Treat me kindly, my beloved master, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.

  Do not break my spirit with a stick, for though I should lick your hand between blows, your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me the things you would have me do.

  Speak to me often, for your voice is the world's sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footstep falls upon my waiting ear.

  When it is cold and wet, please take me inside, for I am now a domesticated animal, no longer used to bitter elements. And I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth. Though had you no home, I would rather follow you through ice and snow than rest upon the softest pillow in the warmest home in all the land, for you are my god and I am your devoted worshiper.

  Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for although I should not reproach you were it dry, I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst.

  Feed me clean food, that I may stay well to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side, and stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life, should your life be in danger.

  And beloved master, should the Great Master see fit to deprive me of my health or sight, do not turn me away from you. Rather, hold me gently in your arms as skilled hands grant me the merciful boon of eternal rest...

  And I will leave you knowing with the last breath I draw, my fate was ever safest in your hands.








Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy ahead of him had tripped and dropped all of the books he was carrying along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove, and a small tape recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered articles. Since they were going the same way, he helped the boy carry the burden. As they walked Mark discovered that the boy's name was Bill, that he loved video games, baseball, history, that he was having a lot of trouble with his other subjects, and that he had just broken up with his girlfriend.

They arrived at Bill's home first and Mark was invited in for a coke and to watch some TV. The afternoon passed pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk, then Mark went home. They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, then both graduated from high school. They ended up at the same college where they had brief contacts over the years. Finally the long awaited senior year came, and three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.

Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met. "Do you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things from school that day?" asked Bill. "You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn't want to leave a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mother's pills and I was going home to kill myself. But after we spent some time together, I realized that if I had, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see, Mark, when you picked up my books for me that day, you did a lot more. You saved my life also."







Years ago the Las vegas "Strip" was a six lane road seperated by an 8 foot curbed divider. And in this particular location, near the old Aladdin Hotel, the "Strip" was not lighted well. But crossing it at that point was the shortest way to my apartment across from the Aladdin. Walking to the corner and the traffic control signals was too inconvenient.

One night I was about to cross the "Strip". There was no traffic approaching, so I began crossing the 3 lane raod to the divider. As I reached the third lane I began looking in the other direction beyond the divider for oncoming traffic. The other 3 lanes looked clear except for vehicles stopped at the intersection further away.

So I began to quicken my pace to cross the divider and the other 3 lanes. I wanted to cross before the traffic at the intersection came down the "Strip". I was almost running when I reached the end of the divider. Still the road looked clear of traffic. As I began to take the last step off the divider onto the road I was stopped! The force that stopped me was gentle, yet it stopped me in an instant, and held me.

Just as I was stopped by the force and held, a black sports car without any headlights on sped by me. It was in the lane which I was about to run onto. If I would have stepped into that lane, I would have been killed.

Do you beleive in Guardian Angels?







One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.  He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house.  However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. 

Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water.  She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk.  He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"  "You don't owe me anything," she replied.  "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."  He said....."Then I thank you from my heart."

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also.  He had been ready to give up and quit. Year's later that young woman became critically ill.  The local doctors were baffled.  They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.  Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation.

When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.  Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.  Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her.  He recognized her at once.  He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life.  From that day he gave special attention to the case. 

After a long struggle, the battle was won.  Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval.  He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room.  She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. 

She read these words.....

  "Paid in full with one glass of milk."

Dr. Howard Kelly







Most of you know John Wayne as an actor. You may not know what happened to him before he died. This is that story!

Robert Schuller's teenage daughter, Cindy, was in a motorcycle accident and had to have her leg amputated. John Wayne is a big fan of Robert Schuller.

He heard Dr. Schuller say on one of his programs that his daughter had been in an accident and had to have her leg amputated. John Wayne wrote a note to her saying:

Dear Cindy,

Sorry to hear about your accident. Hope you will be all right.

Signed, John Wayne

The note was delivered to her and she decided she wanted to write John Wayne a note in reply. She wrote:

Dear Mr. Wayne,

I got your note. Thanks for writing to me. I like you very much. I am going to be all right because Jesus is going to help me. Mr. Wayne, do you know Jesus? I sure hope you know Jesus, Mr. Wayne, because I cannot imagine Heaven being complete without John Wayne being there. I hope, if you don't know Jesus, that you will give your Heart to Jesus right now.

See you in Heaven.

And she signed her name.

She had just put that letter in an envelope, sealed it, and written across the front of it "John Wayne" when a visitor came into her room to see her. He said to her: What are you doing? She said: I just wrote a letter to John Wayne, but I don't know how to get it to him. He said: That's funny, I am going to have dinner with John Wayne tonight at the Newport Club down at Newport Beach. Give it to me and I will give it to him.

