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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.
In my college track days when I would try to keep up with our number one cross country runner my lungs would burn, my muscles would ache and I would still suffer the agony of defeat.
What joy? What pure
ecstasy? Well, not quite, but now 60
plus years later I have a stronger heart and more efficient lungs and overall
still benefit from the all out effort of those yesteryears.
So it is with the pain of studying long hours in college and
seminary, a combination of pain and pleasure to be exact for I have always had
a vibrant curiosity. It's just that
sufficient study was extra work if I wanted to achieve and I certainly have
never had a love affair with failure.
The same with accidents and redesigning
of my appendages. There is something
about having an paralyzed arm (two months and then a long recovery) and an
uncooperative leg when it comes to movement (two weeks and then a long
recovery) that makes movement most take for granted...a time for unparallel
exultation.
And other physical ailments that have had
me on crutches at various times for a well over total of three months plus.
In short, when I reach back and pull my wallet out of my back
pocked I still grin and say a prayer of thanksgiving...for I will never forget
when I couldn't reach back that far let alone have enough grasp to pull out
anything.
Same with my leg when I walk. I can
remember how after that broken hip I couldn't.
And the job that didn't pan out and such
a blessing it was that it didn't.
And the...(fill in the blanks)
When things go wrong and then wronger
(poor grammar, good truth) think of it as a blessing rather than a curse. It keeps one humble and too much pride is a
killer.
I often say fill in the blanks as a kind of a way of emphasizing our
brotherhood...for we are...brothers in Christ and share so much that is good,
bad and in-between.
The problem of pain is a question mark that turns into a
fishhook that pierces our hearts.
Why?
And Job asked it 4000 years ago and you asked it this morning or
yesterday afternoon or last week or last month.
It is a universal question that constantly rises to the fore.
I burned my
tongue on a hot coffee this morning. It
is the law of hot.
I fell out of the sky while flying a hang
glider. It is the law of gravity.
There was a time when I ate too much chocolate
and briefly weighed 205 (I now weigh 172).
It is what happens when one practices a lack of self discipline.
Some
suffering seems to come by chance and some by choice and some from fate and
some by a combination of all three.
I love my kids and my kids love me but
not always as much when we disagree. It
is the law of conflicting opinions.
I cannot remember
a time when I did not love and follow my Christ. It is the law of spiritual common sense and I
would have it no other way.
I am not sinless but I am forgiven. I
will never know what it is like to be perfect...for I never was and I never
will be. Therefore I must suffer the
consequences. It is the law of domino effect
and sometimes when we use the wrong dominoes we are left with no other possibility
than moral stink.
Yes, we are
sometimes our best friend and in a moment we become our worst enemy.
Why does God allow famine so that we have
to view it on a too regular basis on the evening news.
Well, World
Vision explains that man makes famine because he has a famine of love and
compassion. In his anger and prejudice
and puffed up pride and seeking for power he seems to have nothing better to do
than produce civil wars on a regular basis
It is the law of force begets force that
begets hurt that begets hurting that produces that suffering that none of us
want.
The cause of
starving people. It is hard to feed
people when no one is harvesting...because they are too busy running to save
their lives.
These are explanations and they have
enough reason about them to embrace their truths...but then there is always the
question of why when it comes to hurricanes (I experienced that monster
hurricane) and earthquakes and fires and sicknesses we never invited to call.
Why?
Well, let me
make a metaphor.
In my many speaking travels across and
around America, one early morn I passed the giant upward curving Arch in St.
Louis. On this particular morning it
rose up and through an enveloping fog that mingled with low hanging clouds.
From where I looked I could only see the beginning but not the completion of
the plan.
Two separate posts rising into the fog
cloud filled sky. I could not see what
they were doing up above or why they were separated at the bottom.
If I had taken the elevator that was
available I would have had a completely different picture of the whole thing
and drawn different conclusions than conclusions I had been drawing from the
bottom.
So it is with life and ground bound on
mother earth and God high and heaven lifted with the eyes of eternity viewing
from a complete different point of view.
And on this earth
we will never completely understand no matter how hard we try...gaining little
bits of wisdom and insight...but little bits nevertheless.
I am content with that. My mind could not handle a complete answer to
my questions and questings.
"Thy will be done" and for me that is a prayer is filled with comfort. That prayer is filled with the confidence and overwhelming wisdom of my creator. I am content with that.
"Thy will be done" and for me that is a prayer is filled with comfort. That prayer is filled with the confidence and overwhelming wisdom of my creator. I am content with that.
"If I
were God." Have you ever
said that or thought that or by such implied your decision would be better than
God's. Take care...you don't want the
job and you certainly aren't qualified.
Helen Keller,
that woman of miraculous living...of courageous living...that filled with
wisdom woman despite all the suffering she bore...or perhaps because of
it...one day in commenting on her condition and the condition of the world said..."the
world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”
So overcome whatever pain or problem sits
heavy on your shoulders, your mind, your heart, your being...overcome it by
fighting toward health and not shouting bitterness when you have overcome as
much as you are able...but want more healing.
Then..rather...but on that whole armor of
God again...and walk with that "peace that passeth understanding"
even though the walk is nowhere as easy as you want
One day two men
were talking as men are wont to do and one said to the other, "“Sometimes
I’d like to ask why God allows poverty, famine, and injustice when he could do
something about it.”
The other man replied, “I’m afraid God might ask me the same question.”
The other man replied, “I’m afraid God might ask me the same question.”
And while we
are being philosophical and theological it behooves us to set up constant
Biblical reminders...such as... Romans 8:18
"I consider
that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be
revealed in us. (NIV)
"Trust
in the dark what you know to be true in the light.” said a man named Bob
Munger. Thank you Bob.
From the depths
of the Nazi death camp, Corrie ten Boom wrote: ‘No matter how deep our
darkness, he is deeper still.’ He not only rose from the dead, he changed the
meaning of death and therefore of all the little deaths - the sufferings that
anticipate death and make up parts of it.
"He is gassed in Auschwitz. He is sneered at in Soweto. He is mocked in northern Ireland. He is enslaved in the Sudan. He’s the one we love to hate, yet to us he has chosen to return love. Every tear we shed becomes his tear. He may not wipe them away yet, but he will."
"He is gassed in Auschwitz. He is sneered at in Soweto. He is mocked in northern Ireland. He is enslaved in the Sudan. He’s the one we love to hate, yet to us he has chosen to return love. Every tear we shed becomes his tear. He may not wipe them away yet, but he will."
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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