DETERMINED TO BE DETERMINED

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          There are over 900 stories and commentaries on this blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to daily.

          To Visit neil's other blog Wyrick's Writings click on the following

          http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com

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          The greater writer/novelist Robert Louis Stevenson did what few with his ongoing sickness would done.  He persevered.  He did not create excuses as if they were going out of style.  He did not talk of what he might do if he were well.  He simply set his goals in stone...and one day he wrote the following.

      "For 14 years I have not had one day of real health.  I have awakened sick and gone to bed weary, and yet I have done my work unflinchingly.  I have written my books in bed and out of bed, written them when I was worn by coughing, written them during hemorrhages , written them when my head swam for weakness.

      I have now done this for so long that it seems to me I have won my wages and recovered my glove!  But the battle still goes on- ill or well it is a trifle so long as it goes on."

      And then there was Glenn Cunningham, who is remembered as a famous miler...but remembered even more so...as the miler who was told by a doctor one day, "Your legs are so badly burned you will never walk again...let alone run."

      And then there was Walter Davis, the first man to high jump 7 feet...who as a boy had infantile paralysis.

      Life ask each of us a question...do you seek always the easy way out?  Or do you feel the joy of accepting challenge even it brings you failure?

      The secret to success is learning how to fail...I've always believed that. 

      Any C,E.O. who succeeds 40% of the time is doing very very well.

      So live...learn...swing at that fast ball speeding toward you...and miss it and swing again...and swing a different bat in a different way...life is for living...so just do it.

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Quotes POSTED ON WYRICK'S WRITING THURSTAY MARCH 29th THOUGHTS ENTITLED WHO ARE YOU?

NO…WHOSE ARE YOU?

       In a Peanuts cartoon strip Peppermint Patty is shown talking to Charlie Brown.

“Guess what, Chuck? It’s the first day of school and I got sent to the principal’s office.

And it’s your fault!”

Charlie Brown responds, “My fault? How could it be my fault? Why do you say everything is my fault?”

To which she declares, “You’re my friend, aren’t you, Chuck? You should have been a better influence on me.”

In the comics, it’s funny… but in real life it’s much more complicated.

      Would you like to read the entire thought piece?  Then... TO TAKE YOU TO THE WYRICK'S WRITING'S SITE

                                      click on the following

http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com

                Yes, God loves you the way you are but he loves you too much to let you stay that way.

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      Click on the URL below to WATCH NEIL IN HIS WORLD FAMOUS ONE MAN DRAMATIZATIONS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, BEN FRANKLIN, CHARLES WESLEY AND MARTIN LUTHER

       http://www.speakerneil.com/

            To Order and Read Neil's 9th book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN

       GO TO amazon.com

      QUOTES ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL INSPIRING INFORMATIVE book

      STILL RECEIVING RAVE REVIEWS 8 YEARS AFTER IT'S PUBLICATION.

        "Positive, powerful utterances...skillfully enhancing our understanding and appreciation of Lincoln while revealing the Divine source of his strength."

        Lt. Colonel C.A. Olsen (Ret.) Asbury College (Professor Ret.)

        "The Spiritual Abraham Lincoln is an extremely well written book that investigates what might be termed the spiritual side of President Lincoln. It's both scholarly and very readable. I came away impressed at Mr. Wyrick's portrayal of the President and with an altered and enlarged vision of the man:'

        William Hoffman, Award winning fiction writer; author of Blood and Guile, and Wild Thorn

        "Wyrick has authored a wonderful examination of the spirituality of one of American history's most devoutly religious leaders...a pleasant and readable book that has a rich depth of information."

