Return to Newsletter Archives
      image of Blessed to Bless! banner

      Newsletter
      February 3, 2004
      Published by Steve Klusmeyer
      Distributed by hundred-acre-woods.com
      Subscribe or Unsubscribe



      Where Did This Come From?

      You are receiving this newsletter because you either subscribed yourself or someone you know added your name to the list. If this was forwarded to you, I would love for you to subscribe. If you are already on the list, you can unsubscribe if you just have to - but I would really hate to see you leave.

      Sorry, but I have no control over those who may have added your name or forwarded a copy of this newsletter to your address. I do want to thank you for taking a moment to check out this issue.

      Please Do NOT subscribe someone to Blessed to Bless! without their prior permission! Instead, forward a copy and allow them to make the choice. That way I won't get yelled at when they think they are being spammed! Thanks for your help.

      Please note that there are no attachments to this HTML version of Blessed to Bless!. It is therefore totally safe from a virus point of view.

      Don't like the HTML version?
      A Text-Only version is also available.
      Subscribe here.


        A Word From Our Sponsors - Why?

        Are you tired of junk mail and spam?

        Maybe MailWasher Pro will help you like it has helped me.

        As well as letting you preview and delete your e-mail before it gets to your computer, MailWasher Pro also lets you bounce e-mail back to the spammers so it looks as though your address is not valid.

        Check out a FREE version of MailWasher Pro today. -Steve
        image of Firetrust MailWasher Pro Banner

        Consider other products that I recommend.

        End of A Word From Our Sponsors



      In This Issue

      • By Steve: Nothing New
      • Quotes to Remember: by Isaac Goldberg, Rickie Lee Jones, and Others
      • By Someone Else:
        • Absent Minded Husband
        • Move Out by Rhonda Rhea
        • Water Bed and Witness
        • Fun Links
      • From the Bible: Reference
      • Useful Information: Credits, Subscribe/Unsubscribe, etc

      If you haven't read the Useful Information at the end of this newsletter or if it's been a while, please take a few minutes to check it out.

      If you enjoy Blessed to Bless, you might also like another newsletter that I publish. Subscribe to Ponder This.


      By Steve

      Nothing New

      animated image of Steve and His Computer (Notice: Hair appears thinner in person.) Sorry, I don't have a new article this week. You can read previous articles in the writings by Steve section of my web site. Enjoy the articles by other authors printed below.

      Thanks,
      Steve

      Go to the link above to read previous Writings by Steve. Photos are included with many of the writings. Follow other links in this newsletter to read additional Writings by Others, Quotes to Remember, and Pictures with a Story.


        A Word From Our Sponsors - Why?

        These ads pay for the cost of this service and a percentage is given to feed starving orphans in third world countries.

        Please stop by our affiliates and malls. Most are Christian, and they are all good products and companies.

        AOL users click here

        Thanks Mike Hodapp

        End of A Word From Our Sponsors



      Quotes to Remember:

      Diplomacy is to do and say the nastiest thing in the nicest way.
      -Isaac Goldberg (1887-1938) USA Writer & Critic

      You never know when you're making a memory.
      -Rickie Lee Jones (1954-Present) USA Folk, Rock, and Jazz Singer

      So often we overlook the important while attending to the urgent.
      -Unknown

      Too many couples marry for better or for worse, but not for good.
      -Unknown

      When a man marries a woman, they become one but the trouble starts when they try to decide which one.
      -Unknown

      Read more Quotes to Remember.


      By Someone Else:

      Absentminded Husband

      An absent-minded husband thought he had conquered his problem of trying to remember his wife's birthday and their anniversary.

      He opened an account with a florist, provided that florist with the dates and instructions to send flowers to his wife on these dates along with an appropriate note signed, "Your loving husband."

      His wife was thrilled by this new display of attention and all went well until next year, on their anniversary, when he came home, kissed his wife and said off-handedly, "Nice flowers, honey. Where'd you get them?"

      -from Doc's Daily Chuckle
      Spread the word about Doc's Daily Chuckle by leaving this information intact if you are forwarding to a friend. Better yet, tell your friend to subscribe! Use the subscription E-mail address below! We would really appreciate it!
      Subscribe
      Contact listmaster, Patricia A. Kaine

      Read more writings by Others.


