March 14
When we rely upon organization, we get what organization can do;
when we rely upon education, we get what education can do;
when we rely upon eloquence, we get what eloquence can do, and so on.
I do not undervalue any of these things in their proper place, but when we rely upon prayer, we get what God can do. A.C. Dixon
The Christian does not say, "What cannot be cured must be endured." Christianity says, rather, that these things must be endured because they are part of the cure. They have the strange and mystic power to make whole and strong and so to lead on to victory and the final glory. Christianity is never the dour pessimism that submits. Christianity is optimism that cooperates with the process because it sees that, through suffering and weakness, joy and triumph must come. --G. Campbell Morgan
WHERE THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN:
The wilderness, The palace, The field, Babylon, Jerusalem, Traveling, Prison, Patmos
A FEW PHONE GROANS
- I tried to call someone the other day from a pay phone but I inserted my donor card instead of my calling card. Man, that call cost me an arm and a leg.
- I took my phone to the beach so I could get call wading.
- If someone is using their cell phone while driving 60 miles per hour, is he or she talking a mile a minute?
- If I ask my girlfriend to marry me over the phone, does that still count as giving her a ring?
Why is it that when you eat too much for lunch, you feel drowsy all afternoon, but when you eat a big meal in the evening, you stay awake all night?
"Justice is getting what we deserve, mercy is not getting what we deserve, and grace is getting what we don't deserve."
Thoughts lead on to purposes;
purposes go forth in action;
actions form habits;
habits decide character;
and character fixes our destiny. Tyron Edwards
Government surveyors came to Ole's farm in the fall and asked if they could do some surveying. Ole agreed and Lena even served them a nice meal at noontime.
The next spring, the two surveyors stopped by and told Ole, "Because you were so kind to us, we wanted to give you this bad news in person instead of by letter.
Ole replied, "What's da bad news?
The surveyors stated, "Well, after our work we discovered your farm is not in Minnesota, but is actually in South Dakota!"
Ole looked at Lena and said," Dat's da best news I haf heard inna long time. Why I yust told Lena dis morning, I don't tink I can take another winter in Minnesota."
"Sometimes our candle goes out, but is blown into flame by an encounter with another human being." – Albert Schweitzer
"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going." – Beverly Sills
"We have a right to choose our attitude." – Viktor Frankl
"Among the English language's many puzzling words is 'economy,' which means the large size in toothpaste and the small size in automobiles." –
A teacher who, for reasons of her own, asked the kids one day, "If all the bad children were painted red and all the good children were painted green, which color would you be?"
Think about it. What color would you be? Red or Green? It is a tough question isn't it when you pose only two options.
One very wise child answered the teacher: "Striped"
An old Arab proverb suggests that the words of the tongue should pass through three gateways: 1) Is it true? 2) Is it kind? 3) Is it necessary?
Perched atop the image of the pyramid is a strange, disembodied eye gazing back at us. Although it is a familiar image, it still manages to convey a kind of creepiness.
This image of the all-seeing eye of God is supposed to symbolize the deity special watchfulness and care over the founding of this novus ordor seclorum – this emerging new democratic experiment called the United States of America.
The first time I learned about God's all-seeing eye was in Sunday school. The teacher who told us about the eye directed us to never forget that God always was watching what we did and would know when we did something wrong.
For much of my life God's eye above the pyramid was an uneasy reminder that God was spying on everything I did – waiting for me to leave the straight and narrow, lurking in the wings to catch me doing something wrong – like lying, swearing, beating on my younger brothers. "God's eye is on you" were words of threat and intimidation. So the back of the dollar bill: "It's not that God's eye is on you, waiting for you to slip up," "God's eye is on you because God loves you so much God just can't take his eyes off you!"
Suddenly what had been a queasy, even fearful image was transformed into a picture of love. A smitten God is keeping a loving, watchful eye on the precious children of creation.
A rookie umpire stood behind the plate at his first game. Legendary fastball pitcher Nolan Ryan was on the mound. The second pitch of the game was so fast that the um-pire didn’t know where it was until he heard the “POP!” of the catcher’s mitt. He froze. Finally he uttered a faint call: “Strike.”
