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{Heart Touchers}   *Welcome to the Real World!*  9/3/01

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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 us 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
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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 the EBook, or
to order by credit card! You can also read some
sample stories from the book here!

http://HeartTouchers.com/michael_t__powers/

Info on how you can get autographed copies here also!
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Just wanted to remind everyone again that the
next e-mail you receive from us will be from our
HeartTouchers@aol.com address.  The list is
staying the same other than the name change. 
You don't have to do anything to keep receiving
them.  Story submissions can come to our new
address or to the old one of Thunder27@aol.com.
Both email addresses will stay active...

We think the change will be for the better in the
long run and we hope you stick it out with us!
Michael

One quick follow-up to Friday's poem "Kisses
From Heaven" by Lynelle Dawson.

To read how Blair lost her father and found a guardian
angel in the process please go to Lynelle's site,
http://www.tomorrows-leaders.com.  Her story
is the real-life inspiration for "Lyn's Angels," a
fledgling organization dedicated to assisting
grieving children who have lost a parent through
death.  If you know of a child whom has lost a
parent, please submit their name for one of our
volunteers. 

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WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD!

By Joseph Walker

Carla was a superstar in junior high last year. But
the first week of high school was tough.

"I feel like such a geek," my young friend wailed
as we chatted at the grocery store. "Nobody
knows who I am! Nobody cares! And I still can't
remember where all my classes are!

"Last week we had an assembly and I couldn't
find the gym," she continued. "I finally asked
some guy where it was and he laughed and
told me to turn around. It was right behind me!
I was, like, TOTALLY humiliated!"

I laughed. I know, I probably shouldn't have
done that under the circumstances. But I
couldn't help it. Her frustration was striking
too many familiar chords that tickled fond --
and not-so-fond -- memories. Like the time
those seniors on the basketball team convinced
me that the coach really admired players who
had the spunk to talk back to him during
practice. Or the time those older girls
breathlessly advised me to ask out the
school's reigning beauty queen because she
had a secret crush on me, but was too
embarrassed to say anything about it.

It turned out to be such an incredible secret
even SHE didn't know about it.

Talk about rejection. Talk about humiliation.

Talk about life.

It's amazing how often the sun comes up the
morning after we are absolutely sure our world
is going to come crashing to an end. Hurts
and frustrations come and go, but somehow
we survive. Sometimes we even benefit from
the lessons learned through pain and
embarrassment. None of which makes the
suffering less insufferable. But it may help
Carla and other newcomers to life's ups and
downs if we point out a few realities they can
expect to confront on the bumpy road to
maturity. For example:

1. Bad things happen. They just do. Nobody's
going to make it out of here without first
experiencing adversity. Expect it. Then when it
comes, deal with it -- and move on. Good and
bad is life's ultimate tag team. You can't really
have one without the other -- eventually.

2. For every action there is an equal and
opposite reaction. That's a law of physics --
and of life. There are consequences, both
good and bad, for every choice we make. Our
ability to anticipate those consequences will
have a lot to do with our happiness -- now and
forever.

3. There's more to life than fun. Believe it or
not, life isn't really a game -- no matter what Milton
Bradley says. So it's OK if every moment of your
life isn't exciting. As far as I know, no one has ever
actually died of boredom.

4. Working works when wishy-washy wishing
won't. I don't remember where I read that, but
it's true. There is no shortcut to success. It's
a simple, time-worn formula consisting of hard
work, talent, work, faith, work, discipline --
and more work.

5. People are more important than things. While
it's great to have nice stuff, none of that means
much if its been acquired at the expense of the
important people in your life. Broken things can
always be replaced; with broken relationships,
the damage can last a lifetime.

But then, you already knew that, didn't you?
That's because you've probably experienced
a good share of life's realities first-hand. But
to Carla and her generation, a lot of these
concepts are revelations. Which means we
still have a chance to give them the benefit
of our experience. Otherwise, they'll end up
doing some of the same dumb things we did,
and social progress will have to wait for another
generation to live and learn.

And that may be the harshest reality of all.

Joseph Walker
valuescom@juno.com

Write Joseph and let him know what you thought
of his story!

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Joseph Walker has been writing professionally
since 1980, when he left college to join the staff
of a daily metropolitan newspaper. For 10 years --
including six as the paper's TV columnist and
critic -- he was part of the mainstream media,
and was painfully aware of the overwhelming
negativity of contemporary journalism. Joe
says, "Nobody was looking for real solutions
to the problems society was facing; they
were just looking for someone or something
to blame the problems on." So in 1990 Joe
began writing ValueSpeak, a weekly syndicated
column that attempts to look at contemporary
issues from the perspective of traditional values.
Joe and his wife, Anita, are parents of five children,
and one grandchild.

You'll love his new book, "How Can you Mend a
Broken Spleen!" Ordering is simple and fast at
the following Amazon address:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573453005/qid=972961681/sr=1-6/straighfromthe0a

AOL Users Click Here: How To Mend  A Broken Spleen

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Reader Feedback!