She gave him the letter and he put it in his coat pocket. There were twelve of them that night sitting around the table for dinner. They were laughing and cutting up and the guy happened to reach in his pocket and felt that letter and remembered. John Wayne was seated at the end of the table and the guy took the letter out and said: Hey, Duke, I was in Schuller's daughter's room today and she wrote you a letter and wanted me to give it to you.

They passed it down to John Wayne and he opened it. They kept on laughing and cutting up and someone happened to look down at John Wayne. He was crying. One of them said: Hey, Duke, what is the matter? He said (and can't you hear him saying it), "I want to read you this letter." He read the letter. Then he began to weep. He folded it, put it in his pocket, and he pointed to the man who delivered it to him and said: "You go tell that little girl that right now, in this restaurant, right here, John Wayne gives his heart to Jesus Christ and I will see her in heaven." 

Three weeks later John Wayne died.

You never know how your witness to another will effect their eternity!





  It's the world we live in that made me feel that way. Otherwise I wouldn't have thought for a moment about sitting next to that beautiful young girl. My recent trip to Kentucky ran smoothly except for a near two hour delay in Pittsburgh. I must admit I have never had a major problem while flying across this great country. In fact, I believe this was the first time I have ever experienced a delay that long. But I always tell my travel agent that if ever I need to be delayed let it be in Pittsburgh. They have the greatest shops and restaurants to keep me busy for hours. They finally announced boarding. Now I don't believe for a moment that I'm the only person who goes through this. From the moment I enter the plane I start scanning ahead to see my seat. "Who's sitting next to me on this flight?" I wonder. "Is there anyone in my seat already?" That's happened a few times.

"Are there any screaming babies nearby?" Flight time is precious time for me. I sleep, write or read. So screaming babies and frequent bathroom people become a problem. Today I get to sit next to a beautiful young girl who appears to be about 12 years old. As I approach my seat she seems nervous, perhaps a little apprehensive and I must say very disappointed. You see walking in front of me was this handsome young male teenager. I could see that sparkle in her eye dim as he walked by and I sat down. I'll admit I was nervous and concerned. She was traveling alone and I was one of those strangers her parents told her not to talk to. "Hi! My name is Bob," I said. "Hello!" she replied without giving her name. Then we spent the next one hour and fifteen minutes not saying a word. She was a typical kid. She never sat still for longer than five minutes. Often times she reached into her carry on and pulled out what appeared to be six brushes, four packs of gum and all the empty wrappers, a bag filled with jaw breakers, a tube of rainbow colored sugar crystals and three foot long licorice. Oh, yes she also ate two bags of airplane peanuts. I gave her mine.

  It wasn't until the last 15 minutes of the flight that I heard it. That sweet sounding Voice that said "Give her one of your books!" "She's only 12," I argued. "She won't find my book interesting. Do they even know how to read at 12?" I thought sarcastically. But again and again I heard it repeat, "Give her one of your books!" And so I opened one up, signed it and said, "I am a professional speaker and author. I'd like to give you one of my books if you would permit me." She giggle a bit and said yes followed by "Oh, thanks!" I then began to explain the story. "It's a fictional story based on actual events. I changed the names but basically much of this is true. My oldest son, Keith had cancer and that's part of this book." "Oh, I'm sorry", she said. "No need to be. He's doing just fine, thank you. Where are you from?" I asked. Then for the next ten minutes this young lady never stopped talking. In fact, as we were leaving the plane she talked and walked backwards down the aisle. Much of what she said was all a blur for me after she said these words: "Wow, I just saw the Hershey Medical Center mentioned in there. Is that where your son went for his cancer treatments?" she asked. I nodded "Yes." "That's where I had my heart transplant," she said with a big bright smile. Heart transplant. This child had a heart transplant. Then I took notice. Right at the top of her pink t-shirt, just below her collar bone, the beginnings of a scar peeked over her collar. This vibrant young, beautiful girl had the heart of a donor. Obviously a young donor who lived in a family who cared enough to save another child's life. She continued to share the details of her stay at Hershey. I continued to listen in amazement. For the story she told was a familiar one. She was the girl down the hall we all prayed for. I never knew how things turned out for her until today. They say some lives cross because they were meant to. This was more than a chance meeting. I discovered that this child leaving Pittsburgh to go home to Kentucky was a patient in the same hospital, on the same miraculous floor, at the same time my son was there. That little Voice inside of me kept telling me to give her a copy of my book. I argued. The Voice won...as always. The last words she said to me was..."My Mom always told me that God was going to call me home but then He had a "Change of Heart!" Do you get it?" Then she giggled and laughed as she walked through the last door into the arms of her loving family. I got it. I heard the Voice say, "Now you know why!" "I believe in you!"