1. A lesson for life Read the whole story >>>

2. A miser’s final wish Read the whole story >>>

3. Fortune and the beggar Read the whole story >>>

4. God is Missing Read the whole story >>>

5. Jimmy Jet and His TV Set Read the whole story >>>

6. Lame Man Read the whole story >>>

7. Pencils Read the whole story >>>

8. Rick is late again! Read the whole story >>>

9. Sherlock Holmes story Read the whole story >>>

10. The Cunning Fox and the Clever Stork Read the whole story >>>

11. The little jackals and the lion Read the whole story >>>

12. The Seven-Witted Fox and the One-Witted Owl Read the whole story >>>

13. The Story of Yes & No Read the whole story >>>

14. The Umbrella Read the whole story >>>

15. The woman runner Read the whole story >>>

16. Your life is a reflection of you Read the whole story >>>

1. A lesson for life

 

Once upon a time there was a race of frogs. The goal was to reach the top of a high tower. Many people gathered to see and support them. The race began. In reality,  the people didn’t believe that it was possible that the frogs would reach the top of the tower, and all the phrases that one could hear were of this kind:

“What pain!!!...   They’ll never make it!”

 

The frogs began to doubt themselves. The people continued:

“… what pain!!! They’ll never make it!”

And the frogs, one by one, admitted defeat, except for one frog that continued to climb. At the end he, alone, and with an enormous effort, reached the top of the tower.

 

One of the quitters approached him to  ask him how he had done it, to finish the race.

And discovered that he … was deaf!

 

….… Never listen to people who have the bad habit of being negative…

because they steal the best aspirations of your heart!   Always remind yourself of the power of the words that we hear or read – always think  POSITIVE!

 

Conclusion:

Always be deaf to someone who tells you that you can’t and won’t achieve your goals or make come true your dreams.

 

ALWAYS BE A DEAF FROG

 

2. A MISER’S FINAL WISH

 

NARRATOR : There was a man who had worked hard all his life and had saved all of his money. He was a real miser when it came to his money. He loved money more than anything else in the world. One day, as he was feeling sick and sensed he was going to die, he said to his wife:

OLD MAN : Now, listen. When I die, I want you to take all my money and place it in the casket with me! I want to take my money to the afterlife!

WIFE : If this is your final wish, my love…I promise you I will put all the money in the casket with you!

NARRATOR : Well, some days later, the old man died. He was stretched out in the casket, the wife was sitting there in black next to his closest friend. When they finished the ceremony, just before the undertakers got ready to close the casket, the wife shouted:

WIFE : Wait just a minute!

NARRATOR : She had a small shoe box with her, she came over with the box and placed it gently in the casket. Then the undertakers locked the casket down and took it away.

FRIEND : I hope you were not crazy enough to put all that money in the casket!

WIFE : Yes, I did it! I had promised! I am a good Christian and I can’t lie! I had promised I would put all the money in that casket with him!

FRIEND : Do you really mean that you have just put all his money in the casket with him?

WIFE : I sure did! I got it all together, put it into my bank account and I wrote him a check!!

 

3. Fortune and the beggar

 

One day a ragged beggar was creeping along from house to house. He carried an old wallet in his hand and was asking at every door for a few cents to buy something to eat. As he was grumbling at his misfortune, he kept wondering why it was that folks who had so much money were never satisfied but were always wanting more.

 

"Here," said he, "is the master of this house—I know him well. He was always a good business man, and he made himself wondrously rich a long time ago. Had he been wise, he would have stopped then. He would have turned over his business to someone else, and then he could have spent the rest of his life in ease. But what did he do instead? He built ships and sent them to sea to trade with foreign lands. He thought he would get mountains of gold.”

 

"But there were great storms on the water; his ships were wrecked, and his riches were swallowed up by the waves. Now all his hopes lie at the bottom of the sea, and his great wealth has vanished.”

 

"There are many such cases. Men seem to never be satisfied unless they gain the whole world.”