                 Maynard Pittendreigh Presbyterian minister

        "When it comes to invoking religion in support of any of their decisions, politicians need to sit at the feet of Abraham Lincoln. Reinhold Niebuhr once called him 'America's greatest theologian.' Why so great? Because he invariably distinguished between human works and the works of the Almighty. As Wyrick says, 'He wore the mantle of humility easily: because he was more impressed with what God was doing in the world than with what he, president of the United States in the midst of an awful crisis, was doing. That is why in his last major speech he distinguished between both human causes in the Civil War and the Almighty's 'own purposes.' Lincoln would have agreed that it is better to leave God-talk out of politics than to decorate human proposals with divinity. This is a book for our American time. Through his careful study of Lincoln's career, Wyrick compels us to remember that piety belongs in politics only when piety transcends politics."

       Dr. Donald W. Shriver

       Emeritus professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Author of An Ethic for Enemies: Forgiveness in Politics

        "v. Neil Wyrick's fine work allows the reader to appreciate Abraham Lincoln's Christian commitment and his prophetic role in American history. Should have a wide readership."

       James H. Smylie Professor of Church History (Ret.) Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, Virginia

        "Neil Wyrick's The Spiritual Abraham Lincoln should be read by anyone attempting to understand the man who was probably the most complex person to ever hold the office of president of the United States. Dr. Wyrick is intent on demonstrating that the spirituality so often expressed in Lincoln's writings and speeches was not merely lip service to a Deity, but rather expressions of a profound faith in a real God. It was this faith that provided the wisdom, compassion, insight and sometimes steel that Lincoln would need in full measure as he led the United States through the Civil War. Dr. Wyrick's clear and unpretentious style of presentation is very much in keeping with the character ofhis subject, and in so doing, Wyrick makes his point very well that Lincoln, his beliefs, and the faith that formed them, are as relevant to a troubled America in 2004 as they were in 1863."

       Daniel Allen Butler, author of "Unsinkable"; The Full Story of the RMS Titanic, The Lusitania and The Age o f Cunard

GOSSIP

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEND THIS BLOG TO A FRIEND GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS BLOG AND CLICK ON THE ENVELOPE.

          There are over 900 stories and commentaries on this blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to daily.

          To Visit neil's other blog Wyrick's Writings click on the following

          http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A wise teacher sent a note home to all parents on the first day of school.  It read:
"If you promise not to believe everything your child says happens at school, I'll promise not to believe everything you child says happens at home.

                  The commandment is clear enough "Thou shalt not bear false witness."

      Someone has said, "Those of great minds discuss ideas.  Those of little minds discuss people."

      It is interesting to note that man's law holds you guilty for stolen goods...and God's law holds you guilty for stolen reputations...and that is what gossip is.

      And think on this...you most likely would not spread malicious gossip about a friend because you love them too much...and as for a stranger you should show the same restraint....because of them ...you know too little.

      Gossip is the most deadly microbe. It has neither legs nor wings. It is composed entirely of tales, and most of them have stings.

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Quotes POSTED ON WYRICK'S WRITING THURSTAY MARCH 29th THOUGHTS ENTITLED WHO ARE YOU?

NO…WHOSE ARE YOU?

       In a Peanuts cartoon strip Peppermint Patty is shown talking to Charlie Brown.

“Guess what, Chuck? It’s the first day of school and I got sent to the principal’s office.

And it’s your fault!”

Charlie Brown responds, “My fault? How could it be my fault? Why do you say everything is my fault?”

To which she declares, “You’re my friend, aren’t you, Chuck? You should have been a better influence on me.”

In the comics, it’s funny… but in real life it’s much more complicated.

      Would you like to read the entire thought piece?  Then... TO TAKE YOU TO THE WYRICK'S WRITING'S SITE

                                      click on the following

http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com

                Yes, God loves you the way you are but he loves you too much to let you stay that way.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

      Click on the URL below to WATCH NEIL IN HIS WORLD FAMOUS ONE MAN DRAMATIZATIONS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, BEN FRANKLIN, CHARLES WESLEY AND MARTIN LUTHER

       http://www.speakerneil.com/

            To Order and Read Neil's 9th book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN

       GO TO amazon.com

 

      QUOTES ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL INSPIRING INFORMATIVE book

      STILL RECEIVING RAVE REVIEWS 8 YEARS AFTER IT'S PUBLICATION.

