Sing God's Praise

A couple of months ago, I read in someone's email: "When it comes to martyrdom, I'm a card carrying member of Cowards Unlimited. I don't relish the idea of physical pain. The dentist is bad enough, but martyrdom is something else. Jesus warned His followers of terrible tribulation in the end times. Many Christians believe that the church will be raptured before it happens.

"Frankly, I don't believe that. I don't think the Scripture teaches it. Of course, I might be wrong. Believe me, I want to be wrong. I don't feel like hanging round and being “tribulated.” However, the fact remains, should Jesus ever require you and me to be crucified, how will we react? My prayer is that He will strengthen me to accept it as from His loving hand. I don't think there is any other way."

At which point, the following poem streamed from my fingertips whole-cloth. It is past time I shared it with my readers.

When times of trouble
Come flowing our way
Many of Faith will look
For Blessed Rapture Day
But what if, at that time
Lord Jesus asks us to stay?

There are two Witnesses
Called to stay behind
And share the Truth that
Others could not find
For many repentant hearts
Is what GOD has in mind

Before that final period
As in the words you give
Comes the time of Martyrs
Brightness shining thru a sieve
But what if during this time
Request is not to die, but live?

There are many in the world
Who suffer acute chronic pain
There is no cure, no correction
No hope being pain-free again
Tho they pray and have Faith
Their agony is still the same

 Yet, these chronic sufferers
Are also bright points of Light
They keep their eyes on GOD
Tho in agony day and night
It is through their example
They bring others some delight

For through their days of pain
Their tears are more than few
They still sing God's praises
For all they are still able to do
Not a minute or movement is
Taken for granted by them too

While some may die Martyrs
In one of many horrible ways
There are also chronic pains
For some all of their days
No matter what our life holds
May we always sing God's praise!!

~ ESA

Second Chance

While Human Resources members may joke that employees can drive us to drink, the truth is many have to deal with the issues that alcohol brings to the workplace. This is a true story shared by an HR collegue.

At a manufacturing facility, alcohol is not only detrimental to the work quality, it takes lives. When she had an employee with a serious drinking problem, she had to take action.

All managers, and even the company President, wanted this person fired.

When she had "the talk" with the employee, however, she discovered that the onset of abuse was immediately after the death of a child, followed by an abandonment by a spouse. And now this employee of sixteen years will loose a job.

This HR person then did something unprecedented at the company. She got the President to extend a second-chance plan to the employee. The employee had six months leave to go through a rehabilitation program and then see how things went upon return to work.

If this didn't work, however, the HR person would need a new job as well.

In six months, the employee was back on the job, performing better than ever. There was a new lease on life. Within a year, the person became the company's model employee.

The company became known as one that really takes care of its employees and referrals poured in faster than job openings. Turnover dropped to an all-time low, even in the dregs of monotonous manufacturing work.

That second-chance employee brought a new positive attitude to the job, and it became contagious. Soon, new orders blossomed as their defects, rejections and quality claims plummeted to all-time lows.

The employee was awarded many accolades and achieved promotions in time as well, not once forgetting that "one more chance" given.

We can all change a life

Looking past the strife

~ESA