November 2
"Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other." - Oscar Ameringer
Did you hear about the two guys who get shipwrecked? They end up on a deserted island with no food or fresh water.
One guy is in despair, "We're going to die!!" The other replies, "Don't worry. I make $100,000 each week." His companion says, "What difference does money make? We're going to starve!"
The other answers, "You don't understand. I earn $100,000 each week and I tithe. My pastor will find us."
"Pray For Me" One Sunday in church, a young child was "acting up" during the morning worship hour. The parents did their best to maintain some sense of order in the pew but were losing the battle. Finally, the father picked the little fellow up and walked sternly up the aisle on his way out. Just before reaching the safety of the foyer, the little one called loudly to the congregation, "Pray for me! Pray for me!"
It doesn't do much good to put your best foot forward if you are dragging the other one.
"Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them." - John Maxwell
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
"People who consider themselves victims of their circumstances will always remain victims unless they develop a greater vision for their lives." -- Stedman Graham
"Don't be disquieted in time of adversity. Be firm with dignity and self-reliant with vigor." -- Chiang Kai-Shek
"The one resolution, which was in my mind long before it took the form of a resolution, is the key-note of my life. It is this, always to regard as mere impertinences of fate the handicaps which were placed upon my life almost at the beginning. I resolved that they should not crush or dwarf my soul, but rather be made to blossom, like Aaron's rod, with flowers." -- Helen Keller
"The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy mischance after another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man of high and heroic temper." -- Aristotle
We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) Poet
Distrust your judgment the moment you can discern the shadow of a personal motive in it. Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830–1916) Novelist
In prayer the church has received power to rule the world. The church is always the little flock. But if it would stand together on its knees, it would dominate world politics--from the prayer room. O. Hallesby
Quotes from Luther:
* Every man must do two things alone; he must do his own believing and his own dying.
* If we are correct and right in our Christian life at every point, but refuse to stand for the truth at a particular point where the battle rages -- then we are traitors to Christ.
* Some of us... think to ourselves, "If I had only been there! How quick I would have been to help the baby. I would have washed his linen. How happy I would have been to go with the shepherds to see the Lord lying in the manger!" Yes, we would! We say that because we know how great Christ is. But if we had been there at that time, we would have done no better than the people of Bethlehem. Why don't we do it now? We have Christ in our neighbor.
* When I preach, I regard neither doctors nor magistrates, of whom I have above forty in the congregation. I have all my eyes on the servant maids and on the children. And if the learned men are not well pleased with what they hear, well, the door is open.
* When I consider my crosses, tribulations, and temptations, I shame myself almost to death, thinking what are they in comparison to the sufferings of my blessed Savior, Christ Jesus.
* Next to faith this is the highest art -- to be content with the calling in which God has placed you. I have not learned it yet.
* No man should be alone when he opposes Satan. The church and the ministry of the Word were instituted for this purpose that hands may be joined together and one may help another. If the prayer of one doesn't help, the prayer of another will.
* "Listen to the angel's song, all you who have a troubled heart! 'I bring you good tidings of great joy!"' Jesus did not come to condemn you. If you want to define Christ rightly, then pay heed to how the angel defines Him, namely, 'a great joy!'"
And lest we think the only wise one in Luther's house was the Reformer....
* I will stick to Christ as a burr to a topcoat!" (Those were the last words of Katherine Von Bora, Luther's wife.)
What Good Is Integrity? By Michael Josephson of Character Counts (560.2)
After a workshop, Paul (not his real name) told me he still has a 10-year-old scar from the time he quit a good job rather than lie.
When his boss asked him to issue a press release containing patently false statements, he refused, putting his employee badge on the table. His boss calmly handed the badge back, saying, "Think this over. Why throw away a good job and a promising career?"
Paul walked out so frustrated and frightened, he had to find a private place to cry. What's worse, he said his act of moral courage was a meaningless waste.
Someone else issued the press release, and his boss's career flourished. "It took me years to find a job as good as that one, and my family suffered," he added. "So what good did my integrity do for anyone?"