The batter stepped out of the box, went over to the umpire, and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t feel bad, sir,” said the batter. “I didn’t see it ei-ther.”
Who needs the message of God's love and redemption more than these? Christ did not die to save only "nice people" or those who are just a "little bad." Christ came to offer repentance and forgiveness to all who ask and to all who receive him and his Word. It is the completely lost sheep, the totally disappeared coin, that sets the searcher on an all-out recovery mission.
The Ten Commandments (Minnesota Style)
1. Der's only one God, ya know.
2. Don't make that fish on your mantle an idol.
3. Cussin ain't Minnesota nice.
4. Go to church even when you're up nort.
5. Honor your folks.
6. Don't kill. Catch and release.
7. There's only one Lena for every Ole. No cheatin.
8. If it ain't your lutefisk, don't take it.
9. Don't be braggin bout how much snow ya shoveled.
10. Keep your mind off your neighbor's hotdish.
If you feel you don't love Jesus passionately, your real problem is you don't realize HOW MUCH he passionately loves you. Rick Warren
Charles Spurgeon, pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, England, in the 19th century, was once visiting in a home in Scotland. He picked up a very old and well-worn Bible, holding it reverently in his hands, turning it over and over as the looked at it. Then he noticed a small hole where a worm had eaten its way through the Book from cover to cover. When he saw that, Spurgeon prayed, “O Lord, make me a bookworm like that. From Genesis to Revelation it has gone clear through the Bible.”
Some say if you have enough faith, you can put Jesus in a choke hold that eventually forces Him to give you everything you ask. This approach reduces Jesus to a heavenly sugar daddy who can’t say no. You’re arrogant if you think your faith forces Jesus to obey you. He doesn’t obey us. We obey him. --Dan Rockwell
“The true usefulness of our preaching will not be known to us until all the fruit on all the branches on all the trees that have sprung up from all the seeds we've ever sown has fully ripened in the sunshine of eternity.”
Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car. Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a white bag on the seat next to Sally. "What's in the bag?" asked the old woman.
Sally looked down at the bag and, smiling, said, "It's a box of chocolates. I got it for my husband." The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said: "Good trade."
when we rely upon education, we get what education can do;
when we rely upon eloquence, we get what eloquence can do, and so on.
I do not undervalue any of these things in their proper place, but when we rely upon prayer, we get what God can do. A.C. Dixon
The Christian does not say, "What cannot be cured must be endured." Christianity says, rather, that these things must be endured because they are part of the cure. They have the strange and mystic power to make whole and strong and so to lead on to victory and the final glory. Christianity is never the dour pessimism that submits. Christianity is optimism that cooperates with the process because it sees that, through suffering and weakness, joy and triumph must come. --G. Campbell Morgan
WHERE THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN:
The wilderness, The palace, The field, Babylon, Jerusalem, Traveling, Prison, Patmos
A FEW PHONE GROANS
- I tried to call someone the other day from a pay phone but I inserted my donor card instead of my calling card. Man, that call cost me an arm and a leg.
- I took my phone to the beach so I could get call wading.
- If someone is using their cell phone while driving 60 miles per hour, is he or she talking a mile a minute?
- If I ask my girlfriend to marry me over the phone, does that still count as giving her a ring?
Why is it that when you eat too much for lunch, you feel drowsy all afternoon, but when you eat a big meal in the evening, you stay awake all night?
"Justice is getting what we deserve, mercy is not getting what we deserve, and grace is getting what we don't deserve."
Thoughts lead on to purposes;
purposes go forth in action;
actions form habits;
habits decide character;
and character fixes our destiny. Tyron Edwards
Government surveyors came to Ole's farm in the fall and asked if they could do some surveying. Ole agreed and Lena even served them a nice meal at noontime.
The next spring, the two surveyors stopped by and told Ole, "Because you were so kind to us, we wanted to give you this bad news in person instead of by letter.
Ole replied, "What's da bad news?
The surveyors stated, "Well, after our work we discovered your farm is not in Minnesota, but is actually in South Dakota!"
Ole looked at Lena and said," Dat's da best news I haf heard inna long time. Why I yust told Lena dis morning, I don't tink I can take another winter in Minnesota."
