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*The Choice* 3/13/02 __________________________ If you enjoy this free daily email service, I encourage you to spread the word to family and friends that we may bring inspiration into the lives of many! If you are not on the list and this has been passed along to you, join the thousands of HeartTouchers.com readers around the world by sending an e-mail with the word "Subscribe" in the subject line to: HeartTouchers@aol.com Visit our inspirational web site and read all the past stories in our archives at: http://www.HeartTouchers.com ____________________________________________ From now on we will be offering our book, Straight From the Heart "A Celebration of Life" for only $13 (instead of the regular price of $14.95), and best of all, we will pay the shipping! So if you have any interest in purchasing an autographed copy of the book for yourself, or as a gift for your loved ones, now is the time to get it! To order your autographed copy send a check or money order for $13 (We pay the shipping!) for each book made out to Michael T. Powers, and then send it to: Michael T. Powers 1918 Liberty Lane Janesville, WI 53545 To preview the book by reading some of the stories visit: http://www.HeartTouchers.com/michael_t__powers/ AOL Users Click below: Straight From the Heart: A Celebration of Life _________________________________________ Be sure to check the special call for Chicken Soup stories that appears after today's story by best-selling author Max Lucado. Many of the stories that have appeared here on HeartTouchers.com have gone on to appear in the world-wide best-selling Chicken Soup series! Dig out your best stuff and send them on to Nancy Mitchell-Autio, who is in charge of compiling a number of upcoming Soup books! Tell her Michael sent ya! Chicken Soup for the Grandparent's Soul is coming out later this month and a number of you on this list submitted your writing to Hanoch and Meladee McCarty last year and were good enough to make the final cut of 101. Look for a special announcement when the book hits the stands! From my family to yours, Michael _________________________________________ The Choice By Max Lucado It's quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose. And so I choose. I choose love . . . No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves. I choose joy . . . I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical . . . the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God. I choose peace . . . I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live. I choose patience . . . I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage. I choose kindness . . . I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me. I choose goodness . . . I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness. I choose faithfulness . . . Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home. I choose gentleness . . . Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself. I choose self-control . . . I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest. Max Lucado ministry@maxlucado.com Write Max and let him know your thoughts on his story! _______________________________ From "When God Whispers Your Name," by Max Lucado, Copyright (c) 1994 by Word Publishing (Used by Permission) With more than 15 million books in print, Max Lucado has touched millions with his signature storytelling writing style. Awards and accolades follow Max with each book he writes. Max is the first author to win the Gold Medallion Christian Book of the Year three times-1999 for Just Like Jesus, 1997 for In the Grip of Grace and 1995 for When God Whispers Your Name. In 1994, he became the only author to have 11 of his twelve books in print simultaneously appear on paperback, hardcover and children's CBA bestseller lists. Lucado set a new industry record by concurrently placing seven different Word titles on the CBA Hardcover Bestseller List in both March and April 1997. A Max Lucado title has appeared on the CBA hardcover bestseller list every month for the past seven years. His newest book, He Chose the Nails, was released in August 2000. Max serves as the pulpit minister of the Oak Hills Church of Christ in San Antonio, Texas. But he says his greatest accomplishment is finding a one-in-a-million wife in Denalyn and having three unbelievable daughters: Jenna, Andrea, and Sara. You can visit his web site at: http://www.maxlucado.com _________________________________________ Reader Feedback! I received your address from Ken Pierpont. I've just read a couple of yours and your wife's stories and my face is wet from crying. I look forward to spending more time on your site and receiving your daily stories. Thanks. Kim worosher@fulton-net.com Michael........I have been very busy last night and today answering emails from your readers on Heart Touchers about my story Heave Ho. Your readers do stretch across the world! You are reaching lots of people and spreading goodness and faith. I do so admire you and your family. Thank you for publishing my writings and providing me with many email friends. God is sure Blessing me and expanding my boundaries! Blessings to you and yours! Betty King baking2@msn.com Dear Michael, After reading some of your stories on Heartwarmers, I was surprised when I received a forward of your HeartTouchers from a dear friend I met online. I had to sign up as soon as I read that issue. It was the recent issue with Roger Dean Kiser. I admire him, so very much, and that particular story touched me, much as you hoped it would when you named your e-zine, I would bet. Thank you for sharing your own stories, those of others, and a little bit of that huge heart of yours. God Bless You! Lucy TygresHart@aol.com _________________________________________ ATTENTION WRITERS!! SPECIAL CALL FOR STORIES! Do you have a heart-warming, insightful, humorous and powerfully moving story you've written or seen? If so, we are currently seeking stories, quotations and other material appropriate for inclusion in several