 

"As for me, if I had only enough to eat and to buy clothing, I would not want anything more."

 

Just at that moment, Fortune came down the street. She saw the beggar and stopped. She said to him:

 

"Listen! I have long wished to help you. Hold your wallet, and I will pour this gold into it, but only on this condition: all that falls into the wallet shall be pure gold, but every piece that falls upon the ground shall become dust. Do you understand?"

 

"Oh, yes, I understand," said the beggar.

 

"Then be careful," said Fortune. "Your wallet is old, so do not load it too heavily."

 

The beggar was so glad that he could hardly wait. He quickly opened his wallet, and a stream of yellow dollars poured into it. The wallet grew heavy.

"Is that enough?" asked Fortune.

"Not yet."

"Isn't it cracking?"

"Never fear."

The beggar's hands began to tremble. Ah, if the gold would only pour forever!

"You are the richest man in the world now!"

"Just a little more, add just a handful or two."

"There, it's full. The wallet will burst."

"But it will hold just a little more!"

 

Another piece was added, and the wallet split. The treasure fell upon the ground and turned to dust. The beggar had nothing now but his empty wallet, and it was torn from top to bottom. He was as poor as before.

 

4. God is Missing

 

Kim and Tim were twins. They were labeled as the naughtiest brothers in the world. They were very mischievous. Worried about their future, their mother and father decided to send them to a priest hoping that he could correct their ways. 

The priest told their parents that if they can impose the fear of God, they would change. The parents were happy. The priest asked them to send each boy, ,one by one so that he could have some conversation separately.

The priest first talked to the elder one, Kim and after some questions, asked him in a loud voice ‘Where is God?’ 
Kim remained silent and the priest repeated the question again and again. The boy remained silent. The priest soon gave up and asked Kim to leave.

"And on your  way out,  call in your brother Tim" young man.  "I want to have a work with him".  
Kim asked the priest, ‘Are you going to ask my brother about God too?’ 
The priest said YES. 
Kim  got out , looked for his brother Tim and when he got close to him he whispered.

"Tim, we are in trouble. God is missing, and everyone thinks that we are to blame for his disappearance!’

 

5. Jimmy Jet and His TV Set

 

I'll tell you the story of Jimmy Jet

and his TV set

And you know what I tell you is true.

He loved to watch his TV set  almost as much as you.

He watched all day, he watched all night till he grew pale and lean,

From the "Early Show" to "The Late Show  and all the shows in  between.

He watched till his eyes were frozen wide and  his bottom grew into his chair.

And his chin turned into a tuning dial  and antennae grew out of his hair.

And his brains turned into TV tubes, and his face to a TV screen.

And two knobs  appeared  where his ears had been.

And he grew a plug that looked like a tail so we plugged in little Jim.

And now instead of him watching TV we all sit around and watch him.

 

6. Lame Man

 

Two men were walking on the beach. They were having a conversation about health, children, education, etc. 

Suddenly, they saw a man at a distance. He was limping. They  started arguing about the man who was limping. The first man said that the man could have been born lame. The second one said that he could have met with any accident and become lame. 

They argued for some time, but none agreed with the other. They  decided to ask the lame man about the cause of his limping. 

The first man said, ‘We have been watching you for a while. I told my friend that you were limping because you could have been born lame, but my friend argues that you were injured in an accident! Which one is true?

 Please tell us?’

The lame man laughed at them and replied, ‘I’m not lame. It is just that one of my slippers broke and I’m finding it difficult to walk on the beach!

 

7. Pencils

 

Participants: 2 (a pencil maker and a narrator)

Props: Pencils / a Power Point presenting the things WE need to know before going out into the world.  

 

NARRATOR: The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.

PENCIL MAKER (holding a pencil) “There are 5 things you need to know,” before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.”

“One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone’s hand.”

“Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you’ll need it to become a better pencil.”

“Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.”

“Four: The most important part of you will always be what’s inside.”

“And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write.”

NARRATOR: The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replacing the place of the pencil with you. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God’s hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you’ll need it to become a stronger person.

