They looked around for a champion who could defend their faith, but no one wanted to volunteer. It was too risky. But they finally picked their representative, an old Mullah who unknowingly agreed without knowing what he was getting himself into. He agreed only on the condition that neither side be allowed to talk but communicate by miming only. The pope agreed. The day of the great debate came. The Mullah and the Pope sat opposite each other for a full minute before the Pope raised his hand and showed three fingers. The Mullah looked back at him and raised his middle finger.

The Pope waved his fingers in a circle around his head. Mullah Nasruddin pointed to the ground and stamped his foot. The Pope pulled out a wafer and a glass of wine. Mullah pulled out an apple. The Pope stood up and said, ‘I give up. This man is too good. The Muslims can stay.'

An hour later, the cardials were all around the Pope asking him what happened. The Pope said: First I held up three fingers to represent the Trinity. He responded by holding up one finger to remind me that there was still one God common to both our religions. Then I waved my finger around me to show him that God was all around us. He responded by pointing to the ground and stamping on it, showing that God was also right here with us. I pulled out the wine and the wafer to show that God absolves us from our sins. He pulled out an apple, reminding me of the first sin. He had an answer for everything. What could I do?

Meanwhile, the Muslim community had crowded around the Mullah in total astonishmen. What happened? they asked.

Well,said the Mullah, First he said to me that we Muslims had three days to leave Jerusalem. I told him up yours. Then he told me that this whole city would be cleared of Muslims. I said none of us leaving this land!

And then? asked a woman.

He took out his lunch and I took out mine, said the Mullah.

Special thanks to Malladi for sharing this spiritual story with us!

The author of this spiritual story is unknown and greatly appreciated. If you know who wrote this, or can provide a source that I can cite then please contact me and let me know!

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One day this friend called on the wise man while he was eating. Looking at the food, the friend said, My friend, if you can please the king like me, you will be free from this wretched food.

The wise man smiled and replied, My friend, if you can be pleased with this simple food, you can be free from the wretched job of pleasing the king.

Special thanks to Malladi for sharing this spiritual story with us!

The author of this spiritual story is unknown and greatly appreciated. If you know who wrote this, or can provide a source that I can cite then please contact me and let me know!

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The doctors explained the disease to him and said that for the next three years he would have to undergo intense chemotherapy. They told him of the side effects that would follow – baldness and a bloated body – which sent him into a deep depression.

To lift his spirits, Douglas' aunt called a local floral shop to order and send him a flower arrangement. She told the clerk it was for her teenage nephew who had leukemia.

When the beautiful flowers arrived at the hospital, Douglas read the card from his aunt. Then he saw a second card attached that said:

Douglas, I took your order. I work at Brix florist. I had leukemia when I was 7 years old. I'm 22 years old now. Good luck. My heart goes out to you. Sincerely, Laura Bradley.

For the first time, his face lit up. Douglas Maurer was in a hospital filled with sophisticated medical equipment and technology. He was being treated by some of the best doctors and nurses around. But it was a simple sales clerk in a flower shop that took the time to care and helped give Douglas the hope to carry on.

The author of this spiritual story is unknown and greatly appreciated. If you know who wrote this, or can provide a source that I can cite then please contact me and let me know!

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The young diver never really paid much attention to his friend's sermons, but he heard them often.

One night the diver went to the indoor pool at the college he attended. The lights were all off, but as the pool had big skylights and the moon was bright, there was plenty of light to practice by.

The young man climbed up to the highest diving board and as he turned his back to the pool on the edge of the board and extended his arms out, he saw his shadow on the wall. The shadow of his body was in the shape of a cross.

Instead of diving, he knelt down and asked God to come into his life. As the young man stood, a maintenance man walked in and turned the lights on.

The pool had been drained for repairs.

Special thanks to Malladi for sharing this spiritual story with us!

The author of this spiritual story is unknown and greatly appreciated. If you know who wrote this, or can provide a source that I can cite then please contact me and let me know!