        "Positive, powerful utterances...skillfully enhancing our understanding and appreciation of Lincoln while revealing the Divine source of his strength."

        Lt. Colonel C.A. Olsen (Ret.) Asbury College (Professor Ret.)

        "The Spiritual Abraham Lincoln is an extremely well written book that investigates what might be termed the spiritual side of President Lincoln. It's both scholarly and very readable. I came away impressed at Mr. Wyrick's portrayal of the President and with an altered and enlarged vision of the man:'

        William Hoffman, Award winning fiction writer; author of Blood and Guile, and Wild Thorn

 

        "Wyrick has authored a wonderful examination of the spirituality of one of American history's most devoutly religious leaders...a pleasant and readable book that has a rich depth of information."

                 Maynard Pittendreigh Presbyterian minister

 

        "When it comes to invoking religion in support of any of their decisions, politicians need to sit at the feet of Abraham Lincoln. Reinhold Niebuhr once called him 'America's greatest theologian.' Why so great? Because he invariably distinguished between human works and the works of the Almighty. As Wyrick says, 'He wore the mantle of humility easily: because he was more impressed with what God was doing in the world than with what he, president of the United States in the midst of an awful crisis, was doing. That is why in his last major speech he distinguished between both human causes in the Civil War and the Almighty's 'own purposes.' Lincoln would have agreed that it is better to leave God-talk out of politics than to decorate human proposals with divinity. This is a book for our American time. Through his careful study of Lincoln's career, Wyrick compels us to remember that piety belongs in politics only when piety transcends politics."

       Dr. Donald W. Shriver

       Emeritus professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Author of An Ethic for Enemies: Forgiveness in Politics

        "v. Neil Wyrick's fine work allows the reader to appreciate Abraham Lincoln's Christian commitment and his prophetic role in American history. Should have a wide readership."

       James H. Smylie Professor of Church History (Ret.) Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, Virginia

 

       "Neil Wyrick's The Spiritual Abraham Lincoln should be read by anyone attempting to understand the man who was probably the most complex person to ever hold the office of president of the United States. Dr. Wyrick is intent on demonstrating that the spirituality so often expressed in Lincoln's writings and speeches was not merely lip service to a Deity, but rather expressions of a profound faith in a real God. It was this faith that provided the wisdom, compassion, insight and sometimes steel that Lincoln would need in full measure as he led the United States through the Civil War. Dr. Wyrick's clear and unpretentious style of presentation is very much in keeping with the character ofhis subject, and in so doing, Wyrick makes his point very well that Lincoln, his beliefs, and the faith that formed them, are as relevant to a troubled America in 2004 as they were in 1863."

       Daniel Allen Butler, author of "Unsinkable"; The Full Story of the RMS Titanic, The Lusitania and The Age o f Cunard

WHAT WOULD A WORLD WITHOUT RULES AND COMMANDMENTS BE LIKE?

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEND THIS BLOG TO A FRIEND GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS BLOG AND CLICK ON THE ENVELOPE.

          There are over 900 stories and commentaries on this blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to daily.

          To Visit neil's other blog Wyrick's Writings click on the following

          http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

      The kindly grey haired old doctor saw before him a man who obviously needed to have followed some simple rules of health a long time before their present meeting.

      And so, better late than never, he began to rule out some common sense rules for healthy living.

      "Stop drinking.  Your liver isn't in too good a shape."

Stop smoking.  The test I've made of your lungs show they aren't  functioning in an efficient manner. 

      Work a little less and play and rest a little more.  Your schedule would kill a horse and you hardly qualify.

      Stop burning so much midnight oil.  You're running out."

      And so on down through a list of 10 simple rules.

      The man paid the bill, ignored all of the advice and was dead within a year.

       The young newlywed sat on the front row of the cooking class and made notes galore.

       Then she went home, pulled out her notes on how to make the perfect cake and proceeded to ignore all of her written instructions.

       She placed a bow in front of her and began by placing within a dozen cracked eggs, shells and all.

