August 5
The only thing of value we can give kids is what we are,not what we have.
We may experience times of unusual closeness, when every prayer is answered in an obvious way and God seems intimate and caring. And we may also experience "fog times," when God stays silent, when nothing works according to formula and all the Bible's promises seem glaringly false. Fidelity involves learning to trust that, out beyond the perimeter of fog, God still reigns and has not abandoned us, no matter how it appears. -- Philip Yancey
Don't expect wisdom to come into your life like great chunks of rock on a conveyor belt. It isn't like that. It's not splashy and bold . . . nor is it dispensed like a prescription across a counter. Wisdom comes privately from God as a by-product of right decisions, godly reactions, and the application of spiritual principles to daily circumstances. Wisdom comes .
. . not from trying to do great things for God . . . but more from being faithful to the small, obscure tasks few people ever see. -- Charles R. Swindoll
Jocks or Nerds?
Is it better to be a jock or a nerd? Michael Jordan having "retired," with $40 million in endorsements, he makes $178,100 a day, working or not.
If he sleeps 7 hours a night, he makes $52,000 every night while visions of sugarplums dance in his head.
If he goes to see a movie, it'll cost him $7.00, but he'll make $18,550 while he's there.
If he decides to have a 5-minute egg, he'll make $618 while boiling it. He makes $7,415/hour more than minimum wage.
If he wanted to save up for a new Acura NSX ($90,000) it would take him a whole 12 hours. If someone were to hand him his salary and endorsement money, they would have to do it at the rate of $2.00 every second. He'll probably pay around $200 for a nice round of golf, but will be reimbursed $33,390 for that round. He'll make about $19.60 while watching the 100-meter dash in the Olympics, and about $15,600 during the Boston Marathon! This year, he'll make more than twice as much as all U.S. Past presidents for all of their terms combined. Amazing isn't it? However... If Jordan saves 100% of his income for the next 500 years, he'll still have less than Bill Gates has at this very moment. Game over. Nerd wins. [SO MUCH FOR JOCKS!!]
"For peace of mind, we need to resign as general manager of the universe." -- Larry Eisenberg
LOVE DEMONSTRATED
A baby bird was heard to ask its mother, "Mother, what is air?" To this she made no reply but spread her wings and flew. A baby fish asked its mother, "Mother, what is water?" She made no reply but swished her tail and swam. A baby ant asked its mother, "Mother, what is dirt?" She made no reply but stretched her legs and dug the burrow a little deeper. A child in a nursery asked her mother, "Mother, what is love?" She made no reply but picked up
the child and hugged her.
Like the lesson about water to a fish, air to a bird, dirt to an ant, and love to a child, we learn about God, His love, and His presence through experience. --Don Aycock
Thoughts On Advertising
- Advertising is the fine art of convincing people that debt is better than frustration.
- Advertising helps raise the standard of living by raising the standard of longing.
- Advertising transforms a yawn into a yearn.
- One of life's biggest disappointments is discovering that the person who writes the ads for the bank is not the one who makes the loans.
- An ad executive's career: Yes sir, No sir, Ulcer.
- If you think advertising doesn't work, consider the millions of people who now think that yogurt tastes good.
- You can tell the ideals of a nation by its advertisements.
- Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted. The trouble is, I don't know which half.
A motorcycle patrolman was rushed to the hospital with an inflamed appendix. The doctors operated and advised him that all was well. However, the patrolman kept feeling something pulling at the hairs on his chest. Worried that it might be a second surgery the doctors hadn't told him about, he finally got enough energy to pull his hospital gown down enough so he could look at what was making him so uncomfortable.
Taped firmly across his hairy chest were three wide strips of adhesive tape, the kind that doesn't come off easily.
Written in large black letters was the sentence. "Get well quick ..... from the nurse you gave a ticket to last week."
If you want your children to turn out well, spend twice as much time with them, and half as much money on them.
"If you're not allowed to laugh in heaven, I don't want to go there."~ Martin Luther
“We cannot possibly flatter the Almighty by hurrying into his presence, flinging a song and prayer at him, and hurrying out of church back into our hassled lifestyles. God is never flattered by our sanctified exhaustion." - Calvin Miller in Into the Depths of God (Bethany, 2001)
He who loses money, loses much; he who loses a friend, loses more; he who loses faith, loses all.
