_________________________________________

{Heart Touchers}  *Small Town Security*  9/20/01

_________________________________________

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
____________________________________________

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/

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, and then send 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.
 
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.

_________________________________________

Small Town Security

By Kenneth L. Pierpont

Our neighborhood is peaceful this evening. It is a cool
fall evening and I write at a table in front of the widow
of our upstairs bedroom. Occasionally a car purrs by.
After it passes the sound of crickets returns.

The temperature is dropping tonight and the children
are excited that there is talk of frost because they
think that will hasten the turning of the leaves. I have
read to the little boys and they are minutes from bed.
Holly bathed little Hope and she is sleeping sweetly
with a look of absolute security on her face. We have
eaten well and enjoyed every comfort today. We are
safe, secure and happy. All is well in our little world.

The rest of the family is watching yet another news
report. The television programming is devoted totally
to the terrorist tragedy that occurred last Tuesday
morning in New York City and Washington D. C.
Here in our small, peaceful community we felt secure
and removed from the chaos and death in the
smoldering metropolis. The images didn't seem real.
They were more like a bad movie than reality. Here in
Fremont we are out of harm's way. The stars are still
all in their places in the vast night sky over our quiet
community.

Last winter I attended a graduate school class in
Chicago. While there I visited a huge bookstore
overlooking the historic Water Tower on Michigan
Avenue. An interesting title caught my eye. It
was called "How to Move to a Small Town." The
picture on the dust jacket looked a lot like Main
Street in Fremont. I imagined a harried city-dweller
reading the book on his commute out of the city
and planning a move to a town like ours.

I enjoy my occasional forays into the Windy City,
but I always feel blessed to turn onto M-82 out at
five-mile corner and know that I am a few miles from
home. Within a few minutes I glance south at
Mechanic and I am comforted at the sight of the
cross, bathed in light, on the front of the church
where I am the pastor. A few blocks more and I
will pull into the parsonage driveway. Every light
in the house will be on and people who love me
will be waiting there to tell me all at once what
they have been doing. They will want to hear all
about my trip to the big city.

We cherish small town life but living in a small
town like ours is no guarantee that we will be
sheltered from the effects of man's depravity.
Eventually evil makes its way to every hamlet
and every home because evil resides in a dark
corner of every heart. The book of Romans puts
it like this; "All have sinned and come short of
the glory of God" and "there is none righteous,
no not one."

Occasionally we succumb to the illusion that only
people who are different from us whose speech we
find foreign and unusual are capable of evil. Or we
focus on big evils and excuse smaller evils that lead
to them. When this happens we need to be
reminded that sin is a universal problem.

The morning after the chaos in New York City and
Washington D. C. our own High School was
surrounded by emergency vehicles -- lights flashing.

"Bomb threat," the firefighter said; "School is
closed for the day."

It was a local illustration of why evil is so difficult
to eradicate. Someone said; "The line that separates
good from evil passes squarely through the center
of every human heart." And if evil is present in every
heart it is present in every community.

Evil is a fact. It is a disease of the soul that is real,
it's universal, and it's terminal. The Scriptures say;
"the wages of sin is death." Evil is not going away
no matter how many barricades we erect, no matter
how many security measures we take. That is one
reason God has delegated authority to civil government
to "bear the sword." This is a legitimate God-given
function of civil government. The civil ruler is "God's
minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid;
for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is
God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on
him who practices evil." (Romans 13:4 NKJV)

Another function of government is to acknowledge
our humble dependence upon Almighty God. Our
founding fathers knew this and had the good sense
to carve it into the granite of our public buildings.
Lately foolish people have passed laws forbidding
prayer in school, but when tragedy strikes lawmakers
themselves go to prayer meeting and sing "God Bless
America" with breaking voices and misty eyes. As a
nation we have banned God from the public forum but
we still want him close when we need his protection
and comfort when we are threatened by evil.

Only a few survivors have been pulled from the rubble
but dozens stories of human compassion are coming
to the surface every day. The spirit of a country cannot
be buried under the debris of collapsed buildings as
long as people will humble themselves, acknowledge
the sinfulness of their own hearts, and turn back to God
through Christ Jesus the Lord. He alone is our refuge
our strength and our very present help in trouble.
(Psalm 46:1)

Ken Pierpont
ken@kenpierpont.com

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

Ken Pierpont is a speaker and writer. He is the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Fremont, Michigan. He and his wife Lois have been married twenty-two years and have eight children. You can read Ken's work or subscribe to his free weekly e-mail newsletter at http://kenpierpont.com or write him at ken@kenpierpont.com.

_________________________________________

Reader Feedback!

Michael and Joe, once more you have brought relief and joy into my life. Only God
could have known the pain that was filling my heart and the guilt because I
couldn't help my mother more through this horrible disease. God bless you.

Paula

**********

Michael,
Thanks for the poem it was for me as I am going through the same disease
Alzheimer's with my husband of 62. He was a pastor before this all
happened to him. He is in the very last stages and his looks are all
vacant now. It is a very sad way to see your loveones slip away from you.
I do have the LORD to help me through each day and prepare me for the
future. If anyone would like to mail me who might be going through this
same thing I would be more than happy to share a lot of things with them.
Thanks again and I love your site.
Sincerely,
Sonja
Ms1Seneca@webtv.net

******

Dear Michael,

I am amazed, again, with the people on your list.  With the horrible act of terrorism last week, I figured people would be too busy trying to cope to write me an email about my story.  However, my fingers are cramping due to the many, many emails I have written in response to people sharing their thoughts.  Perhaps the readers who emailed were sharing their memories of loved ones from the past and present.  I just hope and pray that the families who were affected, either directly or indirectly, can find some kind of comfort through memories.
Keep Hope Alive,
Michael
MSegalHope@aol.com
_________________________________________

Thought For The Day:

"There are enough targets to aim at without firing at each other."
--Theodore Roosevelt

Verse for the Day:

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving
each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
Ephesians 4:32

Kid's Thought For The Day:

"When you're lost, it's better to stand still than
follow the wrong path."

Parent's Thought For The Day

"Your life's "Golden Age" is the period in your life
when your kids are to old to require a babysitter
and too young to take the car."

Coach's Thought For The Day

"There's no substitute for guts." Paul “Bear” Bryant

Deep Thought For The Day:

"How come we call it Tuna fish but not beef mammal or chicken bird?"

___________________________________________

  _
/_/\/\    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 Heart
Touchers 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://wwwhearttouchers.com/video_imagery/

AOL Users click here:   Video Imagery
___________________________________________

Would you like to see your story in Heart Touchers?
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 Heart Touchers 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
__________________________________________