Heart Touchers

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{Heart Touchers}   *Sweet Song of the Second Fiddle* 9/11/01

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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
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Straight From the Heart: A Celebration of Life

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We have another wonderful piece by master storyteller
Max Lucado. Be sure to check out his web site and
or let him know what you thought of his story!
Hope your week is going well so far!
Michael

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The Sweet Song of the Second Fiddle

By Max Lucado

FOR THOUSANDS of years, the relationship had
been perfect. As far back as any one could
remember, the moon had faithfully reflected the
sun's rays into the dark night. It was the greatest
duo in the universe. Other stars and planets marveled
at the reliability of the team. Generation after
generation of earthlings were captivated by the
reflection. The moon became the symbol of romance,
high hopes, and even nursery rhymes.

"Shine on, harvest moon," the people would sing.
And he did. Well, in a way he did. You see, the
moon didn't actually shine. He reflected. He took
the light given to him by the sun and redirected
it toward the earth. A simple task of receiving
illumination and sharing it.

You would think such a combo would last forever.
It almost did. But one day, a nearby star planted
a thought in the moon's core.

"It must be tough being a moon," the star suggested.

"What do you mean? I love it! I've got an important
job to do. When it gets dark, people look to me
for help. And I look to the sun. He gives me what
need and I give the people what they need.
People depend on me to light up their world.
And I depend on the sun."

"So, you and the sun must be pretty tight."

"Tight? Why, we are like Huntley and Brinkley,
Hope and Crosby, Benny and Day..."

"Or maybe Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy?"

"Who?"

"You know, the man and the dummy."

"Well, I don't know about the dummy part."

"That's exactly what I mean. You are the dummy.
You don't have any light of your own. You depend
on the sun. You're the sidekick. You don't have
any name for yourself."

"Name for yourself?"

"Yeah, you've been playing second fiddle for too
long. You need to step out on your own."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean stop reflecting and start generating. Do
your own thing. Be your own boss. Get people
to see you for who you really are."

"Who am I?"

"Well, you are, uh, well, uh, well, that's what you
need to find out. You need to find out who you are."

The moon paused and thought for a moment.
What the star said made sense. Though he had
never considered it, the moon was suddenly
aware of all the inequities of the relationship.

Why should he have to work the night shift all the
time? And why should he be the one the astronauts
stepped on first? And why should he always be
accused of making waves? And why don't the dogs
and wolves howl at the sun for a change? And
why should it be such an outrage to "moon" while
"sunning" is an accepted practice?

"You are right!" asserted the moon. "It's high time
we had a solar-lunar equity up here."

"Now you're talking," prodded the star. "Go
discover the real moon!"

Such was the beginning of the breakup. Rather
than turning his attention toward the sun, the
moon began turning his attention toward himself.

He set out on the course of self-enhancement.
After all, his complexion was a disgrace, so full
of craters and all. His wardrobe was sadly limited
to three sizes; full-length, half-cast, and
quarter-clad. And his coloring was an anemic yellow.

So, girded with determination, he set out to reach
for the moon.

He ordered glacier packs for his complexion. He
changed his appearance to include new shapes
such as triangular and square. And for coloring he
opted for a punk-rock orange. "No one is going to
call me cheese-face anymore."

The new moon was slimmed down and shaped up.
His surface was a s smooth as a baby's bottom.
Everything was fine for a while.

Initially, his new look left him basking in his own
moonlight. Passing meteors would pause and visit.
Distant stars would call and compliment. Fellow
moons would invite him over to their orbits to watch
"As the World Turns."

He had friends. He had fame. He didn't need the
sun_until the trends changed. Suddenly "punk"
was out and "prep" was in. The compliments
stopped and the giggles began as the moon was
slow to realize that he was out of style. Just as he
finally caught on and had his orange changed to
pinstripe, the style went to "country."

It was painful poking of the rhinestones into his
surface that caused him to finally ask himself,
"What's this all for anyway? You're on the cover
of the magazine one day and forgotten the next.
Living off the praise of others is an erratic diet."