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what’s on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.

Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.

 

8. Rick is late again!

 

(Rick comes hastily into the room. He nearly collides with his superior, Robert Black, Robert is frowning, while Rick looks very embarrassed).

 

Robert Black (angrily)                        Rick!

Rick Strong (frustrated)                     Hello. Am I late?

Robert Black                                       Yes, you are. Why are you late?

Rick Strong                                          Oh. Well..........I……….. have no transport.

Robert Black (disbelieving)                No transport?   Why not?

Rick Strong                                            Well………my….……girlfriend has my car.   

                                                                And………. (holds out his wrist) I have no watch.

Robert Black (incredulous)                No Watch? Why not?

Rick Strong (sheepish)                        Well, my girlfriend has my watch.

Robert Black                                         Rick, you are very late.

(still angry, commanding)                      

(points)                                                Go to the studio!

Rick Strong (meekly)                          Yes, Robert, (starts to leave)

Robert Black                                         And buy a bicycle!

(less angry than before)  

Rick Strong                                          Yes, Robert.

Robert Black                                        And buy a new watch!

(beginning to smile)

Rick Strong                                          Yes , Robert. (beginning to relax)            

Robert Black (laughs)                         And find a new girlfriend!

Rick Strong (emphatic)                       No, Robert!!! (laughs and exits)

 

9. Sherlock Holmes story

 

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. As they lay down for the night, they were discussing.

Holmes: Watson, look up into the sky and tell me what you see.

Watson: I see millions and millions of stars.

Holmes: And what does that tell you?

Watson: Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets.

Holmes: Theologically, it tells me that God is great and that we are small and insignificant.

Watson: Meteorologically, it tells me that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. But, what does it tell YOU, Holmes?

Holmes: Someone’s stolen our tent.

 

10. The Cunning Fox and the Clever Stork

 

At one time the Fox and the Stork were friends.  I mean not real friends but at least they said good morning and how are you and what is happening?

One day the fox invited the stork over and the invitation said, “Dear friend I am expecting you to dinner”.  So, the Stork happily accepted to visit the Fox and have dinner with him. When the Stork sat at the table he saw a very shallow dish and nothing else.  He thought this was a joke and that soon the food would be served. The fox lapped and lapped the soup and said that it was yummy and  tasty and delicious and the poor Stork who had a lot of  appetite could not really eat.  All he could do was to wet the end of her long bill in the shallow dish. So the fox ate and ate, lapped and lapped until it ate all the soup and the Stork was left hungry and miserable.  But because it was   a polite animal he did not complain about the hospitality even when the fox said, “I am sorry that the soup is not to your liking.”

At that moment the stork said “Please do not apologize. It is not a serious matter. I hope you will return this visit, and come and dine with me soon. So the stork suggested a day when the Fox would visit him at his home;

So, on that particular day the fox, all made up and full of energy and appetite knocked on the Stork’s door and the stork welcomed the fox  and led him to the table. When the fox sat at the table, all he could see was soup in a very long-necked jar with a narrow mouth. He thought that soon the rest of the food would appear. But  the Stork wished the fox good appetite and started eating from the Long-necked jar. The fox kept looking without being able to eat anything because she could not put  her snout in the jar. All she could do was to lick the outside of the jar. The Stork ate and ate and soon emptied the whole jar.

“I will have to apologize for the dinner, said the Stork because you do not seem to like what I have prepared”

That is fine my friend said the fox. I was not feeling very hungry. And this soup is not much to my liking.” But inside him he knew that this was his punishment’

 

11. The little jackals and the lion

 

Once there was a great big jungle.  In the jungle, there was a great big Lion; and the Lion was king of the jungle.  Whenever he wanted something to eat, all he had  to do was to come up out of his cave and roar. When he had roared a few times all the little people of the jungle were so frightened that they came out of their holes and hiding-places and ran   to get away. Then, of course, the Lion could see where they were. And he pounced on them, killed them, and gobbled  them up.