“When asked how much more money they would need to be completely happy, people typically name a figure greater than their current income by about 20 percent.” Economist Richard Easterlin, University of Southern California – Comment on this comic
On Work: Don't watch the clock. Do what it does. Keep going.
Jesus denied that "bigger is better" with his whole being.
- If "bigger is better," why did the Messiah come to Israel -- a tiny, insignificant desert country?
- If "bigger is better," why did God choose the Jews, a tiny minority of the citizenry, as the covenant people?
- If "bigger is better," why did Jesus choose only 12 special companions to teach?
- If "bigger is better," why did God send the Christ before there was satellite television to project his message?
- If "bigger is better," why did Jesus pour out extra love and attention to the poor, the sick, the friendless, the helpless, the very old and the very young?
A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY PATIENCE IN PRAYER
When the idea is not right, God says, "NO."
No - when the idea is not the best.
No - when the idea is absolutely wrong.
No - when though it may help you,
it would create problems for someone else.
When the time is not right, God says, "SLOW."
What a catastrophe it would be if God answered
every prayer at the snap of your fingers.
Do you know what would happen?
God would become your servant, not your master.
Suddenly God would be working for you
instead of you working for God.
When you are not right, God says,"GROW."
The selfish person has to grow in unselfishness.
The cautious person must grow in courage.
The timid person must grow in confidence,
The dominating person must grow in sensitivity.
The critical person must grow in tolerance.
The negative person must grow in positive attitudes.
The pleasure seeking person must grow in
compassion for suffering people.
When everything is all right, God says,"GO."
Then miracles happen:
A hopeless alcoholic is set free.
A drug addict finds release.
A doubter becomes a child in his belief.
Diseased tissue responds to treatment, and healing begins.
The door to your dream suddenly swings open and there stands God saying, "GO!".
Remember: God's delays are not God's denials.
God's timing is perfect.
Patience is what we need in prayer -- Author Unknown
GOD'S DISCIPLINE
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:1).
I read about a man who was walking along a footpath where just ahead of him lay the broken end of a high voltage wire. A stranger saw the risk and yelled out to the man to beware of the danger just ahead, but his voice was drowned out by the noise of the oncoming traffic.
So the stranger picked up a stone, threw it and hit the man on the chest who was so shocked that he stopped immediately and saw the hazardous wire he was about to step on. He was tremendously grateful to the man who hit him with the stone and saved his life.
It's the same with God. Sometimes he has to "hit us with a four by four (log)" to get our attention and correct our way. Many of our trials are his "wake up call" to help us grow and become better persons.
As the writer to the Hebrew Christians said, God's discipline may not be pleasant at the time, but it "produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
Prayer: "Dear God, thank you that when I daily commit and trust my life to you, you warn me of dangers ahead, and when I don't hear, you block my way or 'hit' me (when needed) with a 'four by four' to get my attention. Gratefully, in Jesus' name. Amen."
As a jet was flying over Arizona on a clear day, the copilot was providing his passengers with a running commentary about landmarks over the PA system.
"Coming up on the right, you can see the Meteor Crater, which is a major tourist attraction in northern Arizona. It was formed when a lump of nickel and iron, roughly 150 feet in diameter and weighing 300,000 tons, struck the earth at about 40,000 miles an hour, scattering white-hot debris for miles in every direction. The hole measures nearly a mile across and is 570 feet deep."
From the cabin, a passenger was heard to exclaim, "Wow! It just missed the highway!"
When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer. -- Corrie Ten Boom Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to trust you even when life seems to be falling apart for me. Amen.
Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday school. "Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge, and all the people walked across safely. He used his walkie-talkie to radio headquarters and call in an air strike. They sent in bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved." "Now, Joey, is that REALLY what your teacher taught you?" his mother asked. "Well, no Mom, but if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!
Jesus increased in wisdom and stature.
I'm contented just to grow.
Jesus went about doing good.
I'm contended just to go.
Jesus went to be baptized by John.
I'm contented to take a shower.
Jesus went to the garden to pray.
I'm contented to pick a flower.
Jesus spoke words from the mountain.
I don't study the words he spoke.
Jesus blessed the cup in the upper room.
I'm content to order a Coke.
Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom."
I haven't begun the search.
Jesus said, "Go to the ends of the earth."