        A Word From Our Sponsors - Why?

        These ads pay for the cost of this service and a percentage is given to feed starving orphans in third world countries.

        Learn a New Career at Home

        Train for a new career, earn your associatešs degree, or finish high school
        at home! Nationally accredited distance learning from PCDI. Free literature!
        http://mocda2.com/1/c/32976/83842/332503/332503

        End of A Word From Our Sponsors



      By Someone Else:

      Move Out

      -January 30, 2004

      "Move out" takes on a truly military tone when seven years worth of junk has to be stuffed into 7,000 cardboard boxes. Factor in my five pack-rat kids and you understand these were no ordinary maneuvers. I wondered how on earth I could make the move without a backhoe. This was a major battle.

      You should've seen me on packing day. I paced back and forth in front of the ladies who had come to help. I was the commander, readying the troops. My feather duster was tucked under my arm like a riding crop as I began my moving address: "I'd like to thank you for signing on for this mission. Some of you might find yourselves waning in the heat of the battle. Others may discover new courage. And some of you... [sniff]...might not be coming home."

      Okay, that was for drama. They all made it home. Not without Battle scars, however. It was frightening; I didn't have mere dust bunnies on top of my china cabinet. These things looked more like fuzzy TANKS.

      Thankfully I had provided the women with some basic training. I decided I could desensitize them before they got to the house by taking them for a ride in my minivan. On the way to my tank-filled home, one asked, "Is this a pickle in the cup holder?"

      "My kids don't eat pickles. I think that's a hot dog from last baseball season." She had to go home right after she regained consciousness. The rest of the ladies were fine after they put their heads between Their knees. Still, I couldn't bring myself to make them look in the Glove compartment. I think the Geneva Convention has rules against such atrocities.

      Several were overcome during the chemical warfare phase of the Moving battle. It's a common result of mixing the chemicals needed to fight dust tanks with the ones needed for that scum that gathers over the stove. They're recovering. The therapy for post-packing trauma syndrome (PPTS) is also helping. Thankfully, the flashbacks are starting to subside.

      There was a particularly perilous moment in the kitchen, however, When one of the ladies made a gruesome discovery. It was a potato that had fallen behind a pile of junk in one of the cabinets. But it was no longer legally a potato. It looked like a brown, raisiney grenade. We were all distressed when we discovered that the local bomb squad doesn't respond to potatoes.

      I was amazed that no one in my family had ever gotten a whiff of The rotting potato/grenade. We never had even a hint that it was back there shriveling. Believe it or not, there wasn't even any mold on the little sucker. I guess it's still not surprising that not one of the packing ladies wanted to touch the thing. But before we could move, the dead spud had to go.

      In the same way, isn't it amazing the spiritual dirt we can have Hidden away? Little things can be rotting--shriveling right under our noses-and we don't so much as catch a whiff. It's a spiritual battle and the enemy is ever-ready to lob his bombs. He loves to see us rendered fruitless. Sometimes he schemes a sneak-attack. It's not the kind of attack that immediately blows up in our faces, but rather hidden places of rottenness, quietly shriveling our spirits.

      Romans 6:13 says, "Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life;..." (NIV) We can ignore those pockets of disobedience we've tucked away, or we can offer every part of ourselves to God. Before we can move to a closer walk with him, we shouldn't be surprised if he pulls out that "potato" and says, "We really have to take care of this before we can move on."

      I've moved on, into a clean, new home--completely free of Shriveled potatoes. When we allow the Father to cleanse us from sneaky rottenness, we can enjoy the same kind of clean, sweet closeness with him.

      So go ahead. Plan a spiritual military action of your own. Execute Recon Plan "Toss-out the-potato!" Ready? Move out!