       Then she added two pounds of salt, a touch of baking soda, a spoonful of milk, a pound of butter...beat it up, boiled it and served it that night to her husband.

       With husbandly kindness he did not comment that her cake was a mess.  He also ate as little as he thought he could get by with.

       Rules, regulations, directions, Far everything there is a right  way to do it and wrong way. 

       To drive a car certain basic principles must be followed, step on the accelerator instead of the brake and you end up wrapped around a tree.

       To run a store certain basic economic principles must be followed, else one goes bankrupt.

       For a healthy soul certain Biblical principles and teachings are for the reading and application.  Ignore them at your own peril.

       From a land of bondage they had fled.  Their backs still bore the scars of beatings and the weight of years of slavery.  In their eyes you could read the excitement generated by the fact they were headed to The Promised Land

       These Israelites were led in their journey by a cloud by day and fire by night.  They were fed by manna from heaven.

       And then atop volcanic Mt. Sinai, to their leader Moses, was given a sheath of stone...10 Commandments...10 rules for living...and they were not written as suggestions...each commandment beginning with the two words "Thou shalt."

       10 rules for living...10 rules that would solve the problems of mankind before they could even get a good toe hold...rules that would allow fields across the world to sprout with wheat rather than wars...rules that would make a police force as necessary as an air conditioner in an igloo...10 rules that would make a peace time army as necessary as an insurance policy in heaven...

       10 rules that men have forgotten and ignored and suffered the consequences  therein.

       1. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

       2. Thou shalt not make any graven images.

       3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord invain.

       4. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.

       5. Honor thy father and thy mother.

       6. Thou shalt not kill.

       7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

       8. Thou shalt not steal.

       9.  Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

       10. Thou shalt not covet.

       I often hark back to a truly great preacher theologian philosopher in my early ministry days who once sent this golden truth out from his Sunday morning pulpit, "Christ was not crucified because He said,  consider the lilies how they grow...but rather because He said, Consider the thieves how they steal."                                                                      

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A QUOTE FROM THOUGHTS POSTED ON WYRICK'S WRITING SUNDAY MARCH 25TH THOUGHTS ENTITLED "How To Deal with Conflicts"

       A rather crude and cruel experiment was carried out by Emperor Frederick, who ruled the Roman Empire in the thirteenth century.

       He wanted to know what man’s original language was: Hebrew, Greek, or Latin? He decided to isolate a few infants from the sound of the human voice.

       He reasoned that they would eventually speak the natural tongue of man.

       Wet nurses who were sworn to absolute silence were obtained, and though it was difficult for them, they abided by the rule.

       The infants never heard a word -- not a sound from a human voice. Within several months they were all dead.

      POSTED ON WYRICK'S WRITING SUNDAY MARCH 20TH THOUGHTS ENTITLED "Are You a Peacemaker or Peacebreaker?" (Continuation of Series)

Proverbs 14:17 gives a pretty good reason to be a Peacemaker rather than Peacebreaker … "A quick-tempered man does foolish things."  And who wants to be called an angry fool?

With such careless ease we say, “I lost my temper.”  But have you ever stopped to think of the implications behind that phrase.  Lose it often enough and the results can be disastrous; for that is the way people lose their spouses and jobs and health and opportunities and...the list is long.

      POSTED ON WYRICK'S WRITING SUNDAY MARCH 18TH THOUGHTS ENTITLED "Arrogance and Humility' (Series Continued)

          If you were asked, "What is the most important discovery or accomplishment in your life? " how would you answer the question?

POSTED ON WYRICK'S WRITING THURSDAY MARCH 15TH THOUGHTS ENTITLED "What Do You Want from Jesus?"

Do you want from Jesus all the joy that can be gained from fully accepting the fact that you are truly the child of a King?  So that when you die you will not have to ask that someone write on your tombstone, “Born a human being, died a question mark.”

        POSTED ON WYRICK'S WRITING TUESDAY MARCH 13TH THOUGHTS ENTITLED "Are you a Peacemaker or a Peacebreaker?"

