and then paste it in an email to that friend
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 (Here you will find selected sermons that he has preached during the last 58 years.) Just click on the URL below
http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com
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Under Roman law a Roman soldier could compel a Jew to carry his burden for him one mile wherever he told him to walk. It didn’t matter if the Jew had other plans in a different direction or was short of time. It was all quite simple. The Roman said “Do it” and there was no room for negotiation.
And then into this dilemma steps Jesus with His usual logic and
fine-tuned way of living. In so many
words He says, “Oh yes, there is room to negotiate. It’s just that I want you to negotiate to do more,
not less.”
You want utter madness? This, to his listeners, was certainly getting
close. It was frustrating enough to have
to obey the Romans in the first place, but to offer, of their own free will, to
do more? Incredible! A Jew might feel like giving the Roman a fist
full of knuckles and a belly full of contempt, but bottom line…he reached down,
lifted up and began his required 5,280 foot journey. Oh, he could refuse if he wanted free room
and board in the local jail, but that didn’t make a lot of sense. So what Jesus was saying to them was either
totally crazy or first class advice.
Leave it to the Master. He
knew what He was talking about. He knew
that every step of that first mile, carrying that ordered burden, produced an
ever increasing amount of resentment. It
had to. It was a loss of control. Therefore, Jesus wasn’t saying - don’t get
mad, get even; rather He was emphasizing gain back control. Carry the load a second mile because you have volunteered to do so. Now that second mile is your decision. Your exercise of free will. The first mile is a burden – both physically
and emotionally, but when you volunteer the second mile it is only a physical
burden. Your physical burden by choice –
now you are in charge.
Unfortunately, human nature, in any century, is often much more
inclined to do less not more. Ready to
take more often than to give. People
don’t want to be put upon, and laziness comes naturally. And then smack dab into the middle of these
psychological hang ups Jesus drops a bombshell, “Whosoever shall compel thee to
go one mile, go with him two.”
I doubt if
many of you have ever run a two mile race.
It is not a distance one should run without sufficient training. Yet when I ran track in college, it was my
favorite distance and one of the reasons was that my second wind would kick in. One minute, I was running out of steam and then
suddenly I felt like I was running with the wind. I believe this is what Jesus was talking
about. Of course, not a second mile measured
in feet, but a second spiritual mile in which one receives a Spiritual second
wind. You see, as one champion distance
runner put it, “You run the first mile with your legs, the second mile with
your heart.”
So let’s make a spiritually logical leap and apply this to every day
living. Have you ever met someone who
upon first meeting you realized the chemistry just wasn’t there? Your first mile wasn’t too much of a success
in setting up a relationship. Fact of
the matter, it was a burden. You may
even have prayed a short prayer, “Lord, I’m going to need some help with this
one.” But then you stuck with it,
reached out with Christian charity that let you look and listen a little more
closely. Looking and listening for some
good chemistry which you were determined to find. Something about the person you could
like. And you found it. And then you found other goodly things. You went the second mile and you found it, and
now you had a new friend.
The world is full of people who try to get by with as little as
they possibly can - never extending themselves.
The worker who nails no more nails, fixes no more motors, paints no more
doors than he has to. The clock-watcher
who works only for the gold he can get, rather than for the glory he or she can
give. First-mile-people complaining
every foot of the way. Speak to them
about a second mile, extra effort and they will look at you as if they think
you are from another planet.
The mother who complains about her
motherhood and makes it clear to her child that she believes he or she is a
burden.
The Christian who looks for excuses instead of opportunities.
Let me ask this question.
If two people pray and one has gleaned the secret of the second mile, is
his or her prayer different than the one prayed by someone who has not?
Listen to two prayers and you tell me
which is prayed by a man or woman who has learned the secret of the second mile.
Dear Lord,
So what’s on for today?
Whatever it is, make it easy, for I am tired and do not wish to extend
myself. It’s as simple as that, Lord. Amen.
Or…. Dear Lord,
Guide me this day toward what I can and must do. I do not ask for easy tasks. I only ask for strength. I do not ask for easy answers. I only ask for patience and persistence to
learn from whatever problems may come my way.
