A Hanging By A Thread Story

Story title: Hanging By A Thread 
By: Bert Balling

       One sunny day, a spider glided down noiselessly from a tree and began to run to and fro among the bushes, pulling along his string and building an intricate web, which very shortly ensnared many a tasty insect.
      As the sun was sinking in the evening sky, the spiderspeeded around and across his web and felt a thrill of pride over his work. It had been a wonderfully successful day.

He was Going To Leave Story

Story title: He Was Going To Leave 
By: Bert Balling

       One day an elderly surgeon said to an aging bishop, "Bishop, I just want to inform you that I'm thingking about leaving the Church. What do you say about that?"
      The Bishop asked the medical man if he could give him a few reasons for his decision. The doctor

The Value Of The Printed Word Story

Story title: The Value Of The Printed Word
By: Bert Balling

      The Russian writer Lev Kopelev had spent many years in prisons and labor camps. Once when he was washing some socks and handkerchiefs in the cellar of a prison, he found a half-burnt book in the garbage heap. It was a Breviary, the official prayer book of every Catholic priest and religious.

Hammering Your Finger Story

Story title: Hammering Your Finger 
By: Bert Balling

    One day, the British author Hilaire Belloc was walking along the docks in New York City when he saw an African American nailing together wooden boxes. Every now and then the man would hammer his finger and then wince with pain for some minutes. Belloc did not believe what he was seeing and so he walked over to the workman and asked, "I beg you pardon, but could you tell me why you keep hitting you finger with hammer?"

Waiting At The Heavenly Gate Story

Story title: Waiting At The Heavenly Gate Story
By: Bert Balling

    The thirty three day Pope, John Paul the First, used to tell this story about three famous cardinals. They all died and appeared together at the heavenly gate. Peter met them, apologized for being very busy, and asked them to take a seat in the cushiony chairs. They waited and waited and nothing much happened. Then a beautiful elegantly dressed young lady arrived and Peter let her right in. The cardinals turned up their noses and one complained, "It looks like purple does not open doors around here."

STORY: Training By Example by Bert Balling

Story title: Training By Example
By: Bert Balling

      Albert Schweitzer is known all over the world as a theologian, a philosopher, a medical doctor, and a musician; but most of all, as a dedicated missionary who spent more than 50 years nursing lepers in the jungles of Lambarene  in West Africa.
     Once when he was on home leave back in Europe, some of his relatives asked him for some advice

STORY : The Lesson Of The Bicycle Wheel by Bert Balling

Story title: The Lesson Of The Bicycle
By: Bert Balling


    The abbot of a large monastery was asked by some visitors how so many monks of such different origins and different talents and personalities could live and work so harmoniously under one roof.
    He thought it over for a moment and then explained, "we are like a bicycle wheel. It has a rim, spokes and a hub in the middle. The rim is like the monastic wall around us. But that only keeps us together externally. Now from the rim a whole series of spokes together. We members of the

STORY A Long Letter From God by Bert Balling

Story title: A Long Letter From God  by Bert Balling     In the third century, a monk called Antony lived a lifetime all alone in the endless desert of Egypt. Despite his isolation, he kept up a lively correspondence with many of the prominent personalities of the day. Emperor Constantine would write to ask for his advice. Other hermits would write asking for his prayers.