Thank you for your articles. I just received the story
about the athlete who never gave up her dream. I
was so impressed I immediately went to your
website. What a blessing. It was a great source
of encouragement to me. I would love to receive
it every day. It is so amazing how you can feel
the heart of an author through what he writes.

Again thank you. You have touched my life and I
have been blessed.
Miriam Berthelot
mberthelot@juno.com

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Thank you for all the good news.
I love the idea about a page for the young.
I have 4 adolescents who are awakened to who
they are and it's a a great joy and learning to
share life with them.

Maria from Argentina
angelmaria50@hotmail.com

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Truly, STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART must be a
great book. The stories I read about Caleb and
Connor are great. I have been to a horse show
in Janesville as my younger daughter lives in
Eagle, Wisconsin. Wisconsin is a beautiful
state, almost as beautiful as West Virginia.

Gladys J. De Felice
gladysdef@aol.com

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Congratulations on your new job.  When we
wait, God always provides.  Thank you so
much for your messages.  They start my
day off great.  I'm also excited that you will
be doing a message for youth.  My husband
teaches 9-10th graders Sunday mornings and
we are always on the lookout for things
to e-mail them and get them to check out.
That's my contribution to his ministry -- e-mails,
finding sources for lessons, etc., and general kid
hugging and encouragements.  My teaching
abilities are limited(?) to 1-2 yr. olds.
They are my blessing for whatever I have done
to please our Lord.  As the loving parents you
obliviously are, you know the joy of being one
of the first to hear a baby say "Bible" or "Jesus".

Looking forward to your new venture!  May God continue
to bless you, Kristi, Caleb & Connor.
Sharon Oliver
cat2@amaonline.com

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Thought For The Day:

"Men are not influenced by things, but by their
thoughts about things." --Epictetus

Verse for the Day:

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is
noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable --
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy --
think about such things." Philippians 4:8

Kid's Thought For The Day:

"Eat chocolate chip cookies while they are still warm."

Parent's Thought For The Day

"You feel completely comfortable entrusting your
baby to them for long periods, which is why
most grandparents flee to Florida at the earliest
opportunity.

Coach's Thought For The Day

"Many men fail because they quit too soon.
They lose faith when the signs are against
them.  They do not have the courage to hold
on, to keep fighting in spite of that which
seems insurmountable.  If more of us would
strike out and attempt the "impossible," we
very soon would find the truth of that old saw
that nothing is impossible...Abolish fear and
you can accomplish anything you wish.
--C. E. Welch

Deep Thought For The Day:

"It's a very sobering feeling to be up in space
and realize that one's safety factor was
determined by the lowest bidder on a
government contract."

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REQUESTS:

Congratulations on your vocation move Michael.
Even though you have felt close to The Lord, now
you will be working closer and longer with Him.
Best of luck. Keep the faith and prayer going. It
is sure to help you and yours.

Wanted to ask for prayer about our pastor's
daughter's husbands niece drowning in the
pool in Florida. They, of course are all heartsick
about it. She was 2 years of age. McKenzie
Brown was this little angels name. Please
keep the entire family in your prayers. as we
and our family have so done.
Thanks Michael,
Cy Hilterman
cyhilterman@yahoo.com

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I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy getting SFTH. I try and read them as often as I can when I get some quiet time for myself! I went back to work about six months ago after staying at home for 12 years as a mother and homemaker. It was harder than I expected it would be to leave my beautiful babies for 11 hours a day and go back into to the workforce. My husband is incredibly supportive but this has been the hardest 6 months I can ever remember going through. The SFTH letters I get have been wonderful. Sometimes I just know that God has used these wonderfully gifted authors to speak to me personally and get me through the hard times. Today is Father's Day in Australia and my Mum had to fly interstate to see her gravely ill Father. He died just before she got there. My heart is just breaking for her as now she has lost both her parents and also my Dad had secondary cancer in his lungs. She is an incredibly strong women but I feel so helpless to do anything for her. Please pray for her and my family and keep up the great work with SFTH. I know how much it has meant to me over the past few months.
Thanks,
Janine
toomanyjones@dingoblue.net.au
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  _
/_/\/\    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
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Touchers are owned by the authors and are used with
their permission. We refuse to run stories without
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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
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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!  Visit:

http://wwwhearttouchers.com/video_imagery/

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

AOL Users click here:  Writer's Guidelines
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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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A number of people have written to us asking what
an EBook is, since our book is being offered in
both print and EBook versions.  An EBook is a
book that can be downloaded and read right on
your computer. The advantage of ordering
the EBook is that is costs less, $8.95 (No other
charges), as compared to $14.95 + shipping and
handling for the print book.  Plus you can download
the EBook and begin reading the stories in a few
minutes!  EBooks are read via Acrobat Reader,
which is software that most of you already have
on your computer. And if for some reason you
don't, it can be downloaded free of charge at the
web site.  So for those of you who don't want to
wait for the print book to be delivered, check out
this web site to order the EBook version of
Straight From the Heart "A Celebration of Life."

http://www.booklocker.com/bookpages/michaeltpowers01.html