Welcome to our NetNews Archives.... June, July, August 2006
Here we have past articles and stories that are too good to just dump in
the recycling bin!!! Enjoy!
Here we have past articles and stories that are too good to just dump in
the recycling bin!!! Enjoy!
| return to NetNews |
July 24, 2006
Chance encounters. Coincidence. Some call it ‘street mail’. Others know it to be divine ‘nudges’. My sister calls it “God-incidences”,
and shares a unique experience with us all.
You see, she’s going through a divorce. 17 years, her second marriage. It's not easy. It's never easy. She made a hard decision last
week... And her story proves that even in times of hardship, our God is always there, sending us reminders of his unending love in ways
so simple that we might, and often do, miss them. Enjoy this story from my sister, as she shares her experience last week, when she
was reminded, once again, to be thankful…….
Ginger writes:
I stalled. I delayed. I didn't want to go sign the lease. I read Lisa's email, I talked to Karen, and I talked to Teresa.
I finally went to lunch with Louis and told him I was about to sign the lease for an apartment. After 2 weeks, he has done nothing to make
me stay, much less ask me to stay. Lunch was hard.
When I got there, I saw a beautiful white dog get hit by a car. The driver sped away….. the dog was thrown to the curb and was convulsing.
The dog got up and walked a few steps, then laid back down.
The guy in the truck behind the car pulled over, petted the dog and tried to comfort him. It was very hot, so he went to his truck and brought
back his big mug of ice water. The dog wouldn't drink, so the guy poured it on his tongue. He put ice on his body to keep him cool. He
helped the dog to a shady area.
I could tell there were no broken limbs, but I had a bad feeling that there were internal injuries. No one in the area knew whose dog it was,
but we couldn't leave him there to suffer if he was seriously injured.
I called Animal Control, and then I went into the restaurant. A few minutes later, I saw Animal Control leave.
I waited a couple of hours, then I called Animal Control to check on the dog's status. She said they had to put him down immediately
because of his internal injuries. I am SO glad I made that call for them to come get him. I would have hated for that dog to have to suffer
and hurt.
Now, here comes the neat part. I remembered that the guy who stopped was wearing a shirt with a business name on it. I called that
business, and described the guy and the truck he was driving. The receptionist knew who I meant, and said he was actually in the office at
that time.
I told him my name, made sure he was the guy I had met briefly at noon. He said he had left the dog in the shade, but went back in a few
minutes to check on him and he was gone.
I told him about Animal Control putting him down. I told him how much I appreciated what he did, and that he should feel good about
himself. He made the last few minutes of that dog's life as pleasant as possible. How lucky that dog was to have had that guy come along
and care for him. I thanked him for being so caring and compassionate, and we were both crying when we hung up.
From there, I went to the apartment complex (you thought I was way off track, huh? No, I just took a detour). The leasing agent was very
nice, and she handed me the application to fill out.
Wow. That hit me. I'm really doing it.
My emotions were shaky anyway since I had just talked to the man about the dog, and I started crying again. She asked if I was OK, and I
told her no, not really.
She asked if I was getting a divorce (how did she know?).
Then, I told her about a sad thing that happened on the day that I have to make this difficult decision. I told her about the dog, the nice
man, and the end of the story.
"How sad'", I said "to have that as a memory on the day I sign this lease".
Without a moment's hesitation, she said, "How wonderful to have had witnessed such a great act of kindness on a day when caring is
important."
I paused and then I thanked her for pointing that out. It is all what you pick out of the situation and how you react to it. Attitude…..
Chance encounters. Coincidence. Some call it ‘street mail’. Others know it to be divine ‘nudges’. My sister calls it “God-incidences”,
and shares a unique experience with us all.
You see, she’s going through a divorce. 17 years, her second marriage. It's not easy. It's never easy. She made a hard decision last
week... And her story proves that even in times of hardship, our God is always there, sending us reminders of his unending love in ways
so simple that we might, and often do, miss them. Enjoy this story from my sister, as she shares her experience last week, when she
was reminded, once again, to be thankful…….
Ginger writes:
I stalled. I delayed. I didn't want to go sign the lease. I read Lisa's email, I talked to Karen, and I talked to Teresa.
