From: "Gospel Messenger Service" Subject: My Favorite Ice Cream Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2005 15:13:56 -0800 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0007_01C503B9.ABF4AFE0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Unsent: 1 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4133.2400 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C503B9.ABF4AFE0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable MY FAVORITE ICE CREAM=20 By Pastor Dick=20 Many, many years ago, when I was about ten years old, I had a best = friend who had three older sisters; and they really knew how to harass = me. At the time I think their main ambition in life was finding ways to = embarrass me, which was not hard to do for I was very shy and = insecure--especially around older girls.=20 One day they asked me what my favorite ice cream was, and I answered, = "Vanilla." I can still hear them laughing; they giggled so hard they = could barely talk as they shouted to one another, "Vanilla! . . . = vanilla! . . . he likes vanilla! How boring . . . haw haw, hee, hee . . = . Richard, you must live a dull life to like vanilla ice cream!"=20 Another way they found to rattle me was when one of them would answer = the telephone when I would call to talk to my friend. They knew I had = trouble pronouncing my R's so they would say, "Who's calling?" and I = tried to answer, "Richard," but it would come out like "Risshed." Then = they would pretend they didn't hear me and kept asking, "Who?" as they = passed the phone from one to the other, while they laughed so hard they = could hardly talk. Now you know why I like to be called "Dick"!=20 I may still have some trouble pronouncing my R's and I may still feel = quite shy around girls, but after an incident that happened last week, I = now have no trouble boldly proclaiming my favorite ice cream!=20 Last week my wife, Roberta, and I drove to the western part of the state = of New York to visit our foster daughter, Terri-Lynn, and her husband, = Jeff. One evening while we were there we went to a restaurant in one of = the nearby towns and had a nice dinner. When it came time to order = dessert, I was quite stuffed after eating the main course; but I still = didn't want to miss out on dessert. Neither did Terri-Lynn, so she = suggested that we order it to go and then eat it when we got home. That = sounded like a good plan to me, so I ordered a fudge brownie with a = scoop of vanilla ice cream and she ordered apple crisp, also with = vanilla ice cream.=20 Then, as we were waiting for it, she began to think it might not have = been such a good idea, because it was quite a distance to their house; = and by the time we got there the ice cream would be melted. I said, = "Let's just eat it on the way," but she wanted to wait until we got = home, because Roberta and Jeff had their own kind of dessert in the = refrigerator there. Then she suggested we call the waitress and tell her = to leave the ice cream off of our desserts, because they had some = strawberry ice cream in their freezer at home. I said, "You can only put = vanilla ice cream on a brownie!"=20 She then replied that we could stop at a store and buy some vanilla on = the way home. That appeased me so I looked around for the waitress to = make the change on our take-out order. She was not in sight so I quickly = left the table and marched right into the kitchen of the restaurant to = tell them to hold the ice cream on the dessert. I might still be shy = about some things, but not about something as important as this!=20 While we were sitting at the table waiting for the dessert order, the = ice cream conversation continued. Jeff spoke up to tell that they = usually have plenty of ice cream in their freezer at home, because they = buy it in tubs from Schwan's which is delivered right to their house; = but at this time they happened to be out if it, except for some = strawberry. Then he went on to tell how good Schwan's ice cream is, and = that it's the only kind they buy. He said that the kind we would pick up = at the store wouldn't be as good as Schwan's. Finally the waitress = handed us our take-out dessert and we carried it with us as we boarded = Jeff's van to go home.=20 By now you must be beginning to wonder why I'm telling you all this. = Believe me, it's not just idle chatter. This is what I've been leading = up to:=20 Just as Jeff was pulling out of the restaurant's parking lot to make a = left turn onto the main road, he cut in front of a truck that had to = slow down and stop to let him go by. Listen to this . . . would you = believe it? . . . it was a Schwan's truck!=20 Jeff slammed on the brakes, rolled down his window and called out to the = driver of the truck, "Hey, do you have any vanilla ice cream left?" = (This was about nine o'clock at night and traffic was being held up.) = The man in the Schwan's truck rolled down his window and said that he = did have some vanilla in six quart tubs. "Can I buy one?" Jeff shouted; = and the man said, "Yes, you may." Then, after both vehicles pulled over = to let the traffic proceed, the ice cream was purchased; and we = continued on our way, laughing and praising the Lord.=20 I did enjoy eating our late dessert when we got home, but I didn't sleep = much that night; and it wasn't due to all those calories. I spent most = of the night thinking about the amazing incident of meeting that truck = at that precise moment, and I knew it was not just a coincidence and was = not to be taken lightly. And that there must be a message in it from the = Holy Spirit! There was, and it was not a message about ice cream; but = about the wonderful, loving care of our Heavenly Father!=20 It was a message to bring us hope and comfort, especially to Jeff and = Terri-Lynn; for they were going through a very difficult time. About a = month before, their seventeen-year-old daughter, whom they dearly love, = had left home and vowed never to return. They were heartbroken and very = worried, for she was headed down a dangerous road. Their faith was = holding steadfast, but it was still a very difficult and sad time in = their lives. The next morning, as we sat at the kitchen table, I could = not help but tell what I had been thinking about for most of the night.=20 I said, "What are the odds that just after we were talking about = Schwan's ice cream, a Schwan's truck would meet us as we came out of the = driveway? There's no way for that to be just a coincidence; there was a = reason for that. It was a set-up by God!" Then I went on to tell the = message I received from the incident: "If God loves us so much to be so = interested in the little things in our lives, like providing Schwan's = vanilla ice cream when we wanted it, won't He take care of the big = things?!" Then I found myself making some kind of a prophecy, and that = is something I rarely do. It just seemed to come out of my mouth before = I knew what I was saying. I said to Terri-Lynn and Jeff, "God will bring = your daughter home! And it will be at the right time! It may be a year = or it may be tomorrow, but He will bring her home!"=20 Two days later, after Roberta and I had made the ten-hour drive back = home to New Hampshire, Terri-Lynn and Jeff's daughter came home!=20 I'm so thankful for that answer to prayer, and to know that our Heavenly = Father cares so much for us that He even knows the number of hairs on = our heads (Mat.10:30)-and the flavor and brand of the ice cream that we = like. Even when there seems to be a long wait-according to our time and = space clock-for some of our prayers to be answered, it's not that our = Heavenly Father doesn't hear or care for the little or big things in our = lives. He always does what is best for us and His timing is always = perfect. ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C503B9.ABF4AFE0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
MY=20 FAVORITE ICE CREAM
 