of our forthcoming publications which include: Christian Teen Soul, Grieving Soul, Christmas Treasury, Single Parent's Soul, Bridal Soul and general stories for our 7th Pot of Chicken Soup for the Soul. (Christian Teen deadline is December 1, 2002, Grieving Soul is June 1, 2002, Bridal Soul is August 1, 2002, 7th Pot is October, 2002 and Single Parent's Soul July 1, 2002). Stories should be a maximum of 1500 words, typed and double-spaced in a word document. What makes a good Chicken Soup story? A Chicken Soup story is an inspirational, true story that opens the heart and re-kindles the spirit. It is simple, inter-denominational, living art piece that helps readers discover basic principles they can use in their own lives. Chicken Soup stories are personal and often filled with emotion and drama they are filled with vivid images created using the five senses. They have heart, but also something extra that element that makes us all feel more hopeful, more connected, more thankful, closer in our relationship with God-and better about life in general. A Chicken Soup story isn't a sermon, an essay or eulogy. It isn't about politics or ultra-controversial issues. But it is a heart-warming, insightful and powerfully-moving work that inspires readers to live life more fully, to love more unconditionally and to trust God more completely. To contribute a story for our publication is to join an impressive group of past contributors who are some of the most outstanding personages of our time. Chicken Soup for the Soul® titles have sold more than 65 million copies, literally transforming the lives of readers from all walks of life. To submit your story, please send them to Chicken Soup Submissions, 2625 Samarkand Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93105. (Please keep a copy for your records as we are unable to return unsolicited material.) Fax to 805-682-0872 or email your story to nautio@chickensoupforthesoul.com. Please include all of your contact information on the story itself. Any questions, please call 805-682-6311. We look forward to receiving your story and thank you for reading Chicken Soup for the Soul® Sincerely, Nancy Mitchell-Autio nautio@chickensoupforthesoul.com Story Acquisitions ___________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "The secret of success is to be like a duck--smooth and unruffled on top, but paddling furiously underneath." (William H. Danforth) Verse for the Day: "I labored more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." 1 Corinthians 15:10 Kid's Thought for the day: "Open your eyes under water." Parent's Thought For The Day "A parent's children and garden both reflect the amount of weeding done during the growing season." Coach's Thought For The Day "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal." Hannah More Writer's Thought for the Day: "When you write a short story, it can be wise to write as if you are paying the magazine by the word rather than the other way round." --Neil Gaiman Deep Thought For The Day: "My cousin was arrested for stealing a calendar. He got twelve months!" ___________________________________________ _ /_/\/\ MICHAEL T. POWERS \_\ / HeartTouchers@aol.com /_/ \ "For I have been crucified with Christ and I no \_\/\ \ longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I \_\/ live in the body I live for the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20 ___________________________________________ The copyrights to the stories that appear in HeartTouchers.com are owned by the authors and are used with their permission. We refuse to run stories without the author's permission and contact info listed after the story. We also refuse to publish stories listed as "author unknown." (All of which violates Copyright Law and the rights of the authors.) This e-mail may be forwarded in its entirety, but please do not cut and paste the stories to be used elsewhere unless you have contacted and been given permission by the individual writer. Thank you so much for honoring the rights of those writers who graciously share their stories with us! __________________________________________ Video Imagery --Michael's Video Production Business "I thought of you first after my family sat down to watch the video we gave them. They loved it, to say the least! Within thirty seconds my mom was crying and my dad did too. They said it was the best Christmas gift we could have given them!! You did such a beautiful job! They were so surprised and so touched--they really, really, really loved it. Thanks for helping to make it so special to us all. My mom mentioned how the songs were perfect for the video too! Thanks again!" Kelli-- College Station, TX Let me make you a video from your pictures or home movies! Check out the web page for Michael's video production business! Visit: http://www.hearttouchers.com/video_imagery/ AOL Users click here: Video Imagery ___________________________________________ Would you like to see your story in HeartTouchers.com? Writer's guidelines can be found on our Web site here: http://www.HeartTouchers.com/guidelines/ AOL Users click here: Writer's Guidelines ___________________________________________ SUBSCRIBE: "I need a daily source of inspiration and encouragement in my life!" To become a HeartTouchers.com Member send an e-mail with "Subscribe" in the subject line to: HeartTouchers@AOL.COM Then get ready to laugh, cry, and be deeply touched by some of the best stories on the Internet! __________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: All you have to do is send an e-mail with the word "Unsubscribe" in the subject line to: HeartTouchers@aol.com Give it a day or two to be processed... __________________________________________ Do you feel as if life has no meaning for you? http://www.greatcom.org/english/four.htm AOL Users click here: The Four Spiritual Laws __________________________________________ |
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Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
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