I finally went to lunch with Louis and told him I was about to sign the lease for an apartment. After 2 weeks, he has done nothing to make
me stay, much less ask me to stay. Lunch was hard.
When I got there, I saw a beautiful white dog get hit by a car. The driver sped away….. the dog was thrown to the curb and was convulsing.
The dog got up and walked a few steps, then laid back down.
The guy in the truck behind the car pulled over, petted the dog and tried to comfort him. It was very hot, so he went to his truck and brought
back his big mug of ice water. The dog wouldn't drink, so the guy poured it on his tongue. He put ice on his body to keep him cool. He
helped the dog to a shady area.
I could tell there were no broken limbs, but I had a bad feeling that there were internal injuries. No one in the area knew whose dog it was,
but we couldn't leave him there to suffer if he was seriously injured.
I called Animal Control, and then I went into the restaurant. A few minutes later, I saw Animal Control leave.
I waited a couple of hours, then I called Animal Control to check on the dog's status. She said they had to put him down immediately
because of his internal injuries. I am SO glad I made that call for them to come get him. I would have hated for that dog to have to suffer
and hurt.
Now, here comes the neat part. I remembered that the guy who stopped was wearing a shirt with a business name on it. I called that
business, and described the guy and the truck he was driving. The receptionist knew who I meant, and said he was actually in the office at
that time.
I told him my name, made sure he was the guy I had met briefly at noon. He said he had left the dog in the shade, but went back in a few
minutes to check on him and he was gone.
I told him about Animal Control putting him down. I told him how much I appreciated what he did, and that he should feel good about
himself. He made the last few minutes of that dog's life as pleasant as possible. How lucky that dog was to have had that guy come along
and care for him. I thanked him for being so caring and compassionate, and we were both crying when we hung up.
From there, I went to the apartment complex (you thought I was way off track, huh? No, I just took a detour). The leasing agent was very
nice, and she handed me the application to fill out.
Wow. That hit me. I'm really doing it.
My emotions were shaky anyway since I had just talked to the man about the dog, and I started crying again. She asked if I was OK, and I
told her no, not really.
She asked if I was getting a divorce (how did she know?).
Then, I told her about a sad thing that happened on the day that I have to make this difficult decision. I told her about the dog, the nice
man, and the end of the story.
"How sad'", I said "to have that as a memory on the day I sign this lease".
Without a moment's hesitation, she said, "How wonderful to have had witnessed such a great act of kindness on a day when caring is
important."
I paused and then I thanked her for pointing that out. It is all what you pick out of the situation and how you react to it. Attitude…..
<><NetNews June 7, 2006
I heard that the Book Study Group on "How to Get a Date Worth Keeping" was well attended....about 50 in Emily's living room!!! John and
Debbie did an outstanding job presenting the material and fielding lots of questions. It might be worth a repeat if Emily's up to it!!! (and
did I mention that the dinner provided by Emily was outstanding!!!)
The common theme I heard that everyone learned.....You've got to put yourself out there and MEET new people on a daily basis. And
DON"T think that everyone you meet is the Man/Woman of your dreams.....that puts way too much pressure on you both!
I was watching my 5 year old grandson playing at his favorite outing, the park. If it's just me chaperoning, or if he's with his buddies, the
park is a great place for him. If he's alone with me and sees a group of kids playing -- no matter what they are playing, or what age they
are, or what language they are speaking -- he goes straight up to them and starts talking, with the intent to play. Usually, they are playing
and having fun together within minutes. No fear of rejection, no unrealistic expectations. It's just a day in the park.... a place HE wants to
be. It can be fun by yourself, or it can be enriched with others.
So, we can take a lesson from a 5 year old: Make sure you are doing something YOU enjoy. Don't have unrealistic expectations about
people you meet while you are having fun. It will take the pressure off, and wonderful things will happen....Mostly you suddenly have new
friends in your life!
<><
The week is flying by, and good things are happening with PartyFish and our Christian Social Network. As the word spreads, I've come in
contact with several other groups with the same desire for Christian Fellowship and Fun!