By Pastor Dick=20

Many, many years = ago, when I=20 was about ten years old, I had a best friend who had three older = sisters; and=20 they really knew how to harass me. At the time I think their main = ambition in=20 life was finding ways to embarrass me, which was not hard to do for I = was very=20 shy and insecure--especially around older girls.

One day they = asked me what my=20 favorite ice cream was, and I answered, "Vanilla." I can still hear them = laughing; they giggled so hard they could barely talk as they shouted to = one=20 another, "Vanilla! . . . vanilla! . . . he likes vanilla! How boring . . = . haw=20 haw, hee, hee . . . Richard, you must live a dull life to like vanilla = ice=20 cream!"

Another way they = found to=20 rattle me was when one of them would answer the telephone when I would = call to=20 talk to my friend. They knew I had trouble pronouncing my R’s so = they would say,=20 "Who’s calling?" and I tried to answer, "Richard," but it would = come out like=20 "Risshed." Then they would pretend they didn’t hear me and kept = asking, "Who?"=20 as they passed the phone from one to the other, while they laughed so = hard they=20 could hardly talk. Now you know why I like to be called "Dick"! =

I may still have = some trouble=20 pronouncing my R’s and I may still feel quite shy around girls, = but after an=20 incident that happened last week, I now have no trouble boldly = proclaiming my=20 favorite ice cream!

Last week my = wife, Roberta,=20 and I drove to the western part of the state of New York to visit our = foster=20 daughter, Terri-Lynn, and her husband, Jeff. One evening while we were = there we=20 went to a restaurant in one of the nearby towns and had a nice dinner. = When it=20 came time to order dessert, I was quite stuffed after eating the main = course;=20 but I still didn’t want to miss out on dessert. Neither did = Terri-Lynn, so she=20 suggested that we order it to go and then eat it when we got home. That = sounded=20 like a good plan to me, so I ordered a fudge brownie with a scoop of = vanilla ice=20 cream and she ordered apple crisp, also with vanilla ice cream. =

Then, as we were = waiting for=20 it, she began to think it might not have been such a good idea, because = it was=20 quite a distance to their house; and by the time we got there the ice = cream=20 would be melted. I said, "Let’s just eat it on the way," but she = wanted to wait=20 until we got home, because Roberta and Jeff had their own kind of = dessert in the=20 refrigerator there. Then she suggested we call the waitress and tell her = to=20 leave the ice cream off of our desserts, because they had some = strawberry ice=20 cream in their freezer at home. I said, "You can only put vanilla ice = cream on a=20 brownie!"