He did this so often that there was not one thing left alive in the jungle besides the Lion, except two little Jackals, a little father Jackal and a little mother Jackal.

They had run away so many times that they were quite thin and very tired, and they could not run so fast any more. And one day the Lion was so near that the little mother Jackal grew frightened; she said,

``Oh, Father Jackal, Father Jackal! I believe our time has come!  The Lion will surely catch us this time!''

``Pooh! Nonsense, mother!'' said the little father Jackal. ``Come, we'll run on a bit!''

And they ran, ran, ran very fast, and the Lion did not catch them that time.

But a day came when the Lion was even nearer and the little mother Jackal was frightened about dying.

``Oh, Father Jackal, Father Jackal!'' she cried; ``I'm sure our time has come! The Lion's going to eat us this time!''

``Now, mother, don't you fear,'' said the little father Jackal; ``You do just as I tell you, and it will be all right.''

Then what did those cunning little Jackals do but take hold of hands and run up towards the Lion, as if they had meant to come all the time. When he saw them coming he stood up, and roared in a terrible voice,

``You miserable little wretches, come here and be eaten, at once!  Why didn't you come before?''

The father Jackal bowed very low.

``Indeed, Father Lion,'' he said, ``we meant to come before; we knew we ought to come before; and we wanted to come before; but every time we started to come, a dreadful great lion came out of the woods and roared at us, and frightened us so that we ran away.''

``What do you mean?'' roared the Lion. ``There's no other lion in this jungle, and you know it!''

``Indeed, indeed, Father Lion,'' said the little Jackal, ``I know that is what everybody thinks; but indeed there is another lion! And he is much bigger than you! His face is much more terrible, and his roar far, far more dreadful. Oh, he is far more fearful than you!''

At that point, the Lion stood up and roared so that the jungle shook.

``Take me to this lion,'' he said; ``I'll eat him up and then I'll eat you up.''

The little Jackals led the way, and the Lion stalked behind. They took him to a place where there was a round, deep well of clear water. They went round on one side of it, and the Lion stalked up to the other.

``He lives down there, Father Lion!'' said the little Jackal. ``He lives down there!''

The Lion came close and looked down into the water, and a lion's face looked back at him out of the water!

When he saw that, the Lion roared and shook his mane and showed his teeth. And the lion in the water shook his mane and showed his teeth. The Lion above shook his mane again and growled again, and made a terrible face. But the lion in the water made just as terrible a one, back. The Lion above couldn't stand that. He leaped down into the well after the other lion.

But, of course, as you know very well, there wasn't any other lion! It was only his reflection in the water!

So the poor old Lion floundered about and floundered about, and as he couldn't get up the steep sides of the well, he was drowned dead. And when he was drowned the little Jackals took hold of hands and danced round the well, and sang,

``The Lion is dead! The Lion is dead!

``We have killed the great Lion who would have killed us!

``The Lion is dead! The Lion is dead!

``Ao! Ao! Ao!''

 

12. The Seven-Witted Fox and the One-Witted Owl

 

Narrator:  One day the owl met a fox, and the fox kept  bragging  about his intelligence and cleverness, and said that  everybody talked about how  very cunning and smart he was. The owl asked him.

Owl:  My brother, how many wits have you got.? Have you ever counted your intelligences?

Fox: Seven, I have seven and I am proud of every one of it.

Owl: No wonder you are so clever. I have only one.

Narrator: A short time afterwards the  owl again met the fox, but this time he was running for his life. The hunters were after him, and the hounds were trying to catch him. Running as fast as his legs could carry him, he at last managed to slip into a hole. The owl followed him, and seeing him there, exhausted, she asked.

Owl : How many minds (wits) have you got now, do you think?

Fox : I think six. I have lost one from all this  chase.

Narrator: Meanwhile the hunters and dogs came nearer and nearer, so they could hear the barking of the dogs and the fox got really stressed and  did not know what to do. The owl asked her.

Owl: How many wits have you  got now, old fellow?

