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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.
Discipline brought you to this blog, to open
it in the hopes of finding some thoughts that will help you. You are a seeker and seekers seek.
"Focus on discipline" is the sub title of the following
thoughts and yes the magic word is focus. Not a lazy eye or an uncoordinated thought
about this fuel that can make life so much better.
Decisions?
Decisions made with a capital D.
Decisions that may for awhile make life harder but in the long term make
life easier. Decisions that feed a kind
of joy that can never be found from doing nothing because it required less
effort. Decisions that can add savor beyond
your wildest dreams.
"When I became a man I put away childish things." said
Paul and challenges us to do the same.
What is the most difficult challenge a
parent has? Teaching discipline
to their
children. By word and by deed being an
example. And what is the response of
most children? "I'm a child. I major in play. I minor in this thing called
discipline." And few say...when I
add a few years I will give up this childish things...but many do...and because
they do they have more satisfying lives.
Many centuries ago, there sat a huge
bolder sat in the middle of a road traveled by many travelers. It left little room to circumvent yet somehow all managed to struggle their
around to the other side.
The
complaints were unending, "Why doesn't someone move this monster
impediment?"
Finally,
there came a man who seeing the bolder decided it was time for action. Therefore, he took a large tree limb and
placing it beneath the bolder pried it upward and rolled it out of the way.
It was then
he found a small bag that had been left beneath the bolder. In the bag was a note. It read as follows, " "Thank you
for being a true servant of the kingdom. Many have passed this way and
complained because of the state of the problem and spoken of what ought to be
done. But you have taken the responsibility upon yourself to serve the kingdom
instead. You are the type of citizen we need more of in this kingdom. Please
accept this bag of gold that traveler after traveler have walked by simply
because they didn’t care enough about the kingdom to serve."
.
Why do we all fight to some degree fight discipline at one time or the
other? Because it is human nature to
float downstream. Swimming upstream
toward a target is hard work. No one
argues that drifting may put a person on rocks around the bend. Few don't argue because even that takes
discipline...so the thought settles in "I'll just drift by the thought and
let it be."
And then
there is political correctness which is often no discipline at all.
And then there is the prayer of Joe Wright, pastor of Central
Christian Church in Wichita, KS and there is the prayer he prayed at the Kansas
State House in Topeka.
"We come before You today to ask Your Forgiveness and seek Your
direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ''Woe to those who call evil
good,'' but that's exactly what we have done.
We
have lost our Spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.
We
confess that; we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it
pluralism;
We
have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism;
We
have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle;
We
have exploited the poor and called it the lottery; We have neglected the needy
and called it self preservation;
We have rewarded laziness and called it
welfare; We have killed our unborn and called it choice;
We
have shot abortionists and called it justifiable;
We
have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem;
We
have abused power and called it political savvy; We have coveted our neighbor's
possessions and called it ambition; We
have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of
expression;
We
have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it
enlightenment.
Search
us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked
way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.
Guide
and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of this
state and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state of Kansas.
Grant them your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center
of Your Will.
And
disciplined truth shall make us free.
The secret to success is not drift. It is do.
It knows that the secret to success is learning how to fail but keeps on
keeps on keeping on. The secret to
success is practice and persistence and when you cannot run...crawl.
As for myself I can no longer run. Age (84) and recovery from a broken hip but I
sure can walk at a mean pace. Want to
join me tomorrow morning to check me out.
A young boy
enjoyed confounding his father so one day he asked him the following question, "Dad,
if three frogs were sitting on a limb that hung over a pool, and one frog
decided to jump off into the pool, how many frogs would be left on the
limb?"
His dad replied, "Two."
No," the son replied. "There’s three frogs and one decides to jump, how many are left?"
The dad said, "Oh, I get it, if one decides to jump, the others would too. So there are none left."
The boy said, "No dad, the answer is three. The frog only DECIDED to jump."
His dad replied, "Two."
No," the son replied. "There’s three frogs and one decides to jump, how many are left?"
The dad said, "Oh, I get it, if one decides to jump, the others would too. So there are none left."
The boy said, "No dad, the answer is three. The frog only DECIDED to jump."
And discipline must be an always. Take spiritual Christian discipline, it is a fence that protects us from the worst in
us but it is a fence that must constantly checked over for repair. Like a fence that we put up in 1992 after
Miami was hit by a gigantic hurricane named Andrew. It has kept out all kind of varmits, human
and otherwise, but it is reaching a point where it needs repair. Otherwise, no telling what will be wandering
around in our backyard.
' Same thing with those spiritual fences I now
use as an example...without them all kind of immoral unworthy varmints wander
without restraint within our hearts, our minds and our immortal souls.
And where do we have one of our biggest
disciplinary problems. Good old fashion
anger...that which Proverbs 29:11 speaks to, “A fool gives full vent to
his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.”
Do you work at controlling your anger
with prayerful discipline or does it with little effort control you? It is an area we all need help with as it
blows out the lamps of our minds.
But how does one defeat a lack of self
control? By first admitting that one has
a problem with self control.
Would you be able to recommend yourself as one of good character? Do you want to be able to recommend yourself
as one of good character. Then memorize 1 Corinthians
15:33: “Bad company corrupts good character.” and ask that these words daily
shout at your immortal soul.
I played in
our high school orchestra. I have played
piano duets and quartets. The better the
discipline....the better the music. It
was that simple. Nor is it any less true
in the orchestra or piano opportunities of life.
