When we talk of a man doing anything for God or giving anything to God, I will tell you what that is really like. It is like a small child going to his father and saying, "Daddy, give ME a sixpence to buy YOU a birthday present." Of course, the father does, and he is pleased with the child's present. It is all very nice and proper, but only an idiot would think that the father is sixpence to the good on the transaction. -C.S. Lewis this is where Sixpence None The Richer got their name

The first time the band Sixpence None the Richer appeared on "The Late Show" with David Letterman, lead singer Leigh Nash was interviewed briefly by the king of sarcasm and putdowns. Letterman asked if the band's name was a literary reference. "Thanks for asking," Nash replied, fighting her nervousness. "I will quickly tell you. It's from a book by C.S. Lewis. The book is called 'Mere Christianity.'" Nash later admitted that she was scared, but that being on the show was a dream come true for her. Though her bandmates were laughing and Letterman was wiggling his tongue in his cheek and acting like he didn't understand what she was talking about, Nash continued. "I really want to tell you the story," she said to Letterman. "Do you want to hear it?" Letterman said he did, so Nash began her explanation. "A little boy asks his father for a sixpence, which is a very small amount of English currency, to go and get a gift for his father. The father gladly accepts the gift, but he also realizes that he is not any richer for the transaction because he gave his son the money in the first place." "He bought his own gift," noted Letterman. "That's right, pretty much," said Nash. "I'm sure it meant a lot to him, but he's really no richer. C.S. Lewis was comparing that to his belief that God has given him and us the gifts that we possess and that to serve him the way that we should, we should do it humbly--with a humble heart--realizing how we got the gifts in the first place." "Well, that's beautiful," Letterman said. "Charming."

According to a May 2002 article in U.S. News & World Report, those who call themselves Christians in the U.S. were asked, "In general, how often would you say you have experienced God's presence or a spiritual force that felt very close to you?" They replied: Never: 10 percent Once or twice: 17 percent Several times: 23 percent Many times: 49 percent Don't know/not applicable/refused: 2 percent

Percentage of Americans who believe in divine miracles: 84 Percentage who believe in the reality of miracles described in the Bible: 79 Percentage who have personal experiences with miracles: 48 Percentage who know of people who have: 63 Percentage who have prayed for a miracle: 67 Percentage who believe God or the saints cure or heal sick people who have been given no chance of survival by medical doctors: 77

Once upon a time, the animals decided they should do something meaningful to meet the problems of the new world. So they organized a school. They adopted an activity curriculum of running, climbing, swimming and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals took all the subjects. The duck was excellent at swimming; in fact, better than his instructor. But he made only passing grades in flying, and was very poor at running. Since he was slow in running, he had to drop swimming and stay after school to practice running. This caused his web feet to be badly worn, so that he was only average in swimming. But average was quite acceptable so nobody worried about that--except the duck. The rabbit started at the top of his class in running, but developed a nervous twitch in his leg muscles because of so much make-up work in swimming. The squirrel was excellent in climbing, but he encountered constant frustration in flying class because his teacher made him start from the ground up instead of from the treetop down. He developed "charlie horses" from overexertion, and so only got a C in climbing and a D in running. The eagle was a problem child and was severely disciplined for being a non-conformist. In climbing he beat all the others to the top of the tree, but insisted on using his way to get there . . . . A duck is a duck--and only a duck. It is built to swim, not to run or fly and certainly not to climb. A squirrel is a squirrel--and only that. To move it out of its forte, climbing, and then expect it to swim or fly will drive a squirrel nuts. Eagles are beautiful creatures in the air but not in a foot race. The rabbit will win every time unless, of course, the eagle gets hungry. What is true of creatures in the forest is true of Christians in the family; both the family of believers and the family under your roof. God has not made us all the same. He never intended to. It was He who planned and designed the differences, unique capabilities, and variations . . . . If God made you a duck saint--you're a duck, friend. Swim like mad, but don't get bent out of shape because you wobble when you run or flap instead of fly. Furthermore, if you're an eagle saint, stop expecting squirrel saints to soar, or rabbit saints to build the same kind of nests you do. . . . So relax. Enjoy your spiritual species. Cultivate your own capabilities. Your own style. Appreciate the members of your family or your fellowship for who they are, even though their outlook or style may be miles different from yours. Rabbits don't fly. Eagles don't swim. Ducks look funny trying to climb. Squirrels don't have feathers. Stop comparing. There's plenty of room in the forest.

probably no other factor influences the contentedness of Christians more than whether they are using utilizing their gifts or not. Our data demonstrated a highly significant relationship between “gift orientation” (“My personal ministry involvements match my gifts”) and “joy in living” (“I consider myself to be a happy, contented person”).

A Baptist preacher and his wife decided to get a new dog. Ever mindful of the congregation, they knew the dog must also be a Baptist. They visited kennel after kennel and explained their needs. Finally, they found a kennel whose owner assured them he had just the dog they wanted. The owner brought the dog to meet the pastor and his wife. "Fetch the Bible," he commanded. The dog bounded to the bookshelf, scrutinized the books, located the Bible, and brought it to the owner. "Now find Psalm 23," he commanded. The dog dropped the Bible to the floor, and showing marvelous dexterity with his paws, leafed through and finding the correct passage, pointed to it with his paw. The pastor and his wife were very impressed and purchased the dog. That evening, a group of church members came to visit. The pastor and his wife began to show off the dog, having him locate several Bible verses. The visitors were very impressed. One man asked, "Can he do regular dog tricks, too?" "I haven't tried yet," the pastor replied. He pointed his finger at the dog. "HEEL!" the pastor commanded. The dog immediately jumped on a chair, placed one paw on the pastor's forehead and began to howl. The pastor looked at his wife in shock and said, "Good Lord! He's Pentecostal!"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_unfulfilled_Christian_Prophecy Examples of prophecy gone awry.