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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.
Yogi Berra loved to distract batters. One afternoon when the New York Yankees were
playing the Milwaukee Braves Yogi sped up his commentary and went after Hank
Aaron's concentration with a barrage of verbal fast balls.
"Henry," he
began, "you're holding the bat wrong.
You're supposed to hold it so you read the trademark."
As he was about to say
more there was the sound of bat hitting ball and the ball took off at an
exceeding fast pace all the way into the left field stands.
After Hank Aaron had
rounded the bases and crossed home place he looked over at Yogi and said,
"I didn't come up to bat to read."
In the game of
life...what did you come to the bat to be or do or become? Are you easily distracted? A slave to a new thought or decision or
temptation before you have even begun to digest your last thought, decision or
temptation?
Are you a bouncing ball whose direction is directed by what you bounce
off of rather than by what you created?
Is this the way
to achieve fiscal, spiritual, emotional, mental contentment? Would you be better
off if you were a person who committed yourself to the worthwhile rather than
willy nilly let yourself be constantly overwhelmed by the worthless.
How are your
pile of distractions these days? Living
proof that you are the master of not following through.
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev used to tell of a time when there was
a wave of petty thefts in the Soviet Union.
To
curtail this the authorities put up guards around the factories.
At
one timberworks in Leningrad, the guard knew the workers in the factory very
well. The first evening, out came Pyotr Petrovich with a wheelbarrow and, on
the wheelbarrow, a great bulky sack with a suspicious-looking object inside. "All right, Petrovich," said
the guard, "what have you got there?"
"Oh,
just sawdust and shavings," Petrovich replied.
"Come
on," the guard said, "I wasn't born yesterday. Tip it out."
And
out came nothing but sawdust and shavings. So he was allowed to put it all back
again and continue home.
When
the same thing happened every night of the week the guard became frustrated.
Finally,
his curiosity overcame his frustration. "Petrovich," he said, "I
know you. Tell me what you're smuggling out of here, and I'll let you go."
"Wheelbarrows, my friend, "
said Petrovich, "wheelbarrows."
It's amazing what you can accomplish with
focus or its lack.
And then
there is...Procrastination, the brother of distraction, the killer of
contentment...fact. Having a Damocles
sword hanging overhead is no fun...fact.
Conquering distractions is better than being conquered by them...fact.
The first problem
with distractions is being able to tell the difference. Are they a legitimate opportunity or a lovely
but impediment distraction?
Are you overwhelmed by meetings? When I was in the pastorate full time an over
abundance of meetings did sometimes become a distraction. If you like to treat early morn as a meeting
time with your Lord in prayer but have to check you email out first, that is a
distraction.
One, two, three,
four, five, etc. To conquer
distractions. Learn how to count. Start applying numbers in front of things. Don't do number three before number one. It messes up your mind. It messes up your day. It messes up your goals. It messes you up.
If you were walking
the streets of a city what would distract you first. The sound of a coin dropping or a cricket chirping? The answer, of course is what you are alive
to. Mother nature or City Bank.
Do
you aim at nothing and hit it with accuracy?
That's what distractions cause us to do.
If someone stood
before you and asked you to carry a cross with you wherever you went
today...would you look at them as if you thought they were crazy? Would you think about it and decide it would
be more of a distraction than a message?
If you actually did, after the embarrassment, how would it affect you
for the rest of your life? How would it
affect those who saw you do it?
I am not
suggesting you do it. I am suggesting that life is full of distractions and
some of them are good and some just distractions...and that is what we spend a
lifetime doing...learning the difference.
And where we want to put our focus...and...
It's hard to stay
focused, isn't it. You just checked your
Twitter and email for the umptenth time since an hour ago. You stopped to finish that article on the
sports page. You might as well have
stopped because you couldn't get it out of your mind. You tried to do three things at once and
basically messed up all three.
Pragmatism
vs. passion. Doing what may not turn you
on but nevertheless is a job that needs doing.
Doing what excites you with so much excitement you can't stop doing it
as you get better at doing it.
Decisions. Decisions. Decisions.
Distractions. Distractions. Distractions.
I have fractured more
bones than I like to count. I have
recovered. I have fractured sometimes my
life too often as well. I pray to
recover from this sometimes lack of focus by enhancing my focus by focusing.
But it's easier to drift...which is why we do it...the
distraction of drifting as against making decisions.
How can you get
rid of distractions? When you really get
tired of the dismal discouraging results that being a slave to your
distractions brings about. This
wandering from one distraction to another distraction leaving a trail that
looks like a man who went wandering in the dark without a compass or the those
old sea captains who crashed on an unchartered shore.
You have to
know where you want to go. You have to
get out your compass and set your course and your sails.
When I went to
college and then Seminary, I had a goal, a focus point...so I was not often
distracted.
When I ran a cross
country race I usually paid attention to where I was going and finished the
race in a reasonable position. One race
in Blacksburg, Va. my mind wandered...I was in the middle of the pack on a
trail that did a lot of curving.
I came to a cross
road of sorts...I wasn't paying attention...I was distracted...and I was
probably the first runner on that course to get lost...I did make it back to
the finish line after discovering my error.
But look at all the time and effort I wasted and my goal of a good
finish gone down the drain.
Do you enjoy it when you are tired?
Distraction does that...it adds to your fatigue...all the wasted motion
and energy while getting nowhere fast.
Put it this
way. Every action creates a reaction and
this is true whether your action makes sense or no sense at all. Whether you are simply reacting without
thinking and a distraction waste time and looking back you think, "Well, I
could certainly have used that time better."
What's the
solution to the problems distraction brings.
Well, first realize that if your aren't a part of a solution you are
probably a greater part of the problem.
A suggestion. Find some storage
space in your mind and store the following " “You will never reach your
destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.” or " It is
wise to direct your anger towards problems, not people; to focus your energies
on answers — not excuses. – William Arthur Ward or " “The ability to apply your mind steadily and
exclusively to one subject at a time is a mark of superior power and essential
to really great achievement.” -
Grenville Kleiser or " Be deeply
interested in what you are doing, and ignore vagrant ideas.”
― Winston Churchill
― Winston Churchill
In the reading
these words did I have your complete attention or did I momentarily lose you
because of some distracting thought.
Ah well, who said being
perfect was 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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