Try to tell the stories that you cannot help telling, the stories you
would be telling yourself if you had no audience to listen. The ones that
reveal a little too much about you to the world." --Neil Gaiman


Deep Thought For The Day

"For as long as I can remember I've had amnesia."

 


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http://www.hearttouchers.com/Inspired_Audio

Inspired Audio -- Inspirational Audio Message of the Week!

Inspired Audio is a brand new offshoot of HeartTouchers.com. Every week
we will offer a different audio message that you can listen to right on
your computer as you are surfing the net or just getting things done around
the house. Be sure to come back and visit each week!

This Week: "Real Zeal Part 2" by Jeff Williams

http://www.HeartTouchers.com/Inspired_Audio


__________________________________


http://www.hearttouchers.com/

Over 145,000 people have listened to popular Chicken Soup Author Michael T. Powers'
free inspirational message entitled: "Breathing Life into Others". If you aren't
one of them just visit:
http://www.hearttouchers.com/  and click on the link to
listen to the free streaming audio message.

____________________________________________


http://www.videoimagery.net/Video_Imagery


Video Imagery --Michael's Video Production Business

http://www.hearttouchers.com/video_imagery


Dear Michael,

"I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for the beautiful video you made for me!
It was so special to see both of my parents in tears as they watched their children
grow up in pictures before their eyes! I loved the way you made Estania's part set
aside from the rest--that was the part that really got them! The music was beautiful.
My mom kept blubbering, "What song is that?" I don't know how you did such a
beautiful job with the video in such a short time. I really appreciate your doing it so
quickly. You have a wonderful gift, and I thank God that you are using it to create
such sentimental memories. I hope that I can find my niche like that in an area that
I love. Your video gave us one of our most lasting Christmas memories! I hope yours
was filled with moments to be treasured forever!"


Love,
Trisha
Silverhill, AL

Let me make you a video from your photos!
Check out my video production business by visiting:

http://www.hearttouchers.com/video_imagery


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Do you feel as if life has no meaning for you?

http://www.HeartTouchers.com/Life_Purpose


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