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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.
Do you remember the first time you were homesick? Was it during your first foray away from home
at a summer camp or as late as college when you were now really on your own? Whatever was the reason, you were surrounded
by people but not with them.
Family
was many miles away.
Or
maybe it was a new job that was overwhelming you. Among all these strangers would be future
friends. Or maybe, none of this was
true, you had already made a new friend...but still you were just lonely and
you couldn't put your finger on it. You
didn't like that old job but at least each day these were people you had worked
with for years.
Mother Teresa
said once, “The biggest disease today is not leprosy or cancer. It’s the feeling
of being uncared for, unwanted – of being deserted and alone.”
Whatever is
your reason for loneliness...where are you seeking a cure for this malady?
Substitutes?
Money? Can
you hold a wallet full of money in your hand and receive the same kind of
comfort as holding the hand of a loved one.
Can you enjoy
eating breakfast with fame when in front of you is only an empty day
full of people of whom you wonder if they are friends at all?
Can you be
surrounded by a crowd and feel as if you were in the middle of a desert with
the feeling that the nearest person who cares about you is a thousand miles
away?
Have you ever gone to a
church on a Sunday morning and left feeling so very lonely because not one single
person spoke to you? (What stranger did
you speak with last Sunday?)
You do not
have to be alone to feel lonely.
What can you do to combat
loneliness? Well...certainly not nothing
(poor grammar...good truth). The
temptation is there...lonely people pull within themselves and push other
people away. Bad idea.
Rather...don't
just take a lemon life and try to make some lemonade...work at giving some of the
lemonade away...
...lonely people are often
shy and this may be you...when facing another person and you can't think of
anything to say...fine...then say little but let that little be a question to
the other person about what they are doing...once you get them to talking and
you to actively listening...they will love you...and both of you will be less lonely.
In the process
they may end up sharing a pain or problem...now you can show empathy...which
will be great for them and great for you also...altruism is
great for a lonely spirit.
When Corrie ten Boom was a young woman in
the Netherlands, she fell madly in love
with a young man who did not fall
in love with her.
Fact, is, he brought their relationship
to an end and soon thereafter married one of her best friends.
She was devastated.
Her Father was a wise man and so he sat
down with her and gave her advice that was to benefit her in ways she could
never imagine. "Corrie, there are two things you can do with your lost
love. You can crawl inside your shell and
hold a host of bitterness inside where it will eat you up...or you can
rechannel it to something or someone
else and start focusing on other people's needs."
And this is what she did and the kind of
person she became?...She became the selfless person living under Nazi captivity
and imprisonment as told in her book THE HIDING PLACE.
We are all
contractors...constantly building walls or bridges...and we know which of the
two will get us nowhere.
It is a valley,
this valley of loneliness, and there is not a lot of sun there in some of its
darkest recesses...and how do we find some light to make it so much a place of
dispair?
Oh, there are
things to do that will definitely help... change your job; join a club; be positive; get married; get
remarried; travel the world; move house; use your hi-fi; turn your TV on and
your radio; read good books; take up a hobby; expand your horizons; renew your
goals; volunteer for some good cause.
But...and
there is more of permanence in the following suggestions...accept what cannot...
will not be changed. You will drive yourself
to distraction if you continue to try to change the unchangeable.
I just said it but for an even better source of truth try the
Apostle Paul, "I have learned, in whatsoever state I
am, therewith to be content". (Philippians 4:11)
I didn't say jump with joy in the face o
failure...but I do say, don't stamp your feet in anger or fill yourself with
bitterness. You will create an avalanche
of loneliness.
What can you actually do to have more friends to combat loneliness?
Do you walk around wearing a perpetual frown....not exchanging
it for a smile...even if you don't feel like smiling...smile anyway...people
will smile back and then...what do you know...you will feel more like smiling.
Do
you constantly wear a chip on your shoulder?
It is a poor fashion statement.
And people won't like the fashion and they will not treat you nice which
will just make the chip larger which will make people treat you even less
nice...which will make you make the chip larger...which..............
"It's me and I can't do anything about it." You say and have said this countless times to
yourself...and I say "But you can do something about it..."...
In short...even when you do not actually feel nice...act
like you do...
and then watch people treat you nicer
because nice feeds off of nice...nice begets nice like smiles beget smiles like
nice begets nice like smiles beget smiles...like.....
It's a domino game...it just depends on which way you aim the
dominos.
The book of Proverbs puts it better than
I just did. " A man that hath
friends must shew himself friendly".
(Proverbs 18:24)
I close with what you would expect me to say...because it is
true...the worst loneliness in the world is to be without God...and the
greatest friend you will ever have is your Savior King.
Spiritual loneliness is the worst.
To aim at birth and life and death without a relationship with your
creator is the ultimate act of foolishness.
It is to court the worst kind of loneliness that will affect all other
kinds of loneliness.
What's so great about a relationship with
Jesus...well his attitude toward you is what the attitude of a true friend
should be.
He loves you no matter what you do.
He loves you when you are running away
him...He loves you when you are quietly praying on your knees.
He loves you not because you always deserve
it but because He was that one who on the cross cried, "Father, forgive
them for they know not what they do."
It is not that He does not know our
spiritual infirmities...it is that He accepts them and works with us as we seek
to overcome them.
And here comes Paul again with some more of his excellent
advice, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things
are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever
things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any
virtue, and if there be
***
QUOTES BELOW ARE
FROM WYRICK'S WRITINGS...CLICK
ON THE FOLLOWING TO TAKE YOU THERE... http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com
(These are selected sermons from over
50 years of ministry and as a worldwide evangelist have been preached all
over the world)
+++++++++++++++++++
A new quote (posted Aug 12) 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)
How
much differently would government function if all elected officials were as
good historians as politicians and statesmen?
The school-of-yesterday is such a worthy teacher. It is a shame that so many who have shaped
our nation’s directions have not better studied and remembered the good and bad
directions of the past.
++++++++++++++++++++++
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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