I can't even get to church.
We may experience times of unusual closeness, when every prayer is answered in an obvious way and God seems intimate and caring. And we may also experience "fog times," when God stays silent, when nothing works according to formula and all the Bible's promises seem glaringly false. Fidelity involves learning to trust that, out beyond the perimeter of fog, God still reigns and has not abandoned us, no matter how it appears. -- Philip Yancey
Don't expect wisdom to come into your life like great chunks of rock on a conveyor belt. It isn't like that. It's not splashy and bold . . . nor is it dispensed like a prescription across a counter. Wisdom comes privately from God as a by-product of right decisions, godly reactions, and the application of spiritual principles to daily circumstances. Wisdom comes .
. . not from trying to do great things for God . . . but more from being faithful to the small, obscure tasks few people ever see. -- Charles R. Swindoll
Jocks or Nerds?
Is it better to be a jock or a nerd? Michael Jordan having "retired," with $40 million in endorsements, he makes $178,100 a day, working or not.
If he sleeps 7 hours a night, he makes $52,000 every night while visions of sugarplums dance in his head.
If he goes to see a movie, it'll cost him $7.00, but he'll make $18,550 while he's there.
If he decides to have a 5-minute egg, he'll make $618 while boiling it. He makes $7,415/hour more than minimum wage.
If he wanted to save up for a new Acura NSX ($90,000) it would take him a whole 12 hours. If someone were to hand him his salary and endorsement money, they would have to do it at the rate of $2.00 every second. He'll probably pay around $200 for a nice round of golf, but will be reimbursed $33,390 for that round. He'll make about $19.60 while watching the 100-meter dash in the Olympics, and about $15,600 during the Boston Marathon! This year, he'll make more than twice as much as all U.S. Past presidents for all of their terms combined. Amazing isn't it? However... If Jordan saves 100% of his income for the next 500 years, he'll still have less than Bill Gates has at this very moment. Game over. Nerd wins. [SO MUCH FOR JOCKS!!]
"For peace of mind, we need to resign as general manager of the universe." -- Larry Eisenberg
LOVE DEMONSTRATED
A baby bird was heard to ask its mother, "Mother, what is air?" To this she made no reply but spread her wings and flew. A baby fish asked its mother, "Mother, what is water?" She made no reply but swished her tail and swam. A baby ant asked its mother, "Mother, what is dirt?" She made no reply but stretched her legs and dug the burrow a little deeper. A child in a nursery asked her mother, "Mother, what is love?" She made no reply but picked up
the child and hugged her.
Like the lesson about water to a fish, air to a bird, dirt to an ant, and love to a child, we learn about God, His love, and His presence through experience. --Don Aycock
Thoughts On Advertising
- Advertising is the fine art of convincing people that debt is better than frustration.
- Advertising helps raise the standard of living by raising the standard of longing.
- Advertising transforms a yawn into a yearn.
- One of life's biggest disappointments is discovering that the person who writes the ads for the bank is not the one who makes the loans.
- An ad executive's career: Yes sir, No sir, Ulcer.
- If you think advertising doesn't work, consider the millions of people who now think that yogurt tastes good.
- You can tell the ideals of a nation by its advertisements.
- Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted. The trouble is, I don't know which half.
A motorcycle patrolman was rushed to the hospital with an inflamed appendix. The doctors operated and advised him that all was well. However, the patrolman kept feeling something pulling at the hairs on his chest. Worried that it might be a second surgery the doctors hadn't told him about, he finally got enough energy to pull his hospital gown down enough so he could look at what was making him so uncomfortable.
Taped firmly across his hairy chest were three wide strips of adhesive tape, the kind that doesn't come off easily.
Written in large black letters was the sentence. "Get well quick ..... from the nurse you gave a ticket to last week."
If you want your children to turn out well, spend twice as much time with them, and half as much money on them.
"If you're not allowed to laugh in heaven, I don't want to go there."~ Martin Luther
“We cannot possibly flatter the Almighty by hurrying into his presence, flinging a song and prayer at him, and hurrying out of church back into our hassled lifestyles. God is never flattered by our sanctified exhaustion." - Calvin Miller in Into the Depths of God (Bethany, 2001)
He who loses money, loses much; he who loses a friend, loses more; he who loses faith, loses all.