Fox: Oh, I have lost all my minds. I have none left.

Owl:  But where is your cunning and smartness of which you bragged?

Fox: It is not kind of you, now, to turn ironic when you know that the dogs are at my heels and there is no escape for me, poor fellow.

 

Owl:  "Well, I have only  one skill and I will see whether I can save you with this one skill.  It is my turn. I am going to lie down here at the entrance as though I am dead. When the hunters come, they will see me and get hold of me and talk about me. Meanwhile they will forget you, and in the middle of the trouble, you just dash out and run for your life.

Narrator: It happened just as the owl had said. No sooner did the hunters come up and find the owl than they said  "What is this ugly bird doing here? And  a dead one to too". And while they were busy with the owl, trying to get hold of it to throw it away, off went the fox through them and escaped. Soon afterwards the owl met  the fox again, and she said,

Owl: "How have your seven minds (wits) helped you when you were in time of danger?  And receiving no answer he went on.

 

13. The Story of Yes & No

 

Before words were words, a boy named Yes lived in a small village in a small kingdom. Yes, was good at everything. Yes had a brother, and his name was No. No was jealous of his brother and he was not good at anything himself. Whenever the villagers asked No for help, he refused. He didn’t like people very much. Whenever  people asked Yes for a favor, he gladly helped.   Yes and  No had a father and his name was Okay.

 

One day Okay went on a long journey and he left his two sons to take care of  the animals. Yes took good care of the donkey, the ducks and the goat. No didn’t want to be bothered with the  care of the animals. So instead of helping his brother, No went down to the lake and threw rocks into the water.

A few days after his father left, Yes asked his brother to watch the goat while he went to find some food  to eat. But No lay down, shut his eyes, and forgot about the goat.

It just so happened, that the king had a personal road nearby, and he travelled on it often. On that day the King’s carriage was passing by and lost balance.  The King was thrown from the carriage and fell to the ground and hurt himself.

The King demanded to know why there was  a goat on his road and asked all the villagers for an explanation. Yes was always honest, so he told the King the whole story.

The King thought for a moment, and then he came up with an idea that he was quite happy with. Yes and No would  work in the castle as his servants  to get punishment for letting their goat walk down the  king’s road.
The King needed help with many things around the castle. Soon  the King realized that only Yes would be of any use to him as a servant. Whenever the King asked No to bring him anything, the food was thrown or it was messy. The things No would bring him were  broken. The King was quite sure that No was the worst servant in the whole world.
The brothers’ most important task was to help pick the food for a grand party that the King was throwing later that night. Cooks from all over the Kingdom  lined up at the castle’s gate to offer the King their food for the party. The King  asked Yes and No to bring this food to him.
The first cook came up the gate and yelled to the Gatekeeper,        “I bring my delicious blueberry pie for the King’s banquet!”

The King wanted the pie and asked  “Yes!” to go and bring  it.

The next cook stepped up to the gate. “I offer the King veggie soup!” he said.

The King didn’t like veggie soup so he asked “No!”  to go and get the soup. No dropped the soup before the King could even smell it.

This went on for hours. If the King liked a dish, he would ask “Yes!” and it would be brought in and If he did not want it he would call  “NO!” and the dish would be destroyed moments later.
Soon this became known to the rest of the Kingdom. So If people didn’t want for example a second scoop of potatoes, they would say “No.” And if they liked what someone was offering, they would say, “Yes.” And ever since that day in a small village in a small kingdom, YES means Yes, and NO means No. And in this land  live    Yes and No’s cousins. Yes and No’s cousins  are    Please and Thanks  but this  is another story for another time…

 

14. The Umbrella

 

A 12-year-old girl has gone to London with her mother to visit the dentist. The girl has a tooth filled, and then she and her mother go to a café afterwards. When it’s time to go home, they discover that it’s pouring rain and they have no umbrella. They decide to get a taxi. While they’re watching for a cab, an old gentleman sheltering under an umbrella approaches them. He asks for a favor. The girl’s mother is very distrustful of strange men. The old man explains that he has forgotten his wallet and would like to sell them his umbrella in return for taxi fare back to his home. He explains that it’s a very nice silk umbrella worth twenty pounds, but his legs are weak and he simply must take a taxi home. The mother likes the sound of the deal, but the little girl worries that they’re taking advantage of the old man. The mother offers to simply give him the cab fare, but he insists that they take the umbrella. The transaction is made and everyone is happy.

