Humor 12/21/98: Flying & Three Trees

Hi everyone,

Merry Christmas! I hope you're not too stressed by the Christmas
season. I've heard reports that Christmas is the most stressful time of
the year for people. In the midst of all the Christmas shopping and
traditions, I hope you do not forget the true meaning of Christmas,
which is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

This week's humor was forwarded by Neil Shouse, followed by an
inspirational story forwarded by Anna Man. Enjoy!

Let me know if you are going to be visiting LA in the next couple of
weeks. There are many activities that you can participate in.

-Josh.
___________________________________________

The passengers on a commercial airliner have been seated and are
awaiting the cockpit crew to get them under way. A murmur is heard in
the back of
the plane, and a few passengers on the aisle glance back to see the
pilot and copilot, both wearing large, dark sunglasses, making their way
up to the
cockpit. However, the pilot is using a white cane, bumping into
passengers right & left as he stumbles down the aisle, and the copilot
is using a
seeing-eye guide dog.

As they pass by the rows of passengers there are nervous giggles heard,
as people are thinking that it must be some sort of practical joke. But
a few
minutes after the cockpit door has closed behind them the engines start
spooling up and the airplane taxis out to the runway. The passengers
look
at each other with some uneasiness, whispering among themselves and
shifting uneasily or gripping the armrests more tightly. As the airplane
starts
accelerating rapidly, people begin panicking. Some passengers are
praying, and as the plane gets closer and closer to the end of the
runway, passengers
become more and more hysterical! Finally, when the airplane has only a
few seconds of runway left, the shouts of horror fill the cabin as
everyone
screams at once, but at the very last moment the airplane lifts off and
is airborne!!!

Up in the cockpit, the copilot breathes a sigh of relief and turns to
the Captain:

"You know, one of these days the passengers are going to scream too
late, and we're gonna get killed!"
___________________________________________

Three Trees

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were
discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday, I
hope to be a
treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems.
I could be decorated with intricate carvings and everyone would see the
beauty."

Then the second tree said, "Someday, I will be a mighty ship. I will
take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the
world.
Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and
straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill
and
look up to my branches. They will think of the heavens and God and how
close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time
and
people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group
of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he
said, "This
looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a
carpenter". He began cutting it down. The tree was happy because he
knew
that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I
should be able to sell it to the shipyard". The second tree was happy
because he
knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened
because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come
true. One of
the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll
take this one". He cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed
box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay.
This was
not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made
into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and
carrying kings
had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left
alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one
day, a man and a woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed
the baby in
the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man
wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger
would have to
do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it
had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second
tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on
the
water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong
enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he
stood and said
"peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had
carried the king of kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through
the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they
came to
a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at
the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it
was
strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as
was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your
way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust
in Him, He
will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just
not in the way they had imagined.

We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His
ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

Author - Unknown
--
_____________________________________

Joshua Li
431 S. Burnside Ave. #12 B
Los Angeles CA 90036
(323)936-8476
Permanent Email: joshli@post.harvard.edu
http://personal.anderson.ucla.edu/joshua.li/