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There are over 1100
stories and commentaries on this blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to
daily.
Click on http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com
to read selected Sermons from
over 50 years of Rev. Wyrick's ministry.
Was is...the...no..not that...rather....just a minute I'm
getting there as soon as...well...now...what was I writing... what am I talking
about? Well...back to what I was preparing to say.
If I had kept up
like this much longer I would have lost you.
The attention span of we humans has never been particularly long and I
fear today it is even less so.
Folk today
wouldn't put up with the party telephone lines of yesterday. They would grow crazy at how long it took to
get to my grandparents mountain farm 300 plus miles west from Norfolk,
Virginia. Top speed on those 1930's
curving roads, 35 miles per hour. And as
to mistakes on a typewriter that one had to correct with whiteout as against a
computers "delete"...forget it.
I learned 5
languages for years in college and Seminary and it took forever...and I still
never considered myself anywhere near as proficient as I would have liked to
be. Today we see ads promising How to
Learn Spanish in 30 days.
Fortunately the
Lord is more patient with us than we are with each other.
"Father.
forgive them for they know not what they do." And Jesus hung there because the impatience
of the Pharisees and Sadducees with Him was greater than their patience. They wanted Him to change His mind and His
words and he wouldn't He couldn't.
And
all the time He was patient, "...when
He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not
threaten." (1 Peter 2:23)
And some people were impatient with the Apostle Paul and look what they missed. What wa sit he said in II Thessalonians 3:5" Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ."
And some people were impatient with the Apostle Paul and look what they missed. What wa sit he said in II Thessalonians 3:5" Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ."
Today's
political climate is a cauldron of heated up impatience. All the authorities on either side of the
political fence terribly impatient with all the authorities on the other side
of the political fence.
And thereby no
one listening to anyone. Just like all
the teenagers who are impatient with their parents ignorance lined up against
their genius. And all the mates who
impatiently tell each other how perfection really should not be too much to
ask.
Tolerance...that's
patience. Intolerance...that's
impatience. Which of these do we have so
much of thee days?
The art of
patience is flunked by a host of amateurs because there are not many
professional patient people among us. Of
course, it isn't all our fault. What
with Fast Food, high speed expressways, instant access to a host of things we
want to instantly access...how could it be otherwise?
Meanwhile, back
at the ulcer ward...we are killing ourselves.
Don't know
whether the church with its speedy Service guarantee is still alive and
well...but there was...there really was a church in Florida that advertised
it's morning worship service lasted only 22 minutes and not a minute
longer. The sermon was 8 minutes. I could find no reference as to how long the
prayer was.
America prides
itself in being a leader. There is one
statistic we could pass by. We lead in
heart attacks.
I heard about a
man who was trying to invent a pill that would cram eight hours sleep into
four. Last thing I heard he hadn't
succeeded. Actually I think he went
crazy.
How can we be
more patient?
1. Try to stop
calling other people names like "stupid" and worse names than
that. Name calling just accelerates any
impatience we may have with another individual.
2. Try to not make statements like, "I can't stand physical
therapy. It takes too long to get
results." I'm in to my 16th month
of ongoing orthopedic exercises to improve my balance and strength after
breaking my hip. I fill my days with
"thanksgiving" rather than "why didn't my hip get completely
well the day before yesterday?"
Wellness, whatever
the cause takes time...and sometimes there is only partial healing...and
patient thanksgiving for what healing does take place does make sense.
3. Are you a relentless suffering saint? When or if you are trying to get someone to
commit to the Lord or go to church or pledge to some time to charitable
cause...are you so impatient in your enthusiasm...you turn them off rather than
turn them on.
In 1989, Margaret Thatcher, ex-Prime Minister of
England, who was referred to as "The Iron Lady," suffered from this
same human view of patience. She said, "I am extraordinarily patient
provided I get my own way in the end."
It was a witty but not wise thing to think or say. It was being honest but revealed a problem we
all suffer from far too often.
I am not by nature a patient man. I try not to use it as an excuse. I try to use it as a starting block for
finding more of this illusive blessing.
I prod myself with prayer and down through the years there really has
been improvement...but then isn't that what Jesus promises when He says "I
am come that you might have life and that you might have it more
abundantly."
The litany of impatient responses is all
with us and sometimes if we listen carefully it is our own voice we have. "Didn't you pay any attention to what I
was just saying? Why do I have to keep
repeating myself?"
There are many variations on this theme.
Erma Bombeck had such a very special
talent for getting to the heart of things.
In describing children she was really describing life for it is the
changes that take place that require so much patience...
“Children are a lot like kites ... You spend a
lifetime trying to get them off the ground. Finally they are airborne, but then
need more string and you keep letting it out, and with each twist of the ball
of twine, there is a sadness that goes with the joy because the kite becomes
distant, and somehow you know that it won’t be long before that beautiful
creature will snap the lifeline that bound you together and soar as it was
meant to soar ... free and alone. But then, there comes the time when one kite
or the other suddenly nose-dives toward the ground, and you have to be ready to
patiently try to get it airborne again.”