Thank you, Lord. Amen.
The answer is obvious, of course. And the
difference in the attitude of their prayers makes my point. In so many words they both went the first
mile. But only one went the second mile.
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"Wyrick's Writings" are selected sermons from those
Neil has preached during the last 55 years.
Below is a quote from Neil's other blog
Wyrick's Writings...posted Thursday May 3
SERMON TITLE...HOW TO
LESSEN ANXIETY
It's an old joke, I went to the doctor and I
said, “Doc, when I do this, it hurts.” And the doctor said, “Then don't do
that.”
How many things have you been anxious
about that were things which you knew before you got into them were probably
going to create some problems for you?
And if you asked your doctor, or your minister, or common sense and your
God, all of them would have said, “Don’t to that.”
Below
is a quote from Neil's other blog Wyrick's Writings...posted TUESDAY MAY 1
To buy into the community of accountability we have to realize that
like bikers we are divided into two categories. Those who have fallen and those who will
fall for None of us are perfect.
Think on it this way, some philosopher of
old wrote it and it endures because there is so much truth in it… every right implies a responsibility; every
opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty
Below
is a quote from Neil's other blog Wyrick's Writings...posted Sunday April
29th....
One writer put it this way: “If we could see
ourselves as God sees us, we would rise up and never be the same again.”
TO GO
TO "WYRICK'S WRITINGS" TO
READ SELECTED SERMONS FROM OVER 50 YEARS OF HIS MINISTRY
CLICK ON THE URL
BELOW
Some
of the sermon titles posted recently
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Before you decide
to purchase or not purchase his book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN.... view his Award Winning One Man
Dramatization of Lincoln (since he wrote the script
for this drama it will give you an insight into what you will find in the book
itself)
Available on
Amazon.com in printed form and on Amazon Kindle Books. and at
many other sites
TO VIEW THE LINCOLN
One Man DRAMA and 3 other dramas; Ben Franklin, Martin Luther & Charles
Wesley
click on the
following URL
http://www.speakerneil.com/
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BELOW
ARE MORE QUOTES FROM NEIL'S RECENTLY POSTED SERMONS
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A QUOTE FROM THOUGHTS POSTED ON MY
OTHER BLOG WYRICK'S WRITINGS ON SUNDAY APRIL 15. ENTITILED
Two stores faced each other across a very
busy street. Their owners were in constant competition
with each other. One day, the owner of
one store put out a sign that read – If
you want it, we have it!
Almost immediately the other owner put out a
sign –If we don’t have it, you don’t
need it!
A QUOTE FROM THOUGHTS POSTED ON MY
OTHER BLOG WYRICK'S WRITINGS ON THURSDAY APRIL 13TH. ENTITILED
WHO ARE
YOU?
NO…WHOSE ARE YOU?
Who are you? Whose are
you?
You influence and are influenced
according to the answer you give.
Are you are the flavor of the month because
you are determined to be like everyone else no matter what? If so, consider being more independent in our
thinking and actions...because God wants you to grow up.
It may be easier being someone's shadow but
wouldn't you really rather be a sun.
QUOTE FROM THOUGHTS POSTED ON WYRICK'S WRITINGS THURSDAY APRIL 5 FROM THOUGHT ENTITLED "Who
Are You? Whose Are You?"
This is an old quote, and a romantic one
as well but, nevertheless, can anyone say of you, “I love you not because of who you are,
but because of who I am when I am with you.”
QUOTE FROM THOUGHT PIECE POSTED
ON WYRICK'S WRITINGS TUESDAY APRIL 3 FROM THOUGHT ENTITLED
" WHEN A NATION STRAYS TOO FAR FROM BEING MORAL IT IS WELL ON IT'S WAY
TO BECOMING A MESS
James 4:17
To him therefore who knows to do good, and doesn’t do it,
to him it is sin.
Someone once said: “A
belief is what you hold, a conviction is what holds you!”
So what holds you,
constructs you, leads you with a push when needed?
Quotes
POSTED ON WYRICK'S WRITING THURSDAY 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
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
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
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