      Contributed by Rhonda Rhea (rrhea@juno.com)

      Rhonda Rhea writes for dozens of great Christian publications and speaks at conferences and events across the country. You can find her new book, Amusing Grace, at your local Christian bookstore. Rhonda's husband, Richie Rhea, is a pastor in Troy, Missouri. You can reach them through her website at http://www.rhondarhea.net

      If you are interested, there is more information about the most important event of all time and how to be part of it.
      or send an e-mail
      (follow-up message only, not for DW list subscriptions)

      -from Daily Wisdom
      Subscribe
      or Visit the web site and use the handy form
      Either way, you will receive a confirmation email, once you answer that email, you are on the list.
      Additional commands

      Read more writings by Others.


      By Someone Else:

      Water Bed

      Since I had been selling water beds for almost four years, I thought I had heard every question imaginable. But then a customer asked me, "Can you deliver it filled with water?"

      Stunned, I replied, "Are you kidding? It would weigh over twelve hundred pounds!"

      After a short pause, she said, "Could you do it if I helped you carry it in?"

      Witness

      A small, uncertain, and nervous male witness was being cross-examined. The lawyer thundered, "Have you ever been married?"

      "Yes, sir, once" said the witness in a low voice."

      "Whom did you marry?"

      "Well, a woman."

      The lawyer said angrily, "Of course you married a woman! Did you ever hear of anyone marrying a man?"

      And the witness said meekly, "My sister did."

      -from Doc's Daily Chuckle
      Spread the word about Doc's Daily Chuckle by leaving this information intact if you are forwarding to a friend. Better yet, tell your friend to subscribe! Use the subscription E-mail address below! We would really appreciate it!
      Subscribe
      Contact listmaster, Patricia A. Kaine

      Read more writings by Others.


        A Word From Our Sponsors - Why?

        These ads pay for the cost of this service and a percentage is given to feed starving orphans in third world countries.

        NUMBER PORTABILITY is Here! New Phone, SAME NUMBER

        New Free Phone, New Service, SAME PHONE NUMBER! Number Portability!
        http://mocda4.com/1/c/32976/156246/332503/332503

        End of A Word From Our Sponsors



      By Someone Else:

      Fun Links

      Especially the Best Pictures -Steve

      Best Pictures of 2003

      Taters

      Know how you look when walking (Kind of)

      -thanks to Ed Peacher
      Subscribe to "Laughter For a Saturday"

      Read more writings by Others.


      Life's F.A.Qs.

      Many are asking tough questions in today's world. Maybe you have been asking a few of the same ones. Learn more about answers to some of life's tough questions.


      From the Bible:

      Verse
      Reference


      What is Blessed to Bless?

      Blessed to Bless! is published on a round-2-it basis. Most weeks, you will receive at least one issue. Some weeks, you may receive two or three. Once in a while, you may not receive an issue for a week or two. So, whenever I get a round-to-it, you can expect to hear, "You've got mail," Yahoo," or whatever happens on your PC.

      Blessed to Bless! contains an article that I have written using simple everyday events to illustrate qualities and ideals sought after by many in the world today. Also included are writings from other sources that I have come across (usually by e-mail or a book I am reading). I try not to send everything that comes along; but I do send those that I think would be a blessing to you . . . or at least make you think for a moment and/or bring a smile to your face for just a little while.

      Learn more about the meaning of Blessed to Bless!

      Check out past issues of Blessed to Bless! in the archives.

      CAUTION: Please do not drink while reading the humorous stories. Doing so has caused many to snort Diet Pepsi out their noses.

      Does this newsletter have a light gray background with a red border on the left edge? Some mail programs may not display all of the colors and/or graphics correctly. However, all of the text should show up even if the colors and graphics don't. A copy of this issue and previous issues may be viewed in the archive section of my web site.

      Please NOTE: Corrections to spelling and grammar are NOT made to the articles in the "Writings by Others" sections.

      Also note that there are no attachments to this HTML version of Blessed to Bless! It is therefore totally safe from a virus point of view. Be aware that the latest ludicrous viruses send out email from people's email programs, pretending to be from someone else within their address book. As my address becomes better known, it is just possible that you could receive such bogus e-mails - they are not from me!

