Every Sabbath morning right after the offering is collected during the worship service at my church, Bill passes another basket, this one to provide rather than collect. In this basket Bill has dozens of slips of paper upon which he has hand written (a lost art indeed) in a variety of colors short messages, about as succinct (but much more spiritual) as a fortune cookie proverb.

I look forward to reading my weekly message from Bill. The message is usually exactly what I needed for that particular week, even though the message was literally the “luck of the draw,” as I drew it out of his basket. Of course with God, there is no “luck of the draw.” Everything is providential.

Thank you, Bill, for sharing God’s blessings with the rest of us.

I have kept the slips of paper from my weekly drawings from Bill’s basket.
Here are just a few samples:

“Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.”

“May you be faithful in following Christ’s example of righteousness and thus becoming a light in the world.”

“I know the one in whom I trust and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of His return.” II Timothy 1:12

“In happy moments Praise God. In difficult moments Seek God. In quiet moments Trust God. In every moment Thank God. Psst! God is listening.”

“Never be ashamed of a scar. It simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you.”

“The answer is simple: Pray!”

“You may make mistakes but God didn’t make you by mistake.”

“Outside the walls and will of God there is nothing you want, and in the will of God there is nothing for you to fear.”

Amen!