Category: Stories with a Lesson

I found this bit out of a piece of history about 150 years ago when people did not speak to the upper class, they just bowed.

It seemed that a poor farmer was taking a large sack of corn to the mill, when it slipped from the horses back and landed in the road. It was too weighty for the farmer lift by himself, so he decided to wait, maybe some one might come along on this rather lonely road and help him.

After a little time a man came riding his way, but as the man drew near he was disappointed to see who it was. It was the Lord of The Manor, who owned all the land and cottages for miles around. The farmer prepared to bow before him. He wouldn’t dare speak.

The Nobleman dismounted from his horse and, walking up to the farmer he said “I see that you have a problem, take hold of your end of the sack” With this his Lordship took hold of the two corners of his end, and together they lifted the sack back onto the farmers horse.

The farmer took hold of his forelock in humility, saying “My noble Lord how can I thank you, or repay you”.

“By remembering” said the lord “That all people must help others, so you must do the same”.

There are some who think that Almighty God, who made the universe, is too great to receive their prayers. Or to bother with small requests. They should know that God made them, He loves them more than anyone else, He has planned their life, and wants them to walk with Him always through this life in close companionship. There are those who limit what God can do by their lack of faith in Him.

After a Healing Service I gathered with the crowd after. to hear one man say to another. “I went forward for the prayer and laying on of hands, but I doubt if it will make any difference to my trouble”.

“Let not that man think he will receive anything from The Lord” .I remember reading

Remember this hymn ? – What a friend we have in Jesus all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.

Greeting from Gerald Gossage.

“I just had to come and see you” the woman said “You told us that God was interested in every little detail of our lives, even in finding something we had dropped or lost”.

She looked away as she said

“I couldn’t accept that, my prayers were formal, and for important things only”

Then she told me this story. “I was out fishing last Thursday, and you know what a miserable day that was. For hours I sat there and I didn’t catch a thing”. “I was thinking of one thing and another when I thought of what you had said.” “More out of bravado than anything I decided to put it to the test.

I did not expect anything to come of it.” “I said, out loud, Dear Lord God, Gerald said You are interested in even small things, if that is so, just make my day and give me a bite!”.

“I could not believe it, I caught three fish, one after another. If anyone had seen me they would have thought I was mad, I found myself dancing about on the river bank praising God”.

She smiled into my face “I’ll tell you something else, my way of praying has changed completely and I feel wonderfully happy just talking to Jesus.”

I told her how pleased I was, and added “It’s not the first time He has helped disciples to catch fish”.

From Gerald Gossage.

As most of you know, that although there are cats with tails in the Isle of Mann, the true Manx cat has no tail. Having said that let me tell you the story.

Picture an ordinary peaceful English village where everybody knows everyone else, there is just one church, one pub’ and one shop / post office, and not much to gossip about. They all knew the old man who lived at Hawthorn Cottage, and kept a distant eye on him since he lost his wife.

` At first nobody bothered when he started digging in his front garden, but they grew curious when, having started early in that morning, he , kept on digging all that day. The hole he dug got bigger and bigger, and the earth pile all round it got higher. “What are you doing “ enquired one neighbor as he passed. “What do you think, I’m digging” the old man replied. And the hole got deeper and bigger. No one got any further with him, and the old chap was getting more and more tired. He would go indoors for a short break, then return to his digging, and the hole got massive.

The very next morning the neighbors that went past found that the hole had been filled in. Not all the soil had filled the hole but it had been banged as flat as it would go with the spade. There was no sight of the old man. This caused much talk in the village.

One man said “The old man has murdered someone and there is a body under that soil”. No one could believe that, he was not the kind of man to kill someone, and who would it be ? The women were inclined to think he had buried a box full of money or treasure. And they argued as to whether it was right to tell the police. A few weeks later, sadly the old man died and was buried in the church yard, and nobody ever found the answer.

I told you,to this cat-alogue of events there is no tail.

BUT millions of people are born, educated to find their talents, and work hard, and achieve little or nothing but the effort they put into life, and their tale is never told. Not on earth, that is. But the Bible tells us that God has a book or record of everyone of us which will be read out when we stand before Him on judgment day. You will have a tale to tell then, but will it please God ? Now is the time to know and please God Almighty. Believe on Him and love Him now.

His servant and friend, … Gerald Gossage.