For the first time since he'd begun his campaign
to find himself, the moon thought of the sun. He
remembered the good ol' millenniums when praise
was not a concern. What people thought of him
was immaterial since he wasn't in the business of
getting people to look at himself. Any praise that
came his way was quickly passed on to the boss.
The sun's plan was beginning to dawn on the moon.
"He may have been doing me a favor."

He looked down upon the earth. The earthlings had
been getting quite a show. They never knew what to
expect: first punk, then preppie, now country.
Odds-makers in Las Vegas were making bets
as to whether the next style would be chic or
macho. Rather than be the light of their world
he was the butt of their jokes.

Even the cow refused to jump over him.

But it was the cold that bothered him the most.
Absence from the sunlight left him with a persistent
chill. No warmth. No glow. His full-length overcoat
didn't help. It couldn't help; the shiver was from the
\inside, an icy shiver from deep within his core that
left him feeling cold and alone.

Which is exactly what he was.

One night as he looked down upon the people
walking in the dark, he was struck by the futility
of it all. He thought of the sun. He gave me everything
I needed. I served a purpose. I was warm. I was
content. I was...I was what I was made to be.

Suddenly, he felt the old familiar warmth. He
turned and there was the sun. The sun had
never moved. "I'm glad you're back," the sun
said. "Let's get back to work."

"You bet!" agreed the moon.

The coat came off. The roundness returned, and
a light was seen in the dark sky. A light even
fuller was seen in the dark sky. A light even brighter.

And to this day whenever the sun shines and
the moon reflects and the darkness is
illuminated, the moon doesn't complain
or get jealous. He does what he was intended
to do all along.

The moon beams.

Max Lucado
ministry@maxlucado.com

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

From "When God Whispers Your Name" c1994 by Max Lucado
by Word Publishing (Used by Permission)
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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

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Can any of our readers help this lady?

I received this email and asked for her permission to pass
it along to all of you in the hopes that one of you can help her.
If you can, please email her. Thanks!
Michael

******
Hi there

Do you perhaps have a good story (all your stories are good) for a father of a special little girl that turned 1 year today. His son was killed at the age of four. His daughter is his pride and joy and her name is Mia Joy. Hope you can help me.
Thanks,
Kelly
kelly@polyoak.co.za
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Thought For The Day:

"Other books were given for our information, the
Bible was given for our transformation"

Verse for the Day:

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
Romans 12:2

Kid's Thought For The Day:

"One hundred times is not too many when it
is your favorite book."

Parent's Thought For The Day

"There's one thing about children -- they never go
around showing snapshots of their grandparents."
--Leopold Fechtner

Coach's Thought For The Day

"Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, riches
take wing and one thing endures...character."
--Tom Landry

Deep Thought For The Day:

"There is something so ironic about
people lying on the beach contracting skin
cancer in an attempt to acquire a purely
illusory appearance of good health."

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REQUESTS:

Michael,
I want to thank all those who offered prayers for God to guide the hands of the surgeon who operated on my mother-in-law, Jennie. The surgery went well, however the cast was removed today and the wound did not heal. She will be going back for surgery next week to remove the lower leg to about 4 inches below the knee. She weighs under 70 pounds and we're very concerned with her quality of life after the surgery. While I was driving her back to the rehab center, she told me she doesn't cry about it anymore. I asked her about what? She said about dying, she said it was OK. Her mind does wander and she claims to see people that we know died years ago. I'm asking for prayers for God's mercy in whatever His plan may be.

Thank you and God bless you
TomSully10@aol.com

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Please add Barbara Laird to your prayer list. She is
in very serious condition in a California hospital,
facing surgery which might work to solve the problem,
but must wait until she is strong enough for it. Many
prayers are needed. I never saw this woman, never saw
her daughter who is a longtime online friend, but they
and their spirit are precious. I am asking everyone to
please remember them daily.
Thank you,
Martha M. Ramsey
kanowis@yahoo.com

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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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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/

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