A beggar lived near the king's palace. One day he saw a proclamation posted outside the palace gate. The king was giving a great dinner. Anyone dressed in royal garments was invited to the party.

The beggar went on his way. He looked at the rags he was wearing and sighed. Surely only kings and their families wore royal robes, he thought. Slowly an idea crept into his mind. The audacity of it made him tremble. Would he dare?

He made his way back to the palace. He approached the guard at the gate. "Please, sire, I would like to speak to the king."

"Wait here," the guard replied. In a few minutes, he was back. "His majesty will see you," he said, and led the beggar in.

"You wish to see me?" asked the king.

"Yes, your majesty. I want so much to attend the banquet, but I have no royal robes to wear. Please, sir, if I may be so bold, may I have one of your old garments so that I, too, may come to the banquet?"

The beggar shook so hard that he could not see the faint smile that was on the king's face. "You have been wise in coming to me," the king said. He called to his son, the young prince. "Take this man to your room and array him in some of your clothes."

The prince did as he was told and soon the beggar was standing before a mirror, clothed in garments that he had never dared hope for.

"You are now eligible to attend the king's banquet tomorrow night," said the prince. "But even more important, you will never need any other clothes. These garments will last forever."

The beggar dropped to his knees. "Oh, thank you," he cried. But as he started to leave, he looked back at his pile of dirty rags on the floor. He hesitated. What if the prince was wrong? What if he would need his old clothes again. Quickly he gathered them up.

The banquet was far greater than he had ever imagined, but he could not enjoy himself as he should. He had made a small bundle of his old rags and it kept falling off his lap. The food was passed quickly and the beggar missed some of the greatest delicacies.

Time proved that the prince was right. The clothes lasted forever. Still the poor beggar grew fonder and fonder of his old rags. As time passed people seemed to forget the royal robes he was wearing. They saw only the little bundle of filthy rags that he clung to wherever he went. They even spoke of him as the old man with the rags.

One day as he lay dying, the king visited him. The beggar saw the sad look on the king's face when he looked at the small bundle of rags by the bed.

Suddenly the beggar remembered the prince's words and he realized that his bundle of rags had cost him a lifetime of true royalty. He wept bitterly at his folly. And the king wept with him.

We have been invited into a royal family -- the family of God. To feast at God's dinner table, all we have to do is shed our old rags and put on the "new clothes" of faith which is provided by God's Son, Jesus Christ. We cannot hold onto our old rags. When we put our faith in Jesus, we must let go of the sin in our life, and our old ways of living.

ABOUT US

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Whether you participate in our coaching programs or attend the one day high powered seminar, you will learn the proven principles, practices and tactics which have enabled The Southwestern Company to create generations of high performing sales professionals around the globe for the past 150 years.

The Southwestern Company was formed in 1855 and is comprised of 21 businesses in a diverse group of industries, offering B2B and B2C products and services through direct and indirect distribution channels. Currently, The Southwestern Company is privately held by more than 300 shareholders with hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue contributed by the family of companies from across the globe.

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9/25/2008 San Diego CA

25 year old entrepreneur to raise thousands for cancer on Take the Stairs World Tour

Nashville, TN, - People from 10 different countries have already signed up for the Take The Stairs World Tour. It is a rapidly growing movement of people who make a public commitment to Take The Stairs more in their personal life as a sign of taking fewer shortcuts and becoming more disciplined.



Participants have an opportunity to join the leader of the movement, Rory Vaden, who is attempting to climb the stairs of the 10 tallest buildings in the world in 2009 to raise money for the My Vision Foundation which supports young adults with cancer. The first official tour date is November 9, 2008 at the Sears Tower in Chicago.

25 year old Vaden is the 2 time World Champion of Public Speaking Finalist, the Co-Founder of a multi-million dollar professional development company called Success Starts Now! and the author of the upcoming book "Take The Stairs - How to do things you don't want to do."

For additional information on the Take The Stairs World Tour please contact Amanda Johns or visit www.takethestairsspeaker.com.


For information on the partnering charity please visit www.myvisionfoundation.org.


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