The Kreider Connection
Racers For Christ
July, 2008 Newsletter
Our society is ever changing; our values and how we deal with other folks are different than they were only a generation ago. How do we know what is right and what is wrong? The Bible seems to be the only safe place, and a constant in the sea of change. The question then arises, how does it apply to our modern life style? One consideration may be how we care about others. On one end of the spectrum we have some self centered people that want their way at the cost of everyone else. We also have well meaning people that become a slave to the needs of others, often destroying their health in the process. So where is the balance and what does the Good Book say? Read about the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) and we may find clues in a story told by Jesus himself. The Good Samaritan helped a needy person, then went on his way and would return to check on the man’s progress. He helped one in need, yet still was able to fulfill the commitments in his own life. Our world is so filled with hurting people that many times we struggle to keep a balance. Jesus himself taught and healed the sick, but took time to get away and pray. Would you commit to prayer that God direct this balance in your life? Would you also pray for this balance in the lives of those of us in full time ministry? Thank you for praying and helping and may God richly bless your lives! In Christ, Glenn & Linda 976 Coyote Ave., Greenville, IL 62246 Phone: 618-292-6048 Email: kreiders@papadocs.com
Reminder: The Kreider Connection is available via email. If you currently receive it by regular mail and would like to switch to email, please contact us. Also, if you know someone who would enjoy receiving this newsletter, please give them our contact information. Organization worth checking out: www.menatthecross.org A Good Story He almost didn’t see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road. But even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out, his Pontiac still sputtering when he approached her. Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so … was he going to hurt her? He didn’t look safe; he looked poor and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He said, “I’m here to help you, ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan.” Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire, but he had gotten dirty and his hands hurt. As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to tell him how she was just passing through and how much she appreciated him coming to her aid. Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. She asked him how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her as she thought about what could have happened to her had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past. He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and added, “Think of me.” He waited until she started her car and drove off, then headed for home himself, disappearing into the twilight. A few miles down the road the lady saw a small café. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off. It was a dingy looking restaurant, however the waitress was friendly and had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn’t erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan. After she finished her meal, and the waitress went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, the lady slipped right out the door and was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be, then she noticed something written on the napkin under which were four $100 bills. There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: “You don’t owe me anything. Somebody once helped me out, too. If you really want to pay me back, help someone else who is in need.” Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard. She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, “Everything’s gonna be all right. I love you, Bryan.” Anonymous |