TWO HORSES

There is a field, with two horses in it. From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse.  But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something  quite amazing. Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a  good home for him. This alone is amazing. If you stand nearby and  listen, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source  of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the  field. Attached to the horse's halter is a small bell. It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow. As you stand and watch these two horses, you'll see that  the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that  the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is, trusting that he will not be led astray. When the  horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, it stops occasionally and looks back, making sure that the blind friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell. Like the owner of these two horses, God does not throw  us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need. Sometimes we are the blind  horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others  to find their way.... Good  friends are like that... you may not always see them, but you know they are always there. Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours. And remember...be kinder  than necessary - everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak  kindly..... Leave the rest to God...

A Modern-Day Service Parable

A Modern-Day Parable

One day an old Christian named Rufus Leekin called his brother in Christ, Lee Vight, and asked if he would like to buy some of his family antiques.

“Why do you want to sell those things, Rufus?” asked Lee. “I thought you really liked them.”

“Well, I do, but I need to hire somebody to shingle my roof, and I don’t have enough money saved up. I’ve been out of work for a year, so things have been tough lately. It’s kinda like life has beaten me up and left me half dead.”

“Man, I wish I could help you, but I’m not really into antiques. Good luck, though.” Lee hung up.

Later that day Rufus saw a member of his church named Jessup Reest downtown. When Rufus waved and tried to get his attention, Jessup acted like he didn’t see him and passed by on the other side. (He had heard from Lee that Rufus was trying to pawn off some of his old junk on church members.)

Out of desperation, Rufus finally called a guy he used to work with, named Sam Herriton, and gave him the same pitch. Rufus knew Sam was a nice guy and was pretty sure he went to church somewhere, but he wasn't sure where.

When Sam discovered the reason behind his solicitation, he took pity on Rufus. But instead of buying his treasures, Sam decided to round up some other guys from his own church and just take care of Rufus’s roof for him.

Rufus was overwhelmed. He tried to turn down their offer, but the good Sam Herriton was persistent. He and his crew worked all day Saturday shingling and repairing structural damage. Unfortunately they only got half done, and rain was coming. They were worried that the precipitation would find its way into the house if it wasn't finished right away. As much as Sam and his helpers hated to miss their church service, they decided they’d better finish the roof before the rains came and beat up on the house. (Sorry. Wrong parable.) So they worked all Sunday morning and finished roofing the roof of Rufus.

As Lee Vight and Jessup Reest drove by Rufus’s house on the way to church, they were both appalled that someone would skip worshiping God to work on a roof.

Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into hard times?