After 5.0 Connections will soon be offering a variety of activities and a website also to be posted soon. We'll be sharing info and
resources and publicizing each others' events. Their first event will be the annual Black and White Ball, enjoyed by many in previous
years. The info can be found in our Events section.
DFW Christian Singles is another group, based in Arlington, offering small group Bible study and monthly social events. You'll be seeing
some of their events posted here as well.
Jim Boswell, our monthly dinner Dining Guy, is excited about finding new and unusual spots in the Mid-Cities area for mid-week dinners.
Our Alaska cruise, believe it or not, has 38 folks going....and we added another cabin just this morning. It's all based on availability, so if
you're interested, we'll give it a shot to get you added to our group.
Cruising seems to be a popular event....PartyFish will be sponsoring a 4 day Carnival cruise in late February....before the spring breakers
take over! Stay tuned.
And coming up....we have a Barge Party at Lake Grapevine for 50.....Details will be posted next week....and you heard it here first....those 50
spots will go FAST!
I'm off to spend the weekend in Hot Springs Village with 60 new and old Christian friends. This is the perfect place to really get to know
each other....sharing coffee early in the morning, on the deck overlooking the lake. It's a postcard kind of thing!
Maybe you'll be with us next time!
Take care
Karen
<><
I heard that the Book Study Group on "How to Get a Date Worth Keeping" was well attended....about 50 in Emily's living room!!! John and
Debbie did an outstanding job presenting the material and fielding lots of questions. It might be worth a repeat if Emily's up to it!!! (and
did I mention that the dinner provided by Emily was outstanding!!!)
The common theme I heard that everyone learned.....You've got to put yourself out there and MEET new people on a daily basis. And
DON"T think that everyone you meet is the Man/Woman of your dreams.....that puts way too much pressure on you both!
I was watching my 5 year old grandson playing at his favorite outing, the park. If it's just me chaperoning, or if he's with his buddies, the
park is a great place for him. If he's alone with me and sees a group of kids playing -- no matter what they are playing, or what age they
are, or what language they are speaking -- he goes straight up to them and starts talking, with the intent to play. Usually, they are playing
and having fun together within minutes. No fear of rejection, no unrealistic expectations. It's just a day in the park.... a place HE wants to
be. It can be fun by yourself, or it can be enriched with others.
So, we can take a lesson from a 5 year old: Make sure you are doing something YOU enjoy. Don't have unrealistic expectations about
people you meet while you are having fun. It will take the pressure off, and wonderful things will happen....Mostly you suddenly have new
friends in your life!
<><
The week is flying by, and good things are happening with PartyFish and our Christian Social Network. As the word spreads, I've come in
contact with several other groups with the same desire for Christian Fellowship and Fun!
After 5.0 Connections will soon be offering a variety of activities and a website also to be posted soon. We'll be sharing info and
resources and publicizing each others' events. Their first event will be the annual Black and White Ball, enjoyed by many in previous
years. The info can be found in our Events section.
DFW Christian Singles is another group, based in Arlington, offering small group Bible study and monthly social events. You'll be seeing
some of their events posted here as well.
Jim Boswell, our monthly dinner Dining Guy, is excited about finding new and unusual spots in the Mid-Cities area for mid-week dinners.
Our Alaska cruise, believe it or not, has 38 folks going....and we added another cabin just this morning. It's all based on availability, so if
you're interested, we'll give it a shot to get you added to our group.
Cruising seems to be a popular event....PartyFish will be sponsoring a 4 day Carnival cruise in late February....before the spring breakers
take over! Stay tuned.
And coming up....we have a Barge Party at Lake Grapevine for 50.....Details will be posted next week....and you heard it here first....those 50
spots will go FAST!
I'm off to spend the weekend in Hot Springs Village with 60 new and old Christian friends. This is the perfect place to really get to know
each other....sharing coffee early in the morning, on the deck overlooking the lake. It's a postcard kind of thing!
Maybe you'll be with us next time!
