Friday, October 12, 2012

A BALANCED LIFE

These One A Days are added to daily.  There are over 1100 stories and commentaries on this blog

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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 the following URL http://www.speakerneil.com/and watch Neil in his award winning one man damas.(B. Franklin, Luther, Lincoln.Wesley

       Click on http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com to read selected Sermons from over 50 years of Rev. Wyrick's ministry.

Like everything in life a balance between what we expect from our faith and what we should expect to give is important.

       And all that in proper balance...never forget that...all that in proper balance.

       The scriptures back this back this up, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

       (Matthew 7:7)  “I come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly.”-(John 10:10)

       "Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of — infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.” (Ephesians 3:20)

         and the prayer every Christian agrees we all should daily pray "Here am I dear Lord, take me."

       Let me ask you a question? What dreams do you have for your future? Could they be called destiny calling? The purpose for which you were born?  You are wise enough to know what dreams are of God...to distinguish between good and evil...so if you stray it will not be because you are not aware of your inward map.

       The missionary William Carrey, a driving force for the truth of the living Lord used to say,

, "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God."

              Would you ask yourself and the history of man and God what you should do to get it right?

       Do so and you will conclude that wisdom is a good place to begin.

       Not a wisdom that is pockmarked with excuses...but an honest journey toward a wagon load of success.

       A wagon load of success is a good thing but not if you put it in front of a train load of temptations. 

       Unless you ponder and plus the center of your soul with the power of the Holy Spirit.  Not unless you cry out the name of your Savior a hundred times in a hundred minutes if this be required.

       When as a freshman in college I joined the Cross Country Team I was in it for all four years.  I wasn't signing a short term lease for my effort and time.  I wanted to succeed and while I never did become the best in our college let alone in the three state competitions I would run in I did get better and better...and today at 84 I have lungs that are so much larger than they would otherwise have been...it shows up on the X-rays...and needless to say that is a benefit to the whole breathing challenge.

       Prepare for tomorrow for rest assured it will be coming...and if in preparing we have signed up for God's dream of the "better us" the world and we will both benefit.

              It's scary...this growing up we have done and are still doing...always open to the disease of neglect...neglecting prayer life...and the promise and practice of good deeds...and shaping habits good and bad and being shaped and reshaped by them.

       What to do?  And there is that phrase again...that requirement that after a prayer we need to prod with diligence our inner man with the teachings of our Christ.

       By going to a spiritual gym on a regular basis.  A home based gym filled with spiritual workout equipment.  Heavy commandments that grow lighter with each lifting.  Walking in the way of the Lord made easier when we stretch those spiritual muscles.  Working out with other Christians on that Sabbath Sunday morn.

       In 1870, the Methodists were having their annual conference in Indiana. The presiding Bishop was asking a group for an interpretation of current events, when the president of the college where the conference was held volunteered his input: "I think we are living in a very exciting age. I believe we are coming into a time when we will see wonderful inventions. I believe we will fly through the air like birds!" Bishop Wright, visibly disturbed by this scientifically based comment proclaimed, "This is heresy, this is blasphemy; I read in my Bible that flight is reserved for the angels. We will not have such talk here in my area." Bishop Wright then returned home to his two young sons, Orville and Wilbur.

       We preachers, in our lack of vision, can try to place limits where limits never should be placed....whether it is an actual physical flight or the flight of a soul to heights beyond compare.

       What is God's dream for you?  What is God's dream for me?  I place no limit on either of them...and this will be my word of faith until my final breath.

       And more?  Yea and verily. 

       And ongoing introspection.  Who am I right now?  Who do I want to be in the process of becoming better than I am right now? 

        And right now is the magic word...anything less is procrastination and procrastination is the devil in disguise.

       Nor should we forget self discipline and how easy it is to lose...    because all that is required is do nothing and keep on doing it.

       Self-discipline creates such wonderful results when an exercise is done and then added to and actually reaching a point where something we did can be called a sacrifice.

       Sacrifice is good.  Hard is hardly something we should shy away from.  Going exceptionally far in causing right and righteous to prosper is certainly better than just staring at sacrifice as an idea and then walking away.

       What am I talking about?

       I am talking about small sacrifices that have a way of growing.  Does that scare you?  It shouldn't.  It should inspire you.

       His name was Martin Luther King and he had an impossible dream and God had a dream with Martin Luther King in it...and all the brave souls who marched and suffered and watched their dream water hosed and worse...and God's dream did not die...and it is not dying now...for dreams that are good and of good and of God never die...they mold because men do not move fast enough...they suffer the pangs of all the weaknesses of those of us who so poorly work the dreams and destinies of our Lord...but God's dreams do not die...we all can bring to mind a hundred times in history and a hundred times again and again...those magic monumental moments...when heavens light focused and God smiled down at man...and all was right and good across the land.

       What must we do to keep from giving up.  We must fulfill the destiny of little things on the way of a composite  fulfillment of greater things.  You and me together working toward improvement even when we are unaware we are working together.

       The sacrifice of getting up 15 minutes earlier for spiritual and physical exercise.  In time, it may be earlier and longer but then that is what happens with self-discipline...it gets one to being bigger and better and stronger in developing a balanced spiritual/physical well being.

       It's whatever and wherever you have to push yourself rather than drift.

       It's giving...for if we pray "get" prayers we must equalize or exceed by practicing "give" lives.  It's another way of putting what I have already said...but it can hardly be repeated enough.

       Give what?  Cash?  Certainly.  But what about giving a sympathetic empathetic ear.  The special unity in life that caring for another human can give.

       And what of morality in this immoral and sometimes amoral world?  Can there really be any other answer for the better life rather than the bitter life... than to follow God's commandments.  These 10 Guidelines for a better world didn't come down that mountain in the hands of Moses for nothing.

       DREAM GOD SIZED DREAMS...THAT IS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT.

       Seek the society of other believers where you will meet others who are seeking the society of other believers who will meet others who are seeking the society of other believers...think on this...what a wonderful opportunity to be a part of a domino effect that can change the world...but not so much if there are less and less dominos rather than more.

       On the top of the Washington Monument are the words "Laus Deos" which means "Praise be to God."  It is the first thing hit by the rising morning sun and come to think of it that is what the rising sun should see us doing "Praise be to God"

       An d at that moment we will be adding to the balance of our day the balancing power of an everlasting God.

       QUOTES ON BALANCING OUR FAITH

Take care of yourself — you never know when the world will need you. (aUTHOR uNKNOWN)

       I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitts on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.


                   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." 

       It is available on amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and many other book sites.

     A new quote  (posted SEPT 21) below from Rev. Wyrick's 9th book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN (read the rave reviews below the quote)

 If Mary had not instigated another of her famous feuds the assassination might never have happened, at least at this time in this way. 

She had raised the ire of the wife of Ulysses S. Grant and so Julia Grant refused to attend the play at Ford Theater in her company. 

Had the General been present that evening, there might have been more guards. 

Instead, the Lincoln’s sat alone enjoying “Our American Cousin,” until John Wilkes Booth put a bullet in his head. 

It placed him in a coma and pushed the nation further toward chaos. 

The time was 10:15. 

       "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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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)

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            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.”

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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.

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Anxiety out of proportion makes us become like a centipede trying to put his best foot forward.

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        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.”

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        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.”

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        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.

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          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

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      Some of the sermon titles posted recently


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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/

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BELOW ARE MORE QUOTES FROM NEIL'S RECENTLY POSTED SERMONS

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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.

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      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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