                 Someone has said that peace is merely that brief, glorious, moment in history when everyone stops to reload their weapons.

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POSTED ON WYRICK'S WRITING SUNDAY MARCH 13TH  THOUGHTS ENTITLED ""Arrogance and Humility

       When a company takes over another company, there is often a sign placed outside the premises announcing, UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT.

Such a sign accurately summarizes what takes place in Christian conversions.  When Christ takes over a life, that life is literally under new management.

       So consider, is God now managing your pride?  Or is your pride still managing you? 

                                          click on the following

http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com

TO TAKE YOU TO THE WYRICK'S WRITING'S SITE

                Yes, God loves you the way you are but he loves you too much to let you stay that way.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

      Click on the URL below to WATCH NEIL IN HIS WORLD FAMOUS ONE MAN DRAMATIZATIONS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, BEN FRANKLIN, CHARLES WESLEY AND MARTIN LUTHER

       http://www.speakerneil.com/

            To Order and Read Neil's 9th book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN

       GO TO amazon.com

      QUOTES ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL INSPIRING INFORMATIVE book

      STILL RECEIVING RAVE REVIEWS 8 YEARS AFTER IT'S PUBLICATION.

        "Positive, powerful utterances...skillfully enhancing our understanding and appreciation of Lincoln while revealing the Divine source of his strength."

        Lt. Colonel C.A. Olsen (Ret.) Asbury College (Professor Ret.)

        "The Spiritual Abraham Lincoln is an extremely well written book that investigates what might be termed the spiritual side of President Lincoln. It's both scholarly and very readable. I came away impressed at Mr. Wyrick's portrayal of the President and with an altered and enlarged vision of the man:'

        William Hoffman, Award winning fiction writer; author of Blood and Guile, and Wild Thorn

 

        "Wyrick has authored a wonderful examination of the spirituality of one of American history's most devoutly religious leaders...a pleasant and readable book that has a rich depth of information."

                 Maynard Pittendreigh Presbyterian minister

         "When it comes to invoking religion in support of any of their decisions, politicians need to sit at the feet of Abraham Lincoln. Reinhold Niebuhr once called him 'America's greatest theologian.' Why so great? Because he invariably distinguished between human works and the works of the Almighty. As Wyrick says, 'He wore the mantle of humility easily: because he was more impressed with what God was doing in the world than with what he, president of the United States in the midst of an awful crisis, was doing. That is why in his last major speech he distinguished between both human causes in the Civil War and the Almighty's 'own purposes.' Lincoln would have agreed that it is better to leave God-talk out of politics than to decorate human proposals with divinity. This is a book for our American time. Through his careful study of Lincoln's career, Wyrick compels us to remember that piety belongs in politics only when piety transcends politics."

       Dr. Donald W. Shriver

       Emeritus professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Author of An Ethic for Enemies: Forgiveness in Politics

 

        "v. Neil Wyrick's fine work allows the reader to appreciate Abraham Lincoln's Christian commitment and his prophetic role in American history. Should have a wide readership."

       James H. Smylie Professor of Church History (Ret.) Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, Virginia

       "Neil Wyrick's The Spiritual Abraham Lincoln should be read by anyone attempting to understand the man who was probably the most complex person to ever hold the office of president of the United States. Dr. Wyrick is intent on demonstrating that the spirituality so often expressed in Lincoln's writings and speeches was not merely lip service to a Deity, but rather expressions of a profound faith in a real God. It was this faith that provided the wisdom, compassion, insight and sometimes steel that Lincoln would need in full measure as he led the United States through the Civil War. Dr. Wyrick's clear and unpretentious style of presentation is very much in keeping with the character ofhis subject, and in so doing, Wyrick makes his point very well that Lincoln, his beliefs, and the faith that formed them, are as relevant to a troubled America in 2004 as they were in 1863."

       Daniel Allen Butler, author of "Unsinkable"; The Full Story of the RMS Titanic, The Lusitania and The Age o f Cunard