And what made what I did even
better? Two instruments of
discipline...the conductor (God) and to keep my timing right while playing the
piano (the metronome). And who in life
does not want to make beautiful music even if you never actually picked up an
actual instrument.
It's imagination time...so put your hand
in front of you. Now, imagine with me that you
have a lemon in your hand.
Feel how
cold it is since you just took it out of the refrigerator. Feel the two knobs
on the ends?
Ok, now
take a knife and cut the lemon in half. Careful! Don’t cut yourself.
Now, look
at the juice run down over the sides.
Now, put
one half down and just hold the other half of the lemon. Now, look at the inside of the cut lemon. Lean
down and smell the lemon. Get a good full sense of the lemon fresh scent of the
just cut lemon.
Ok, now
squeeze the lemon. See the juice ooze up and cover the surface of the cut
lemon?
Now - lick
the lemon.
That’s
right! Lick the lemon.
Ok, who
feels like you have more saliva than you did a minute a go?
How can
that be?
It was only pretend! The reason is because
your body reacts to that which your mind thinks about.
How often
do you think about discipline and the need for more discipline in your
life? Think about it often. Pray about it often. You will be more apt to discipline yourself
more often. Because...yes...your body
reacts to that which your mind thinks about most often.
Would you like to be an elevator plummeting out of
control? That is what you are if you
have no self discipline.
Would you like to have more spiritual control? For here lies the secret to unbelievable physical,
mental, emotional and spiritual control.
Here is the beginning of being more the complete person. And here are some ideas for "training in
Godliness."
Exercise.
I exercise when i want to and I exercise when I don't want to. Therefore, these old muscles are infinitely
better than they would otherwise be.
Spiritual exercises. I am at that point in life when God is front
and foremost even more so but I can still be spiritually lazy like anyone
else...so I do my spiritual exercises when i want to and when I do not want to.
A new creature in Christ? You don't get there by wishing on a star.
Why is it so hard to become this new
person in Christ? Because old bad habits
die hard. Old lackadaisical attitudes seep
up from our memories and speak to us, "Wouldn't you like to go back to
your old and easy ways of nothingness."
You know what I mean. (pardon
the analogy) but when you try to kill the old you for the better discipline
Christ motivated you the corpse keeps
twitching.
In the 1880s a
young man who was an earnest Christian found employment in a pawnshop.
Although he
disliked the work, he did it faithfully "as unto the Lord" until a
more desirable opportunity opened for him.
To prepare
himself for a life of Christian service, he wrote on a scrap of paper the
following resolutions: "I do promise God that I will rise early every
morning to have a few minutes--not less than five--in private prayer. I will
endeavor to conduct myself as a humble, meek, and zealous follower of Jesus,
and by serious witness and warning I will try to lead others to think of the
needs of their immortal souls. I hereby vow to read no less than four chapters
in God's Word every day. I will cultivate a spirit of self-denial and will
yield myself a prisoner of love to the Redeemer of the world."
That young
man was William Booth, who later led thousands to Christ and founded the
Salvation Army.
Sin lives and is
hearty and it does not easily die within us.
We all have sinned and fallen (and fall) short of the glory of God...but
discipline lengthens the distance between our sinning and we and the world are
the better for it.
How intense
should your disciplined exercises be?
There is Olympic training and there is "so-so" training. I leave the answer to the question up to you.
It is easy to learn the Christian
vocabulary. It is not easy to put it
into action.
This is a rough
tough world in which we live. It moves
us in whatever direction it wishes or we do some moving ourselves. It is that simple. It is that complicated.
Christ says
"love". The world cries out "hate." Christ says "righteousness." The world embraces its lack.
Prayer is the chief exercise of faith." John Calvin said it. Millions of others who do it on a regular
disciplined basis affirm it by the joyful special strength in their lives.
What must you do
to make a disciplined you work at maximum efficiency. Be truthful with yourself. Monitor yourself. Pray for forgiveness where needed. Avoid excuses like the plague. Do not fall victim to self-deception.
Read the scriptures too much? Is it possible to read the scriptures too
much?
Discipline. Discipline.
Discipline. The word cannot be repeated
too often and in the repetition drive you to your humble knees before your
Almighty God and there with a tear in your eye and a waver in your voice send
out again the words that should, that must guide your days, "Thy will be
done."
++++
We must all
suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or
disappointment.
Jim Rohn
Jim Rohn
It's easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline
when you're a winner, when you're number one. What you got to have is faith and
discipline when you're not a winner.
Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
No evil propensity of the human heart is so powerful that
it may not be subdued by discipline.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
+++
ANOTHER
WAY TO SHARE THESE ONE A DAYS WITH FREIENDS...CLICK ON MORE AT TOP LEFT OF THIS
BLOG PAGE AND FROM THERE IT SHOULD BE
EASY
CHURCH BOOK CLUBS ARE
USING REV. WYRICK'S 9TH BOOK "The Spiritual Abraham Lincoln."
If you would like to purchase it at a special price...
It is available on amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and many other book sites.
It is available on amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and many other book sites.
A new quote
(posted SEPT 5) below from
Rev. Wyrick's 9th book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN (read the rave reviews below the quote)
Many
were quite willing to see him permanently gone, not just to Washington
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
Many
other lonely middle-of-the-night times lay ahead.
"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
,
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)
+++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++
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.
++++++++++++++++++
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