Paul was looking for validation of his principled stance in the wrong place. We exercise integrity not to get what we want, but to be what we want. Integrity isn't about winning. It's about staying whole and being worthy of self-respect and the esteem of loved ones. It's about being honorable, not as a success strategy but as a life choice.
Although Paul suffered because of his moral courage, he would have suffered far worse had he betrayed his values. While he didn't appreciate it at the time, he preserved for himself and his family something far more valuable than his job—his honor.
It's no accident that he now has a better job and a better boss with no pressures to cheat or lie. This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost." – Charles Caleb Colton
"To all the late bloomers--of which I was certainly one--we have learned that life is a long distance run and not just the short sprint of our high school years." -- Ray Lammie
"The best way to succeed in life is to act on the advice we give to others." -- Unknown
"Fix your eyes forward on what you can do, not back on what you cannot change." -- Tom Clancy
"The man who chases two rabbits catches neither." -- Confucius
"Faith goes up the stairs that love has built and looks out the window which hope has opened." -- Charles Spurgeon
Wouldn't the world be different if we treated the Bible the way we treat our cell phones:
. What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
. What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
. What if we flipped through it several times a day?
. What if we used it to receive messages?
. What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
. What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
. What if we used it as we traveled?
. What if we used it in case of an emergency?
. What if we upgraded it to get the latest version?
This is something to make you go...hmmm...where is my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phones, we don't ever have to worry about our bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill!
How Much Do You Own in That Direction?
George Washington Truett was a preacher in Dallas for 47 years. He once visited a wealthy West Texas rancher and had dinner in his huge ranch home. After dinner, the rancher took Dr. Truett up to a veranda on top of his house, and lit up a big cigar. The sun was setting, and if you've ever been to West Texas, you know you can see a long way out there.
The man pointed to the south toward some oil rigs and said, "I own everything in that direction as far as you can see." He pointed east toward some cotton fields and said, "And I own everything in that direction, too." He pointed north toward a huge herd of cattle and bragged, "And, preacher, I own everything as far as you can see in that direction." He turned to the west, and said, "And I own everything you can see in that direction, except the sun, of course."
Dr. Truett turned to the man and pointed straight up the sky and said, "And how much do you own in that direction?"
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
"I believe that if there is one thing which pierces the Master's heart with unutterable grief it is not the world's iniquity but the church's indifference." -- F.B. Meyer
"Nothing will ever be attempted, if all possible objections must first be overcome." -- Samuel Johnson
"Vision is the art of seeing the invisible." -- Jonathan Swift
"It's better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret." -- Jacki Joyner-Kersee
"If you think that education is expensive, try ignorance." -- Derek Bok
It Is Not the Critic Who Counts
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." -- Theodore Roosevelt
You can step out of His will and miss His blessings, but God will go on and bring about His end. God may have great blessings for you, a high calling for you, great possibilities for you, but be careful lest you forfeit and throw them away by refusing to walk in His highest will. Remember that you have within your heart something that came to you from God and is like God--the power to choose, the power to refuse, the throne of your will. --A. B. Simpson
This weekend is the final round of campaigning for the presidential candidates. I know you will all vote as God leads you, but maybe we could breathe a collective prayer of thanksgiving to God for a nation where ideas are freely expressed and people can freely select their next leader. In so many countries in the world right now, entire populations are suffering under brutal dictatorships and failed political systems resulting in unimaginable levels of suffering. As challenged as we feel right now in the US, who among us would want to live anywhere else?
How To Find Financial Stability In Unstable Times: Live a Life of T.H.A.N.K.S.G.I.V.I.N.G.
Transfer ownership back to God
Humbly adjust your lifestyle to live below your means
Avoid growing indebtedness & surety
Navigate away from financial temptations
Know your financial status and goals
Share with people in need
Give to God first as your highest financial priority
Invest for eternity
View every need and desire as a chance to trust God
Insert time in your schedule to manage your Money
Never be financially dishonest
Gain Biblical understanding
"Never let the fear of striking out get in your way." – George Herman "Babe" Ruth
"When men believe God, they speak boldly. When they doubt, they confer." -- A.W. Tozer
A saint is one who is faithful in all circumstances, one whose identity is not shaken by the daily circumstances, the ups and downs of life.
