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There are over 900
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.
Some
philosophers and theologians refer to man as a world in miniature because he is
a specimen of the power, wisdom and goodness of God.
The Bible
reads, "For he has made him a little lower than the angels." (Hebrew
2:7)
One
thing is for sure, in our constant search for understanding miracles the
miracle of self is enough to stagger the human mind.
What a quest
it is, the answer to the question in the title of this piece.
And
some make no such quest at all. Puffed
up with pride there is no praise and little or no searching and finding and
bowing down in prayer; the world is too much with them.
And some
created by God "a little lower than the angels" began, because of
their discoveries, to feel equal to and even on a level with God himself.
A
deluded poet of not that many years ago, Swineburge wrote, "The seal of
man's knowledge is sure; the truth and his spirit is wed...Glory to Man in the
highest, for man is the master of things."
Who and what
is man?
He is
spiritual wisdom or a physical backdrop against which he suffers delusions of
grandeur.
And
one of the reasons this happens? One day a man was asked if he thought ignorance and
apathy played a part in the condition of our culture today. He responded, “I don’t know and don’t care.”
But we must
care. We can't allow ourselves to be
subject to the force of drift.
According to Webster, to be proactive is "…acting in anticipation of future
problems, needs, or changes." It
certainly isn't allowing ourselves to be addicted to drift.
Max Lucado says that one day his wife brought home a
monkey.
His daughters
were thrilled but he wasn't; he had all kinds of questions.
Where was the
monkey going to eat? His wife said that it was going to sit at the table and
eat with them, just like the rest of the family.
Then he asked
her where it was going to sleep? And she told him it was going to sleep in
their bed.
Then he asked, "But what about the
smell?" And she said, "Oh, he'll get used to you, I did."
Man? Man is intemperate when it comes to finding
fault with his fellowman. And rushing or
drifting toward ongoing animosity enlarges differences and fights wars and
arrogantly demands agreement and listens not well at all...
And as
Christians...we have to be a different kind of person...a love others as we
love ourselves person.
And not an ongoing emotional Olympics in
which we just keep on keeping on the process of casting stones.
The Civil War had
left its scars. The city of Richmond displayed them wherever you looked. Some of the scars could not be seen but they
could be felt.
And so it was that
on a Sunday morn a congregation gathered for worship and communion. When communion time came they walked down
the aisle and began to celebrate the crucifixion and resurrection of their
Lord.
After several
rows of worshipers had moved forward and returned to their pews...a single
black man began to walk down the aisle.
Alone.
For no one
joined him in his solitary journey.
At the front of
the church the black man started to kneel alone.
Then, another single
figure rose his pew and made his way to the front of the church and reaching
where the black man had just knelt kneeled by his side.
Together they
then took communion.
The man's name was General Robert
E. Lee.
What and who
is man? He is who he or she chooses to
be in coordination with their God.
There are three kinds of people in the
world’
-those who make things happen
-those who watch things happen
-those who say, "What happened?"
-those who make things happen
-those who watch things happen
-those who say, "What happened?"
Which are
you? Which am I? And does it make a difference?
What and who is
man? He is who he or she chooses to be
in coordination with their God.
It's called
self-discovery and we should be busily engaged in this important mode of living
for the whole of our life.
++++++++++++++++
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 6) 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)
Many were quite willing
to see him permanently gone, not just to Washington but from this earth.
Hate letters assailed on a regular basis. Finally a plot to assassinate
him in Baltimore was uncovered, and by repeatedly reminding him, “You can
hardly be a good President if you are a dead President,” his friends were able
to convince him to secretly depart Harrisburg.
Accompanied
by Alan Pinkerton and W. H. Laman in one lone car pulled by a single
locomotive, no lights and telegraph lines cut, he came through Baltimore at
3:30 A.M. dressed in disguise.
Many other lonely middle-of-the-night times lay ahead.
++++++++++++++++++++++
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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