“When asked how much more money they would need to be completely happy, people typically name a figure greater than their current income by about 20 percent.” Economist Richard Easterlin, University of Southern California – Comment on this comic
On Work: Don't watch the clock. Do what it does. Keep going.
Jesus denied that "bigger is better" with his whole being.
- If "bigger is better," why did the Messiah come to Israel -- a tiny, insignificant desert country?
- If "bigger is better," why did God choose the Jews, a tiny minority of the citizenry, as the covenant people?
- If "bigger is better," why did Jesus choose only 12 special companions to teach?
- If "bigger is better," why did God send the Christ before there was satellite television to project his message?
- If "bigger is better," why did Jesus pour out extra love and attention to the poor, the sick, the friendless, the helpless, the very old and the very young?
A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY PATIENCE IN PRAYER
When the idea is not right, God says, "NO."
No - when the idea is not the best.
No - when the idea is absolutely wrong.
No - when though it may help you,
it would create problems for someone else.
When the time is not right, God says, "SLOW."
What a catastrophe it would be if God answered
every prayer at the snap of your fingers.
Do you know what would happen?
God would become your servant, not your master.
Suddenly God would be working for you
instead of you working for God.
When you are not right, God says,"GROW."
The selfish person has to grow in unselfishness.
The cautious person must grow in courage.
The timid person must grow in confidence,
The dominating person must grow in sensitivity.
The critical person must grow in tolerance.
The negative person must grow in positive attitudes.
The pleasure seeking person must grow in
compassion for suffering people.
When everything is all right, God says,"GO."
Then miracles happen:
A hopeless alcoholic is set free.
A drug addict finds release.
A doubter becomes a child in his belief.
Diseased tissue responds to treatment, and healing begins.
The door to your dream suddenly swings open and there stands God saying, "GO!".
Remember: God's delays are not God's denials.
God's timing is perfect.
Patience is what we need in prayer -- Author Unknown
GOD'S DISCIPLINE
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:1).
I read about a man who was walking along a footpath where just ahead of him lay the broken end of a high voltage wire. A stranger saw the risk and yelled out to the man to beware of the danger just ahead, but his voice was drowned out by the noise of the oncoming traffic.
So the stranger picked up a stone, threw it and hit the man on the chest who was so shocked that he stopped immediately and saw the hazardous wire he was about to step on. He was tremendously grateful to the man who hit him with the stone and saved his life.
It's the same with God. Sometimes he has to "hit us with a four by four (log)" to get our attention and correct our way. Many of our trials are his "wake up call" to help us grow and become better persons.
As the writer to the Hebrew Christians said, God's discipline may not be pleasant at the time, but it "produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
Prayer: "Dear God, thank you that when I daily commit and trust my life to you, you warn me of dangers ahead, and when I don't hear, you block my way or 'hit' me (when needed) with a 'four by four' to get my attention. Gratefully, in Jesus' name. Amen."
As a jet was flying over Arizona on a clear day, the copilot was providing his passengers with a running commentary about landmarks over the PA system.
"Coming up on the right, you can see the Meteor Crater, which is a major tourist attraction in northern Arizona. It was formed when a lump of nickel and iron, roughly 150 feet in diameter and weighing 300,000 tons, struck the earth at about 40,000 miles an hour, scattering white-hot debris for miles in every direction. The hole measures nearly a mile across and is 570 feet deep."
From the cabin, a passenger was heard to exclaim, "Wow! It just missed the highway!"
When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer. -- Corrie Ten Boom Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to trust you even when life seems to be falling apart for me. Amen.
Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday school. "Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge, and all the people walked across safely. He used his walkie-talkie to radio headquarters and call in an air strike. They sent in bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved." "Now, Joey, is that REALLY what your teacher taught you?" his mother asked. "Well, no Mom, but if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!
Jesus increased in wisdom and stature.
I'm contented just to grow.
Jesus went about doing good.
I'm contended just to go.
Jesus went to be baptized by John.
I'm contented to take a shower.
Jesus went to the garden to pray.
I'm contented to pick a flower.
Jesus spoke words from the mountain.
I don't study the words he spoke.
Jesus blessed the cup in the upper room.
I'm content to order a Coke.
Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom."
I haven't begun the search.
Jesus said, "Go to the ends of the earth."
I can't even get to church.
posted by joypastordon at 7:03 PM
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