Did you hear about the two guys who get shipwrecked? They end up on a deserted island with no food or fresh water.
One guy is in despair, "We're going to die!!" The other replies, "Don't worry. I make $100,000 each week." His companion says, "What difference does money make? We're going to starve!"
The other answers, "You don't understand. I earn $100,000 each week and I tithe. My pastor will find us."
"Pray For Me" One Sunday in church, a young child was "acting up" during the morning worship hour. The parents did their best to maintain some sense of order in the pew but were losing the battle. Finally, the father picked the little fellow up and walked sternly up the aisle on his way out. Just before reaching the safety of the foyer, the little one called loudly to the congregation, "Pray for me! Pray for me!"
It doesn't do much good to put your best foot forward if you are dragging the other one.
"Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them." - John Maxwell
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
"People who consider themselves victims of their circumstances will always remain victims unless they develop a greater vision for their lives." -- Stedman Graham
"Don't be disquieted in time of adversity. Be firm with dignity and self-reliant with vigor." -- Chiang Kai-Shek
"The one resolution, which was in my mind long before it took the form of a resolution, is the key-note of my life. It is this, always to regard as mere impertinences of fate the handicaps which were placed upon my life almost at the beginning. I resolved that they should not crush or dwarf my soul, but rather be made to blossom, like Aaron's rod, with flowers." -- Helen Keller
"The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy mischance after another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man of high and heroic temper." -- Aristotle
We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) Poet
Distrust your judgment the moment you can discern the shadow of a personal motive in it. Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830–1916) Novelist
In prayer the church has received power to rule the world. The church is always the little flock. But if it would stand together on its knees, it would dominate world politics--from the prayer room. O. Hallesby
Quotes from Luther:
* Every man must do two things alone; he must do his own believing and his own dying.
* If we are correct and right in our Christian life at every point, but refuse to stand for the truth at a particular point where the battle rages -- then we are traitors to Christ.
* Some of us... think to ourselves, "If I had only been there! How quick I would have been to help the baby. I would have washed his linen. How happy I would have been to go with the shepherds to see the Lord lying in the manger!" Yes, we would! We say that because we know how great Christ is. But if we had been there at that time, we would have done no better than the people of Bethlehem. Why don't we do it now? We have Christ in our neighbor.
* When I preach, I regard neither doctors nor magistrates, of whom I have above forty in the congregation. I have all my eyes on the servant maids and on the children. And if the learned men are not well pleased with what they hear, well, the door is open.
* When I consider my crosses, tribulations, and temptations, I shame myself almost to death, thinking what are they in comparison to the sufferings of my blessed Savior, Christ Jesus.
* Next to faith this is the highest art -- to be content with the calling in which God has placed you. I have not learned it yet.
* No man should be alone when he opposes Satan. The church and the ministry of the Word were instituted for this purpose that hands may be joined together and one may help another. If the prayer of one doesn't help, the prayer of another will.
* "Listen to the angel's song, all you who have a troubled heart! 'I bring you good tidings of great joy!"' Jesus did not come to condemn you. If you want to define Christ rightly, then pay heed to how the angel defines Him, namely, 'a great joy!'"
And lest we think the only wise one in Luther's house was the Reformer....
* I will stick to Christ as a burr to a topcoat!" (Those were the last words of Katherine Von Bora, Luther's wife.)
What Good Is Integrity? By Michael Josephson of Character Counts (560.2)
After a workshop, Paul (not his real name) told me he still has a 10-year-old scar from the time he quit a good job rather than lie.
When his boss asked him to issue a press release containing patently false statements, he refused, putting his employee badge on the table. His boss calmly handed the badge back, saying, "Think this over. Why throw away a good job and a promising career?"
Paul walked out so frustrated and frightened, he had to find a private place to cry. What's worse, he said his act of moral courage was a meaningless waste.
Someone else issued the press release, and his boss's career flourished. "It took me years to find a job as good as that one, and my family suffered," he added. "So what good did my integrity do for anyone?"
Paul was looking for validation of his principled stance in the wrong place. We exercise integrity not to get what we want, but to be what we want. Integrity isn't about winning. It's about staying whole and being worthy of self-respect and the esteem of loved ones. It's about being honorable, not as a success strategy but as a life choice.