"Sometimes our candle goes out, but is blown into flame by an encounter with another human being." – Albert Schweitzer
"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going." – Beverly Sills
"We have a right to choose our attitude." – Viktor Frankl
"Among the English language's many puzzling words is 'economy,' which means the large size in toothpaste and the small size in automobiles." –
A teacher who, for reasons of her own, asked the kids one day, "If all the bad children were painted red and all the good children were painted green, which color would you be?"
Think about it. What color would you be? Red or Green? It is a tough question isn't it when you pose only two options.
One very wise child answered the teacher: "Striped"
An old Arab proverb suggests that the words of the tongue should pass through three gateways: 1) Is it true? 2) Is it kind? 3) Is it necessary?
Perched atop the image of the pyramid is a strange, disembodied eye gazing back at us. Although it is a familiar image, it still manages to convey a kind of creepiness.
This image of the all-seeing eye of God is supposed to symbolize the deity special watchfulness and care over the founding of this novus ordor seclorum – this emerging new democratic experiment called the United States of America.
The first time I learned about God's all-seeing eye was in Sunday school. The teacher who told us about the eye directed us to never forget that God always was watching what we did and would know when we did something wrong.
For much of my life God's eye above the pyramid was an uneasy reminder that God was spying on everything I did – waiting for me to leave the straight and narrow, lurking in the wings to catch me doing something wrong – like lying, swearing, beating on my younger brothers. "God's eye is on you" were words of threat and intimidation. So the back of the dollar bill: "It's not that God's eye is on you, waiting for you to slip up," "God's eye is on you because God loves you so much God just can't take his eyes off you!"
Suddenly what had been a queasy, even fearful image was transformed into a picture of love. A smitten God is keeping a loving, watchful eye on the precious children of creation.
A rookie umpire stood behind the plate at his first game. Legendary fastball pitcher Nolan Ryan was on the mound. The second pitch of the game was so fast that the um-pire didn’t know where it was until he heard the “POP!” of the catcher’s mitt. He froze. Finally he uttered a faint call: “Strike.”
The batter stepped out of the box, went over to the umpire, and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t feel bad, sir,” said the batter. “I didn’t see it ei-ther.”
Who needs the message of God's love and redemption more than these? Christ did not die to save only "nice people" or those who are just a "little bad." Christ came to offer repentance and forgiveness to all who ask and to all who receive him and his Word. It is the completely lost sheep, the totally disappeared coin, that sets the searcher on an all-out recovery mission.
The Ten Commandments (Minnesota Style)
1. Der's only one God, ya know.
2. Don't make that fish on your mantle an idol.
3. Cussin ain't Minnesota nice.
4. Go to church even when you're up nort.
5. Honor your folks.
6. Don't kill. Catch and release.
7. There's only one Lena for every Ole. No cheatin.
8. If it ain't your lutefisk, don't take it.
9. Don't be braggin bout how much snow ya shoveled.
10. Keep your mind off your neighbor's hotdish.
If you feel you don't love Jesus passionately, your real problem is you don't realize HOW MUCH he passionately loves you. Rick Warren
Charles Spurgeon, pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, England, in the 19th century, was once visiting in a home in Scotland. He picked up a very old and well-worn Bible, holding it reverently in his hands, turning it over and over as the looked at it. Then he noticed a small hole where a worm had eaten its way through the Book from cover to cover. When he saw that, Spurgeon prayed, “O Lord, make me a bookworm like that. From Genesis to Revelation it has gone clear through the Bible.”
Some say if you have enough faith, you can put Jesus in a choke hold that eventually forces Him to give you everything you ask. This approach reduces Jesus to a heavenly sugar daddy who can’t say no. You’re arrogant if you think your faith forces Jesus to obey you. He doesn’t obey us. We obey him. --Dan Rockwell
“The true usefulness of our preaching will not be known to us until all the fruit on all the branches on all the trees that have sprung up from all the seeds we've ever sown has fully ripened in the sunshine of eternity.”
Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car. Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a white bag on the seat next to Sally. "What's in the bag?" asked the old woman.
Sally looked down at the bag and, smiling, said, "It's a box of chocolates. I got it for my husband." The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said: "Good trade."
posted by joypastordon at 10:15 PM
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