Take care
Karen
<><
PartyFish.net
A Christian Social Network
A Christian Social Network
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| August 28, 2006 Johnny Williams leads a Tuesday night Bible Study, currently meeting in Euless. (they change homes every so often) He shares this message with us all....and it's pretty impactful, once you get past the fact that he doesn't spell "you'" !! Johnny writes: when i was 16 i had my 1st boxing match. they put me in with an older guy who had been boxing a couple of yrs. guys, especially athletes, use words like apprehensive, nervous, butterflies or jitters to keep from saying 'scared'. i was .......i had butterflies. my tactics were sound,,,,jab, dance, feint [not faint !!] & basically try to stay out of trouble w/o embarrassing myself. i did ok...it was a draw. later we were grouped around the coach & we were joking & a little hyper. i was pounding my fist into my hand & said 'coach, i'm ready to go again!!!'. the coach looked at me & said 'williams u shoulda went when u were in the ring'. ouch!!! folks we are in another ring today. one called 'life' & maybe we need to go all out for God while we are here. one day we will see Him face to face. we will see His glory & his awesomeness & we will fall on our faces. we will realize how much the King of the whole universe deserves adoration & how He loves us when we see the scars on Christ body. and dont u know we will wish with all our hearts we could come back here & live more passionately for Him. Lord help us to seek You & Your glory more than fun, pleasure, finances, love, things, power, comfort, security, prestige, or anything else. 'seek ye 1st the kingdom of God & all these other things will be added unto u'. take care, johnny |
copyright 2006 all rights reserved. Articles may not be reprinted without permission of website owner.
| October 30, 2006 I’ve talked about there being no such thing as a ‘coincidence’, but that’s it’s a GOD-incident instead. And once again, I’ve come face to face with my own theory. When you least expect it, and when you need it the most, God sends you your very own pep talk --if only you’ll stop and listen!! It’s been a crazy few weeks. I thought that when summer was over, and school started, and my Alaska cruise was behind me, things would start settling down, and I could find my new standard of ‘normalcy’. (I’ m not sure what normal is, anymore!!) Then, in the middle of September, I looked at my calendar, and discovered that I was going to be out of town 5 of the following 6 weeks (ok, ok, most of it was pleasure!!) and then I put in special weekends with my grandson, plus family matters out of state, and well, I was covered up in ‘stuff’. The website was getting more hits, and favorable feedback, and the New Year’s Eve Party was finally buttoned down and ready to go. With Lucy and Jenny’s help, we committed to a Chili Cook Off as a fundraiser for our Sister in Christ, Mercy Hukill. Plus, my full time, deadline intensive career began taking up more time (and stress!) than usual. Frankly, last Friday night, I thought maybe I had committed to too much. Ticket sales for the Chili Cook Off were not coming in as expected, we had certain fixed costs that had to be covered, and none of us were in the position to donate that kind of ‘seed’ money. I was tired, physically and mentally, and actually entertained the idea of ‘throwing in the towel’….. This morning I opened my email…..I usually don’t even look at it over the weekend!….and there was a short message from a new friend. I met him several months ago at a Theater Arlington event. I couldn’t make the performance, my grandkids were in town unexpectedly…and well, grandkids do come first! But, I did make it to the pre-theater dinner, met this 'new guy', and learned that he had been widowed recently, and was just, well, lonely. He was hesitant to join a singles class or Bible Study group…he was afraid of those ‘hungry single women out there’…(my words, not his!!) , and while I invited him, I could tell he wasn’t ready. So, I kept him on the email list, ran into him in church, and eventually, convinced him to try our Tuesday night Bible Study group. With the help of a couple of other friends, I see him now at most of the events, the study groups, and he’s become a regular! He’s still in healing mode…..everyone has their own time clock for that…. But his message this morning put everything into better perspective for me, and, ultimately, for this whole PartyFish Ministry. His brief message said, at the end..….”Continue your ministry of fellowship as it is a medication for us who need involvement with others, and are too shy or lazy to do on our own.” How perfect those words. How to the point of exactly what we are trying to do. I’ve been there….too shy (yes, me!!) and sometimes too lazy to get out of my rut, to make an effort to make new friends. Maybe that’s part of my motivation with PartyFish.net. You can’t sit on the closed side of your door, waiting for LIFE to come knocking …..you’ve got to make yourself available to LIVE LIFE. It can pass you by too quickly!…… Bless you all with a passion for living your life to it’s fullest, to fulfilling God’s plan everyday! Karen |