THE ONE YEAR ILLUSTRATIONS CLUB

Don't Laugh at Me" is a song written by Allen Shamblin and Steve Seskin, and recorded by American country music artist Mark Wills. "Don't Laugh at Me" was a number 2 hit on the Billboard country charts. The song received Country Music Association nominations for Country Music Association's Single, Song and Video of the Year in 1998. Allen Shamblin was inspired to write the song after his daughter came home from school one day, telling him that she was being teased by other children at school because of her freckles. Wills has received letters from teachers and students who have said that they can identify with the song's story. According to him, "everyone can relate to [the song]…Everyone at some point in their life has been picked on, made fun of or put down."He told Billboard magazine that the song is "one of the strongest songs I've ever recorded in terms of dealing with life in general."

One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, "Jump! I'll catch you." He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: "Jump! I will catch you." But the boy protested, "Daddy, I can't see you." The father replied, "But I can see you and that's all that matters." The boy had not considered this, that his father could see him, at that point he put his faith in his father and the fear left him and the boy jumped and was caught by the net the fireman had set beneath him.

I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it. Anonymous

John Edwards found an enthusiastic following for his 2008 presidential bid, espousing a populist call for economic justice and the restoration of “ America ’s moral leadership.” To loyalists, it was more than political angle; Edwards campaigned at great personal sacrifice, traveling the country while his wife battled cancer. But scoops by a supermarket tabloid contrasted his high-mind rhetoric with base private behavior, the National Enquirer reported Edwards was having an affair with Rielle Hunter, (while his wife was struggling with cancer). Rielle Hunter was a former campaign worker, who was then pregnant. Sources told us Edwards was the father of the baby. Confronted with the report, Edwards lied, emphatically. He called the story “lies” and “tabloid trash.” He then engineered a cover-up, convincing an aide to publicly claim paternity of the baby. Six months later, the~Enquirer~caught Edwards in a Los Angeles-area hotel visiting Hunter and the baby. Up to that point, political ins...

HE kicked off his career at the age of four by fronting his uncle’s band, becoming Oahu 's youngest Elvis impersonator in the process. Ten years later, he was impersonating the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, as part of the Legends in Concert show. After graduating high school in 2003, he took his uncle's advice and moved to California to pursue a music career. After months of frustration, he met songwriter Phillip Lawrence, who convinced HIM to try his hand at writing songs for other artists. The two dubbed themselves the Smeezingtons and co-wrote “Long Distance,” which was recorded in 2008 by R&B singer Brandy. More offers arrived after that, and HE and Lawrence scored their first number one hit in 2009, when they co-authored Flo Rida's international smash "Right Round." After working a string of behind-the-scenes jobs -- including writing songs for Brandy, singing backup for the Sugababes, and impersonating Elvis -- HE put his name on top of the chart...

There was an article listed in the lost-and-found column of a Midwestern newspaper: "Lost dog, please call if found, he has brown fur, some missing due to mange, a skin disease caused by parasite mites, he is blind in one eye, 80 % deaf, lame leg due to recent traffic accident, slightly arthritic. If you see him, he goes by the name of 'Lucky.'"

Due to animosity between Jack and his wife, Lisa, Jack requested in his last Will & Testament, that he be buried with all his money. Lisa told her best friend about his wishes and she was aghast. Well the day of the funeral and burial finally came. As they were lowering the coffin down into the ground, Lisa's best friend couldn't help but ask Lisa, "so did you honor his wishes?" Lisa replied, "of course, what kind of woman do you think I am?!"  "A better woman than I", her friend respond.  Lisa said, "well, I had to honor his wishes, so I buried him with his wealth, I wrote him a check and placed it on his chest and if he can cash it where he's going, than he's more than welcome to it!".

Douglas Maurer, 15, of Creve Coeur , Missouri , had been feeling bad for several days. His temperature was ranging between 103 and 105 degrees, and he was suffering from severe flu-like symptoms. Finally, his mother took him to the hospital in St. Louis . Douglas Maurer was diagnosed as having leukemia. The doctors told him in frank terms about his disease. They said that for the next three years, he would have to undergo chemotherapy. They didn't sugarcoat the side effects. They told Douglas he would go bald and that his body would most likely bloat. Upon learning this, he went into a deep depression. His aunt called a floral shop to send Douglas an arrangement of flowers. She told the clerk that it was for her teenage nephew who has leukemia. When the flowers arrived at the hospital, they were beautiful. Douglas read the card from his aunt. Then he saw a second card. It said: " Douglas --I took your order. I work at Brix florist. I had leukemia when I was 7 years old. I...