Have
you had a dream nosedive and shatter into a thousand pieces? Has your patience run out more than once
before your persistence achieved? Do you
sometimes just get plain tired from picking yourself up while picking up the
pieces?
If
so...please don't give up on patience...live with your stumbling and learn from
it.
Marriage
problems? A good marriage is golden when
there is patience. It is riddled with
despair when nothing but shouting takes place.
So yes
again... please don't give up on patience...live with your stumbling and learn
from it.
The
same is true with all relationships...be they nowhere near as intimate.
A wise old man said this about
himself. “I was a revolutionary when I was young, and all my prayer to God was:
‘Lord, give me the energy to change the world.’ As I approached middle age and
realized that life was half gone without my changing a single soul, I changed
my prayer to: ‘Lord, give me the grace to change all those who come into
contact with me. Just my family and friends and I shall be satisfied.’ Now that
I am old man and my days are numbered, I have begun to see how foolish I have
been. My one prayer now is: ‘Lord, give me the grace to change myself.’ If I
had prayed this right from the start, I would not have wasted my life.”
Which in terms of changing the world is
what it is all about.
++++++++++
Patience
and wisdom walk hand in hand, like two one-armed lovers.”
― Jarod Kintz,
Patience
is not a virtue. It is an achievement.”
― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration
― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration
Patience
is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.”
― Barbara Johnson
― Barbara Johnson
Toleration is the greatest gift of the
mind; it requires the same effort of the brain that it takes to balance oneself
on a bicycle.”
― Helen Keller
― Helen Keller
QUOTE BELOW IS FROM WYRICK'S WRITINGS
There
is no other organization in the world like the church. It is a breed unto itself. It is a congregation of sinners, not a
country club for saints. To become a
member you have to profess your unworthiness.
CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING TO TAKE YOU THERE
(These are selected sermons from over 50 years of ministry and as a worldwide evangelist Rev. Wyrick preached them all the United States and all over the
world)
+++++++++++++++++++
A new quote (posted Aug 20) below from Rev. Wyrick's 9th book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM
LINCOLN...available on
amazon.com, barnes and noble and many other book sites) (read the rave reviews below)
Everything
that happened in the war was not of blood and pain and hate. The best in man sometimes rises out of the
worst. More than likely the story of
what happened one cold day during the terrible battle of Fredericksburg reached
Abe’s ears and pleased the heart of this forgiving President. It was a dreadful battle that cried out for some
miraculous act of empathy.
A
Sergeant Richard Kirkland of Company E Carolina Regiment made a request of his
commanding officer that was almost denied.
He had looked too long at the tortured, twisted dead and dying men and
could finally stand it no more. He
sought startling permission to take water and aid to those dressed in both Blue
and Gray.
“You
may get a bullet in the back of your head, son,” he was told. The soldier replied that he wanted to go
anyway.
“May God protect you,” said Major General J.
B. Kershaw. A short time later, men on
both sides of this field of agony and despair, watched in awe as the young man vaulted
over a bloodstained stonewall and walked unarmed and seemingly unafraid among
the dead and dying. They saw him kneel
down and cradle a fallen Union soldier in his arms, offer him a drink of water,
rest his head on his knapsack and cover him with his own overcoat. And then move to another soldier nearby. This time it was a Confederate soldier.
Again
and again throughout that long, pale December afternoon, just eleven days
before Christmas, Sergeant Kirkland returned with water until every living
soldier, from both the North and the South, had felt his compassion and
concern.
General Kershaw later wrote that not one
shot was fired during that time. That
never had he heard such silent respect.
“…no doubt,” his pen etched, “all the trumpets of heaven resounded on
this monumental day.”
++++++++++++++++++++++
CLICK ON www.go60.us
IT WILL TAKE YOU A NEW WEBSITE FOR SENIORS....click on
"Voice" on the home page and then on the list of authors click
on Neil Wyrick
Recent articles Rev. Wyrick has
written for this web site are: REFLECTIONS
·
Here Comes Summer (July 2012)
·
Spring (May 2012)
·
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow
(April 2012)
·
Wayward and Windy (April 2012)
Just
remember that “the pain of discipline will cost you pennies, whereas the pain
of regret will cost you millions.”
++++++++++++++++++
How can we keep our faith from being a weak and
fruitless thing? How can we not be
foolish little men and women groveling in the dark shadows of overeager
egos.
Well, first we must do more than just pray. We must believe in our own prayers.
+++++++++++++++++++
Anxiety
out of proportion makes us become like a centipede trying to put his best foot
forward.
++++++++++++++++++
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 do that.”
++++++++++++++++++++
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 anything. 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
++++++++++++++++++++++
Some
of the sermon titles posted recently
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
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/
++++++++++++++++++++++
BELOW
ARE MORE QUOTES FROM NEIL'S RECENTLY POSTED SERMONS
++++++++++++++++++
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.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
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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