Count Your Blessings

There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church  carrying a rusty, bent, 
old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were  raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to  speak....

"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a  young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the  lad and asked, ‘What do you have there, son?’

"Just some old  birds," came the reply.

"What are you going to do with them?" I  asked.

"Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. "I'm  gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna  have a real good time."

"But you'll get tired of those birds  sooner or later. What will you do then?"

"Oh, I got some cats,"  said the little boy. "They like birds. 

The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do  you want for those birds, son?"


"Huh?? !!! Why, you  don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't  sing. They ain't even pretty!"

"How much?" the pastor asked  again.

The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said,  "$10?"


The pastor reached in his pocket and took  out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was  gone. The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the  alley where there was a 
tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he  opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out,  setting them free. Well, that 
explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and  then the pastor began to tell this story:

One  day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation.

Satan  had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes,  sir, I just caught a world full of people down there. Set me a 
trap, used bait  I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"


"What are you going to  do with them?" Jesus asked.

Satan replied, "Oh, I'm  gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry smoke and curse. I'm gonna  teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna  have fun!"

"And what will you do when you are done with  them?" Jesus asked.


"Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared  proudly.

"How much do you want for them?" Jesus  asked.


"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no  good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you,  curse you and kill you. You don't want those  people!!"

"How much? He asked  again.

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your  blood, tears and your life."

Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the  price.

The pastor picked up the cage and walked from the  pulpit.

I pray, for everyone who sends this on, whether to their  entire address book or just a few, that God will bless them in a special way.  And for those that just deleted it...and I KNOW there will be a few ... WHAT  ARE YOU 
GOING TO DO?

I thank God every day for my blessed life.  I'm not rich, don't live in a mansion and don't have the nicest of material  things, but, I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, good health, a great wife, food on my table,  a family that loves me and lifelong friends to get me through... I'd say I  have a lot to be thankful for.

Have you counted your blessings  today?