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These jars came from the same factory, were made of the same materials, and can hold the same amount. But they are different, he explained.

Then he upset one of the jars and it oozed out honey. He turned over the other jar, and vinegar spilled out.

When a jar is upset, whatever is in it comes out. Until the jars were upset, they looked alike. The difference was within, and could not be seen. When they were upset, their contents were revealed.

Special thanks to Malladi for sharing this spiritual story with us!

The author of this spiritual story is unknown and greatly appreciated. If you know who wrote this, or can provide a source that I can cite then please contact me and let me know!

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Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please!

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face.

A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma.

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents.

On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere–Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, Do you love me?

Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you.

Then give me your pearls.

Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess–the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favorite.

That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night. And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, Do you love me?

Daddy, you know I love you.

Then give me your pearls.

Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my babydoll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper.

That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you. And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.

What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?

Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver,she finally said, Here, Daddy. It's for you.

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny.

He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her genuine treasure.

The author of this spiritual story is unknown and greatly appreciated. If you know who wrote this, or can provide a source that I can cite then please contact me and let me know!

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Why I mention this tale I explain now: I am a junior in high – school, and one day during my semester exams I was rather tired and depressed. It had been a long, wearying week and I needed to talk with someone, anyone… just to get my mind off of the tests, which I was sure I had done poorly on.

So, after school, I walked down to the student personnel services office, and sat down with one of the counselors. He was a real blast to hang out with, and every student liked him. When we began to talk, I realized my heart really wasn't in the conversation. My mind wandered back to the exams… to a doctors appointment I had the week before — anything but the cheerful subject we were speaking of.

He paused in conversation and looked at me. We began talking now of more serious subjects: a few health problems that I have, a fight I had with my mother the day before — things that were bothering me. After a few minutes of this, he asked me a very strange question.

Do you think you are real?

I was taken aback. What could he possibly meant by that? I pressed him for an explanation, and what he said was basically, he was hearing all of the things that had an impact on me, but really didn't hear about things that I was taking part in or making a difference in. He likened it to the story of the Velveteen Rabbit: did i think that I was real to the people around me, and most importantly to myself.

To my surprise, I found it very hard to answer his question instantly or honestly. A few months later, and I am still thinking about it. It made me wonder that, if I couldn't tell if I was real or not, what other people believed about me.

It makes you think: Do you have enough of an effect on the world around you as you would like to?

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The mother of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school, and she herself feared that the electrical storm might harm her child.

Following the roar of thunder, lightning, through the sky and full of concern, the mother quickly got in her car and drove along the route to her child's school.

As she did so, she saw her little girl walking along, but at each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up and smile. Another and another were to follow quickly, each with the little girl stopping, looking up and smiling.

Finally, the mother called over to her child and asked, What are you doing?

The child answered, smiling, God just keeps taking pictures of me.

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Hold on a minute, Socrates replied. Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?

Well, no, the man said, actually I just heard about it and…

All right, said Socrates. So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now, let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?

Umm, no, on the contrary…

So, Socrates continued, you want to tell me something bad about my friend, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left — the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?

No, not really.

Well, concluded Socrates, if what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?

The author of this spiritual story is unknown and greatly appreciated. If you know who wrote this, or can provide a source that I can cite then please contact me and let me know!

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Here, have some cooking oil, she says. Yuck says the boy.

Then how about a couple raw eggs?

Gross, Grandma! he replies.

Would you prefer some flour then? Or maybe some baking soda? she asks.

Grandma, those are all yucky! he replied.

To which Grandma replies: Yes, all those things seem to taste bad all by themselves. But when they are mixed together in the right amounts and the right manner, they make a delicious cake!

She continued, God works the same way. Many times we wonder why he would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!

The author of this spiritual story is unknown and greatly appreciated. If you know who wrote this, or can provide a source that I can cite then please contact me and let me know!

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