WHY VENUS SPINS THE WRONG WAY -AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL Our neighboring planet Venus is an oddball in many ways. For starters, it spins in the opposite direction from most other planets, including Earth, so that on Venus the sun rises in the west. Not that it happens often: a day there lasts a little more than 243 Earth-days, actually making it longer than a Venusian year, which is only about 224 Earth-days long. Many scientists believe that the long days are a result of the sun's strong pull on the planet. But scientists are still puzzled by Venus's retrograde, or backward, rotation. Evolution teaches that creation started by the "Big Bang Theory"; thence sending all sorts of particulars flying through the explosion through the momentum of a blast. If that were the case, the momentum of the blast, if we can somehow take a grand leap of faith that the blast created planets (big leap I know) than we can only conclude the planets would all be spinning in t...

J.D. Rockefeller said, "I never would have been able to tithe the first million dollars I ever made if I had not tithed my first salary, which was $1.50 per week."

We have nothing to do with how much ability we've got, or how little, but with what we do with what we have. The man with great talent is apt to be puffed up, and the man with little (talent) to belittle the little. Poor fools! God gives it, much or little. Our part is to be faithful, doing the level best with every bit and scrap. And we will be if Jesus' spirit controls. S.D. Gordon

"There are those that know neither the woes of defeat neither the joy of victory, they just dwell in a perpetual state of mediocrity." Anonymous

Actor Jack Klugman recalls being devastated at age 12 when his father died. Struggling for decades with depression over that loss, Klugman finally sought counseling. “It was then that I remembered that my father was the only one in my family who ever hugged me. The rest of my family stayed away from touching or hugging—especially my mother. Only my father was unashamed to show affection. My father taught me that showing your affection was not a sign of weakness but instead a sign of love.” Klugman says he passed his father's legacy on to his own two sons as well as his granddaughters. “Whenever I see them, we kiss and hug and show how fond we are of each other. I love it!”

Howard Schultz became chairman and CEO of Starbucks and expanded the company from its original three stores to more than 3000. Schultz was raised in a working-class family in Brooklyn . His father was a high-school dropout who held a series of low-income jobs as factory worker, trucker, and cab driver. “We actually lived in federally subsidized housing,” he states. To make ends meet, his father often worked long hours. In spite of having little discretionary time, the elder Schultz carved out space for his son. “There were many days when my dad came home from 14-hour days of very physical labor, and the first thing he did was look for me. We would put our gloves on, go outside, and have a catch. Those moments between a father and son are so special and I will never forget.

Bertoldo de Giovanni is a name even the most enthusiastic lover of art is unlikely to recognize. He was the pupil of Donatello, the greatest sculptor of his time, and he was the teacher of Michelangelo, the greatest sculptor of all time. Michelangelo was only 14 years old when he came to Bertoldo, but it was already obvious that he was enormously gifted. Bertoldo was wise enough to realize that gifted people are often tempted to coast rather than to grow, and therefore he kept trying to pressure his young prodigy to work seriously at his art. One day he came into the studio to find Michelangelo toying with a piece of sculpture far beneath his abilities. Bertoldo grabbed a hammer, stomped across the room, and smashed the work into tiny pieces, shouting this unforgettable message, "Michelangelo, talent is cheap; dedication is costly!" Word Michael Angelo would never forget!

Ted Turner, the founder of the Cable News Network, aka CNN, MGM, TNT and other media outlets, claims, in a sense, that prayer was what pushed him away from his faith. Cable television mogul Ted Turner criticized fundamentalist Christianity and said Jesus probably would "be sick at his stomach" over the way his ideas have been "twisted," the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Turner made his remarks Friday evening at a banquet in Orlando , Fla. , where he was given an award by the American Humanist Association for his work on behalf of the environment and world peace. Turner said he had a strict Christian upbringing and at one time considered becoming a missionary. "I was saved seven or eight times," the newspaper quoted him as saying. But he said he became disenchanted with Christianity after his sister died, despite his prayers. Turner said the more he strayed from his faith, "the better I felt." Spokesman-Review, May 1, 1990.

In the Pryor Report, a Business Journal, they listed the top 7 virtues employers look for in their employees. At the top…Integrity. What qualities in employees irritate bosses the most? Burke Marketing Research asked executives in 100 of the nation's 1000 largest companies. At the top of the list was dishonesty. Marc Silbert, whose temporary employee firm commissioned the study, says, "If a company believes that an employee lacks integrity, all positive qualities, ranging from skill and experience to productivity and intelligence become meaningless. It’s interesting that in an age where dishonesty has become more prevalent than ever before, integrity, ironically enough; is still the most sought after virtue of any Business owner.

102 Christians set sail on the Mayflower in the 17 th Century and set sail for a new world, they believed it was God; that new world of course would be America. 102 Pilgrims had been crammed into a space about equal to that of a volleyball court. Compound that misery by the lack of light and fresh air (all hatches had to be battened down because of the stormy weather). Add to that a diet of dried pork, dried peas and dried fish and the stench of an even fouler bile and multiply it all by 66 days at sea.  It was answered that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties. And must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage. It was granted that the dangers were great, but not desperate and the difficulties were many, but not invincible…and all of them through the help of God, by fortitude and patience, might either be born or overcome…but their condition was not ordinary. Their ends were good and honorable, their calling lawful and urgent and ther...

