During my college days, there was a local radio program of Southern Gospel music that always began with the Stamps Quartet singing, \u201cGive the world a smile each day, helping someone on life\u2019s way.\u201d During those same college years (actually 1963), Harvey Ball, a commercial artist from Worcester, Massachusetts created the smiley face. That image went on to become a recognizable symbol of good will and good cheer. The smiley face knows no politics, no geography and no religion. Harvey\u2019s idea was that for at least one day each year, neither should we. He declared that the first Friday in October each year would henceforth be World Smile Day. The \u201cDay\u201d, which actually began in 1999, thus celebrates its thirteenth observance this Friday, October 7. You say you don\u2019t feel like smiling this coming Friday? Job, who had less reason to smile than anyone I know, was in the midst of his sorrows \u2013 having lost all his material possessions, suffered various calamities, experienced the death of his sons and daughters, seen his house destroyed, suffered painful boils on his entire body, watched his wife lose her faith and challenge him to curse God and die \u2013 when he exclaimed, \u201cI will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face and wear a smile.\u201d(Job 9:27). Now, if Job can smile in those circumstances, perhaps, we can smile on World Smile Day this Friday. Come on, join me and let\u2019s give the world a smile.<\/p>\n
While you\u2019re working on your Friday smile, join me in praying for these global concerns:
\n\u2022 Pray for medical clinics provided by missionaries and volunteers this week in Ukraine.
\n\u2022 Pray for the Scripture distribution ministry of missionaries in Macau during \u201cGolden Week\u201d, one of two annual national Chinese holidays.
\n\u2022 Pray for World Hunger Sunday on October 9. 1.02 billion people in the world do not have enough to eat. Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes – that\u2019s one child every 5 seconds.
\n\u2022 Pray for those under spiritual attack on Vancouver Island, Canada \u2013 the second largest center for occult in the world.
\n\u2022 Pray for missionaries in Germany as they minister during the annual Herbst Fest (Fall Festival) on Oct. 8.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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