Although Paul suffered because of his moral courage, he would have suffered far worse had he betrayed his values. While he didn't appreciate it at the time, he preserved for himself and his family something far more valuable than his job—his honor.
It's no accident that he now has a better job and a better boss with no pressures to cheat or lie. This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost." – Charles Caleb Colton
"To all the late bloomers--of which I was certainly one--we have learned that life is a long distance run and not just the short sprint of our high school years." -- Ray Lammie
"The best way to succeed in life is to act on the advice we give to others." -- Unknown
"Fix your eyes forward on what you can do, not back on what you cannot change." -- Tom Clancy
"The man who chases two rabbits catches neither." -- Confucius
"Faith goes up the stairs that love has built and looks out the window which hope has opened." -- Charles Spurgeon
Wouldn't the world be different if we treated the Bible the way we treat our cell phones:
. What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
. What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
. What if we flipped through it several times a day?
. What if we used it to receive messages?
. What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
. What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
. What if we used it as we traveled?
. What if we used it in case of an emergency?
. What if we upgraded it to get the latest version?
This is something to make you go...hmmm...where is my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phones, we don't ever have to worry about our bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill!
How Much Do You Own in That Direction?
George Washington Truett was a preacher in Dallas for 47 years. He once visited a wealthy West Texas rancher and had dinner in his huge ranch home. After dinner, the rancher took Dr. Truett up to a veranda on top of his house, and lit up a big cigar. The sun was setting, and if you've ever been to West Texas, you know you can see a long way out there.
The man pointed to the south toward some oil rigs and said, "I own everything in that direction as far as you can see." He pointed east toward some cotton fields and said, "And I own everything in that direction, too." He pointed north toward a huge herd of cattle and bragged, "And, preacher, I own everything as far as you can see in that direction." He turned to the west, and said, "And I own everything you can see in that direction, except the sun, of course."
Dr. Truett turned to the man and pointed straight up the sky and said, "And how much do you own in that direction?"
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
"I believe that if there is one thing which pierces the Master's heart with unutterable grief it is not the world's iniquity but the church's indifference." -- F.B. Meyer
"Nothing will ever be attempted, if all possible objections must first be overcome." -- Samuel Johnson
"Vision is the art of seeing the invisible." -- Jonathan Swift
"It's better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret." -- Jacki Joyner-Kersee
"If you think that education is expensive, try ignorance." -- Derek Bok
It Is Not the Critic Who Counts
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." -- Theodore Roosevelt
You can step out of His will and miss His blessings, but God will go on and bring about His end. God may have great blessings for you, a high calling for you, great possibilities for you, but be careful lest you forfeit and throw them away by refusing to walk in His highest will. Remember that you have within your heart something that came to you from God and is like God--the power to choose, the power to refuse, the throne of your will. --A. B. Simpson
This weekend is the final round of campaigning for the presidential candidates. I know you will all vote as God leads you, but maybe we could breathe a collective prayer of thanksgiving to God for a nation where ideas are freely expressed and people can freely select their next leader. In so many countries in the world right now, entire populations are suffering under brutal dictatorships and failed political systems resulting in unimaginable levels of suffering. As challenged as we feel right now in the US, who among us would want to live anywhere else?
How To Find Financial Stability In Unstable Times: Live a Life of T.H.A.N.K.S.G.I.V.I.N.G.
Transfer ownership back to God
Humbly adjust your lifestyle to live below your means
Avoid growing indebtedness & surety
Navigate away from financial temptations
Know your financial status and goals
Share with people in need
Give to God first as your highest financial priority
Invest for eternity
View every need and desire as a chance to trust God
Insert time in your schedule to manage your Money
Never be financially dishonest
Gain Biblical understanding
"Never let the fear of striking out get in your way." – George Herman "Babe" Ruth
"When men believe God, they speak boldly. When they doubt, they confer." -- A.W. Tozer
A saint is one who is faithful in all circumstances, one whose identity is not shaken by the daily circumstances, the ups and downs of life.
posted by joypastordon at 7:20 PM
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