MCDONALDS - the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald ; in 1948 they reorganized their business as a hamburger stand using production line principles. Businessman Ray Kroc joined the company as a franchise agent in 1955. He subsequently purchased the chain from the McDonald brothers and oversaw its worldwide growth.

J.L. Kraft, head of the Kraft Cheese Corporation, who had given approximately 25% of his enormous income to Christian causes for many years, said, "The only investment I ever made which has paid consistently increasing dividends is the money I have given to the Lord."

The teacher was explaining to the class that even though mammals, like whales have very large bodies and stomachs they have little throats therefore making it impossible to swallow a human. Little Johnnie answered, "that's not correct because Jonah was swallowed by a whale."  The teacher answered, "that's just a fable and this scientific fact just proves it's a fable".  Little Johnnie answered, "it's not a fable, it's in the Bible therefore it's true, Jonah, was swallowed by a whale! "You can believe that if you want, but it's not true, it's just a fable like many other stories in the Bible", the teacher replied.  "I'll just have to ask Jonah when I get to Heaven if it's true then", Johnnie replied.  "What if Jonah went to Hell?" , the teacher asked.  "Then you ask him!," Johnnie replied

Ever heard of “Flagpole sitting”, of course you have! Well, at the height of his fame, in 1930, the greatest Flagpole-Sitter of all, “Shipwreck Kelly”, claimed he had spent a total of 20,613 hours in cloudland. History records that he sat perched atop flagpoles on tall buildings enduring 14,000 hours of rain and sleet, 210 hours in temperatures below freezing, 47 hours in snowstorms. How long did he do this for? Shipwreck Kelly climbed poles for more than 20 years!

It was not that King Henry VIII had a change of conscience regarding publishing the Bible in English. His motives were more sinister… but the Lord sometimes uses the evil intentions of men to bring about His glory. King Henry VIII had in fact, requested that the Pope permit him to divorce his wife and marry his mistress. The Pope refused. King Henry responded by marrying his mistress anyway, (later having two of his many wives executed), and thumbing his nose at the Pope by renouncing Roman Catholicism, taking England out from under Rome’s religious control, and declaring himself as the reigning head of State to also be the new head of the Church. This new branch of the Christian Church, neither Roman Catholic nor truly Protestant, became known as the Anglican Church or the Church of England. King Henry acted essentially as its “Pope”. His first act was to further defy the wishes of Rome by funding the printing of the scriptures in English… the first legal English Bible… just for sp...

As Vice President, George Bush represented the U.S. at the funeral of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev's widow. She stood motionless by the coffin until seconds before it was closed. Then, just as the soldiers touched the lid, Brezhnev's wife performed an act of great courage and hope, a gesture that must surely rank as one of the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed: She reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband's chest. There in the citadel of secular, atheistic power, the wife of the man who had run it all hoped that her husband was wrong. She hoped that there was another life, and that that life was best represented by Jesus who died on the cross, and that the same Jesus might yet have mercy on her husband.  Gary Thomas,  Christian Times , October 3, 1994, p. 26.

In the Province of Quebec, Canada, they instituted “The Good Samaritan Law”.  The Law states that you will be charged with a felony, if a crime took place in front of you and you idly stood by and did nothing to prevent it. It’s the “Law” that punishes those who could have done something, but didn’t.  Say for example a woman on the subway is robbed of her purse or beat and it is proven you stood by and did nothing, you will be charged for doing nothing. The Law that punishes for doing nothing, interesting law! Many Christians spend a whole lot of time focusing on sins of “commission” but rarely give thought to sins of “omission”.  The idea here is that sin or wrong doing is not just about things we do that we shouldn't it’s about things we should have done, but didn't do and God says and now the Quebec Government says, “you’re guilty” either way.

Back in 1931, Irving Thalberg of MGM decided he wanted to buy the film rights to Tarzan, written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. So Thalberg sent Sam Marx to negotiate with Burroughs, telling Marx not to spend more than $100,000, an extraordinarily large sum in those days. Marx contacted Burroughs and asked how much he wanted for the film rights. "$100,000," said Burroughs. When Marx offered him $25,000, Burroughs walked out of the meeting. However, Marx and Burroughs continued to negotiate throughout the summer. Burroughs eventually settled for $40,000. After signing the contract, Burroughs admitted that he had wanted MGM and Thalberg to make the picture so badly, they could have had it for nothing if they had insisted. "Mr. Burroughs," replied Marx, "If you had held out, you would have gotten $100,000!"