She then replied = that we could=20 stop at a store and buy some vanilla on the way home. That appeased me = so I=20 looked around for the waitress to make the change on our take-out order. = She was=20 not in sight so I quickly left the table and marched right into the = kitchen of=20 the restaurant to tell them to hold the ice cream on the dessert. I = might still=20 be shy about some things, but not about something as important as this!=20

While we were = sitting at the=20 table waiting for the dessert order, the ice cream conversation = continued. Jeff=20 spoke up to tell that they usually have plenty of ice cream in their = freezer at=20 home, because they buy it in tubs from Schwan’s which is delivered = right to=20 their house; but at this time they happened to be out if it, except for = some=20 strawberry. Then he went on to tell how good Schwan’s ice cream = is, and that=20 it’s the only kind they buy. He said that the kind we would pick = up at the store=20 wouldn’t be as good as Schwan’s. Finally the waitress handed = us our take-out=20 dessert and we carried it with us as we boarded Jeff’s van to go = home.=20

By now you must = be beginning=20 to wonder why I’m telling you all this. Believe me, it’s not = just idle chatter.=20 This is what I’ve been leading up to:

Just as Jeff was = pulling out=20 of the restaurant’s parking lot to make a left turn onto the main = road, he cut=20 in front of a truck that had to slow down and stop to let him go by. = Listen to=20 this . . . would you believe it? . . . it was a Schwan’s truck! =

Jeff slammed on = the brakes,=20 rolled down his window and called out to the driver of the truck, "Hey, = do you=20 have any vanilla ice cream left?" (This was about nine o’clock at = night and=20 traffic was being held up.) The man in the Schwan’s truck rolled = down his window=20 and said that he did have some vanilla in six quart tubs. "Can I buy = one?" Jeff=20 shouted; and the man said, "Yes, you may." Then, after both vehicles = pulled over=20 to let the traffic proceed, the ice cream was purchased; and we = continued on our=20 way, laughing and praising the Lord.

I did enjoy = eating our late=20 dessert when we got home, but I didn’t sleep much that night; and = it wasn’t due=20 to all those calories. I spent most of the night thinking about the = amazing=20 incident of meeting that truck at that precise moment, and I knew it was = not=20 just a coincidence and was not to be taken lightly. And that there must = be a=20 message in it from the Holy Spirit! There was, and it was not a message = about=20 ice cream; but about the wonderful, loving care of our Heavenly Father!=20

It was a message = to bring us=20 hope and comfort, especially to Jeff and Terri-Lynn; for they were going = through=20 a very difficult time. About a month before, their seventeen-year-old = daughter,=20 whom they dearly love, had left home and vowed never to return. They = were=20 heartbroken and very worried, for she was headed down a dangerous road. = Their=20 faith was holding steadfast, but it was still a very difficult and sad = time in=20 their lives. The next morning, as we sat at the kitchen table, I could = not help=20 but tell what I had been thinking about for most of the night. =

I said, "What = are the odds=20 that just after we were talking about Schwan’s ice cream, a = Schwan’s truck would=20 meet us as we came out of the driveway? There’s no way for that to = be just a=20 coincidence; there was a reason for that. It was a set-up by God!" Then = I went=20 on to tell the message I received from the incident: "If God loves us so = much to=20 be so interested in the little things in our lives, like providing = Schwan’s=20 vanilla ice cream when we wanted it, won’t He take care of the big = things?!"=20 Then I found myself making some kind of a prophecy, and that is = something I=20 rarely do. It just seemed to come out of my mouth before I knew what I = was=20 saying. I said to Terri-Lynn and Jeff, "God will bring your daughter = home! And=20 it will be at the right time! It may be a year or it may be tomorrow, = but He=20 will bring her home!"

Two days later, = after Roberta=20 and I had made the ten-hour drive back home to New Hampshire, Terri-Lynn = and=20 Jeff’s daughter came home!

I’m so = thankful for that=20 answer to prayer, and to know that our Heavenly Father cares so much for = us that=20 He even knows the number of hairs on our heads (Mat.10:30)—and the = flavor and=20 brand of the ice cream that we like. Even when there seems to be a long=20 wait—according to our time and space clock—for some of our = prayers to be=20 answered, it’s not that our Heavenly Father doesn’t hear or = care for the little=20 or big things in our lives. He always does what is best for us and His = timing is=20 always perfect.

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