 

As the mother is proudly explaining the importance of correctly judging people, the daughter notices that the old man has quickly crossed the street and is hurrying away.

“He doesn’t look very tired to me,” she said. The mother is displeased. “He’s up to something.”

They decide to follow him and find out. They quickly follow him as he rushes through the rainy streets. Eventually they find themselves at a pub called “The Red Lion” and watch through the window as the old man enters and uses the pound note to pay for a triple whiskey.

 “That’s a jolly expensive drink,” said the little girl. “It cost him a twenty-pound silk umbrella!”

They watch as the old man finishes his drink and goes to retrieve his coat and hat. Just before he leaves the pub, he smoothly plucks a wet umbrella from the coat rack and takes it with him.

“So that’s his game!” the mother explained.

They see him head back to the main street and sell the umbrella to another unsuspecting person. Then he heads off in another direction for another pub.

“He could be doing this all night,” the girl says.

“Yes, of course,” says the mother. “But I bet he prays like mad for rainy days.”

 

15. The woman runner

 

Atalanta was the most beautiful woman in Greece. Many men wanted to marry her but she always said no.

“Please marry me, beautiful Atalanta! I will make you very happy!”

“NO! NO! I don’t want to marry you!” she said.

Atalanta wanted to be a runner, not a wife. She practiced running every day. Soon she was faster than any other woman and man in Greece.

A prince saw Atalanta and fell in love with her. But when he asked her to marry him, Atalanta said no.

“You are so beautiful, Atalanta! Will you be my wife?” he asked her.

No! No! I don’t want to be your wife!” Atalanta said.

The prince followed Atalanta everywhere.

“Will you marry me? He asked her again and again. How could Atalanta get him to stop bothering her?

Atalanta had an idea. “I will marry you – if you can beat me in a running race.”

The prince could not run faster than Atalanta. He asked the goddess of love for help.

“Please Aphrodite, help me win…”

The goddess gave him three golden apples and said: “Here you are. These apples will help you win the race.”

A large crowd came to watch the race. The crowd shouted: “On your mark, get set, go!!!!”

Atalanta sprinted away, leaving the prince in the dust! But the prince smiled. He knew just what to do.

The prince rolled a golden apple in front of Atalanta. When Atalanta stopped to pick it up, he raced ahead.

Each time Atalanta ran ahead of the prince, he rolled a golden apple in front of her.

Sadly the prince couldn’t win the race, even with the golden apples.

“Will you marry me anyway?” the prince asked.

Atalanta said: “Maybe, I will think about it.”

​

16. YOUR LIFE IS A REFLECTION OF YOU

 

The father and the son are hiking up on the mountain when the boy falls and gives a painfu scream “AAAAAhhhhhhhhhh”.

To his surprise, he hears his voice repeated somewhere in the mountain “Aaahhhhhhhh!”

Curious, the boy asks.

“Who are you?” and gets back a reply”

“who are you you, you?”

The boy shouts “Answer the question”

and the mountain replies “answer the question, question”

Angered, the boy calls out “coward” and receives the answer “coward, coward, coward”

He looks at his father who is now standing next to him and asks:

“What is happening dad?

The father smiles, tells him to pay attention and think. The dad then shouts.

“You are a champion” and the mountain answers “You are a champion”

The boy looks surprised. He does not understand. The father explains.

This is what people call ECHO. If you ask me ECHO really is LIFE. It gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is simply a reflection of our actions. If you want love, create love. Life gives you back what you have given it. Your life, son, is a reflection of you.