      -Steve Klusmeyer {:o)<><

      Blessed to Bless! -Genesis 12:1-3
      " . . . I will bless you; . . . and you will be a blessing. . . . and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

      animated image of Contact Steve being painted by a Paint Brush from a Paint Can - Grapic provided by Animation Factory (edited by Steve)


      Credit Where Credit is Due

      If known, the original source of material used in Blessed to Bless! will be cited, or at least the source where I obtained the material will be cited with a credit at the end of each item. If the material was obtained from an e-mail newsletter, subscription information to that newsletter will also be included. This will be done as a matter of Christian integrity to give credit where credit is due.


      FYI

      Please visit my web site. Take a moment to check it out and visit often to see what's new.


      Blessed to Bless! by Steve Klusmeyer

      Web Home Page
      Site       		Writings Writings by Steve
      by Steve       		Quotes Quotes to Remember
      to Remember      		 Pictures Pictures with a Story
      with a Story
      Life's Life's Frequently Asked Questions
      FAQs      		 Writings Writings by Other Authors
      by Others      		 Newsletter Subscribe to Blessed to Bless!
      Subscription      		 Contact Contact Steve
      Steve


      Check out Caleb's creations.

      Do you need a web site? I can design it and get it on line. Learn more.


      What is the Deal with those Ads?

      You will see ads in Blessed to Bless! These advertisers keep the newsletter FREE by paying for ad space. My host, Mike Hodapp (Tigger at hundred-acre-woods.com), uses the proceeds to pay the basic expenses of his Internet service as a web site host server as well as sending a portion each month to feed starving orphans in third world countries. The advertisers pay by the number of clicks on the ads, NOT by the number of sales.

      Read a more in-depth explanation of the ads.


      Subscription Information

      Subscribe to Blessed to Bless! You can unsubscribe using the same link, if you really have to leave.

      Blessed to Bless! and several other newsletters are distributed by hundred-acre-woods.com lists. Names are not purchased or added to our lists without permission. If you did not subscribe yourself, then someone you know probably added your name to our list(s). Or someone else may have forwarded it to you.

      If you are changing your e-mail address, please advise me of both your old and new address. I will happily change my records to ensure ongoing delivery. You may do this yourself by unsubscribing your old address and subscribing your new address using the subscription link above.

      Once in a while, addresses may be deleted by mistake. This usually happens if e-mail is sent to an address several times and it is returned as undeliverable. This can be caused because an address has been discontinued or even because the mail quota has been exceeded. If you feel that your address has been deleted, go to the subscription link above and subscribe again. A message will let you know if you are still on the list. If not, you will be added.

      Attention AOL users: Occasionally we see an uncommonly high number of bounces from AOL subscribers. Should you notice our newsletter(s) not getting through to you via AOL, we recommend you subscribe under a non-AOL email address. There are many free email providers available. Sorry, but this is an AOL issue that we have no control over.

      Don't like the HTML version?
      A Text-Only version is also available.
      Subscribe here.

      Editor Note: There have been a few cases of subscribers having difficulty receiving Blessed to Bless! in the new HTML format. The new format is actually similar to transmitting a web page. That's how the color graphics are displayed. Older computers, and perhaps a few various makes of computers, may not be able to receive such format. In such case, it is suggested that you unsubscribe from the HTML format, and subscribe to the Text-Only version (the format used previously). If you would like me to help you with that, please let me know! I want receiving Blessed to Bless! to be as easy as possible for you.


      Confidentiality Statement

      I respect your privacy and will not share your information with other parties. Your name and email address are NOT sold or shared with any other list, web site, advertiser, partner, or service for any reason.


      The End! Thanks for Reading.

      Give a nice day! -Acts 20:35
      -Mike Purcell, Cartoonist and active duty Navy Man




      Copyright Š 2002-2009, Steve Klusmeyer. All rights reserved.


      If this E-mail was forwarded to you and you would like to join our list, Please subscribe.

      We have many other GREAT christian mailing lists at hundred-acre-woods.com.

      This issue of Blessed to Bless is distributed by hundred-acre-woods.com. You can contact listmaster (Steve Klusmeyer) by email.

      If you MUST leave, you can unsubscribe.

      AOL: Unsubscribe



      Back to the Beginning of this Issue

      Return to Newsletter Archives