Heart Touchers

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{SFTH} *Cut Away* 6/26/01

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Michael's long awaited book Straight From the Heart: "A Celebration of
Life," is finally here! Close to 200 pages of true short stories filled
with love and laughter await you! Visit our web site to order your copy!
You can also read some sample stories from the book here!

http://storiesfrommyheart.com/michael_t__powers/

To order your autographed copy at no extra charge, send a check or
money order for $18 ($14.95 for the book and $3.05 for shipping and handling)
made out to Michael T. Powers.
To:

Michael T. Powers
1918 Liberty Lane
Janesville, WI 53545

For two books add $4 for shipping and handling and for three books add $5 for shipping and handling. If you want four or more autographed copies of our book you only pay $5 for shipping and handling. We'll pay the extra shipping costs!

Be sure to let us know who you would like it autographed for and then allow about two weeks for us to sign it and send it on its way to you.
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Cut Away

By Kenneth L. Pierpont

They say its good for a swimming pool to be agitated regularly. I guess it
keeps mold and scum from growin' in the water. Pool agitation is one of the
Pierpont family's hidden talents. Few families do it better. There are ten
of us and you should see us boil the water.

If you ever go away for a week and you need someone to come over every day
and agitate your pool, look no further. We are the family you are looking
for. If you negotiate wisely you may even qualify for a discount. Some
have gotten a week of free lawn care out of the deal, even.

A couple summers ago some friends in our church gave us their garage door
opener and left us with detailed instructions to agitate their pool. We
took the responsibility with appropriate gravity and dutifully made our way
down there every day to stir the water.

One evening I was treading water and my then 17 year-old-son was toeing the
end of the diving board. I asked him; "Kyle, have you ever done a
cut-away?" "No, he answered, how do you do it?" "Simple, I said; "just
stand backward, jump out toward the center of the pool tuck your upper body
under and go in head first." He tried it two or three times awkwardly and
then on about the third time he tucked and cut nicely into the water. "Not
bad, Kyle, I think you got it. Keep working on it."

The whole time I was treading water and working on my wrinkles. He turned
to me and said; "Show me how it's done, Dad." I said; "Are you kidding, I
never have been able to do that dive." He stared at me with surprise. I
chuckled to myself that I was able to teach my son to do something that I
have never been able to do myself.

It is not the first time that has happened and I pray it will not be the
last. There are some things that a young man can learn to do and goals a
young man can achieve that eluded his father, if he can just stand on his
father's shoulders. There are many mistakes I have made that they don't
need to repeat. The same is true for daughters, of course.

I consider it consolation for falling short of some goals to be able to
instruct and encourage my children to reach levels I never could reach.
There are physical feats, social graces, athletic achievements, and
spiritual accomplishments that they will enjoy that I only dreamed about.
That is a large part of the reward of parenting. It a kind of consolation
to enjoy while I am working on my cut-away.

P.S. on June 13 at about 8:30 p.m. I pulled off my first cut-away. It only
took me 42 years.

Kenneth L. Pierpont
ken@kenpierpont.com

Send Kenneth an e-mail and let him know what you thought of his story!
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Ken Pierpont is a story-teller and pastor in Fremont, Michigan. He and his
wife Lois have four sons and four daughters who they teach at home. Ken has
lost over 100 pounds in the last year. You can read all about it on his
web-site http://kenpierpont.com. You can reach him at ken@kenpierpont.com
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Thought For The Day:

"Motivation is where your dreams put on work clothes." --Parkes Robinson

Verse for the Day:

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord,
not for men." --Colossians 3:23

Kid's Thought For The Day:

"They will remember you if you are the best reader in the class -- or if you
throw up at lunch."

Parent's Thought For The Day

"One thing you can never find in a teenagers room is the floor." --Bruce Lansky

Coach's Thought For The Day

"Perform the best you can for when you find that you perform your best,
there is still so much more in volleyball to do better, harder, faster, and
smarter. It is just like when you go for a long journey. You go as far as
you can see, and when you get there, you can see farther." --John Kessel

Deep Thought For The Day:

"Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come back
from a grocery store with the most amazing haul chicken, pork, half a cow.
They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!"
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REQUESTS:

Michael, Several weeks ago I wrote and asked for
prayer concerning my son being laid off from his job. He was spared in several
cut backs but we have just learned that his whole department is supposed to be
obliterated this week. Please pray that God will undergird him and the other
workers and that he will keep his sight on God and all of His power.
Patricia Patterson
dimond8130@earthlink.net

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I would like to thank each of you who is praying for my husband and his job situation. Please continue to pray as he just found out last Wednesday that this Friday will be his last day on the current assignment. Also, if any of you reading this knows of anyone in a position to hire computer programmers, and if you live in North Carolina please let me know as we need to work fast as you all know unemployment doesn't quite get it.
Thanks for your prayers,
Cheryl and Kent Mann
Misscheryl38@aol.com
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_
/_/\/\    MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\ /    THUNDER27@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

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The copyrights to the stories that appear in SFTH 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.
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(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!
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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!
http://members.aol.com/Videoimg/index.html

AOL Users click here: Video Imagery
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Would you like to see your story in Straight From the Heart?
Writer's guidelines can be found on our Web site here:
http://storiesfrommyheart.com/writer_s_guidelines/

AOL Users click here: Writer's Guidelines
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Purchase your copy of Michael T. Powers' new book! For a sneak
preview, visit:

http://www.storiesfrommyheart.com/order_our_book_

AOL Users Click Here: Straight From the Heart: A Celebration of Life
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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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http://storiesfrommyheart.com/michael_t__powers/

AOL Users Click Here: Straight From the Heart: A Celebration of Life