Wednesday, October 3, 2012

APATHY, THY NAME IS TROUBLE

These One A Days are added to daily.  A thank you to all of you who have gone back and read all of the posts since the beginning.
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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.

Frank Layden, the former coach of Utah Jazz in the seventies, had problems with one of his basketball player, and so he summoned the talented but troubled man to his office.

       Looking the player in the eye, the coach finally asked, "My son, I can¡¦t understand what it is with you. Is it ignorance or apathy?"

The players response? "Coach, I don¡¦t know and I don¡¦t care!"

       Apathy is a killer unless one has ambitions to be a sloth.  To open every morning with a "deep sigh" and every night with the equivalent of a moan is an emotional psychological spiritual burden not to be sought.

       So what to do to find more enthusiasm in life.

       Apathy is the father of boredom.

       Boredom often leads to destructive behavior in the desire to escape boredom.  Why else get as drunk as a fish or move toward drug abuse.

       Take thirst for example.  If one does not have sufficient liquid intake one dies.  If one exceeds a proper and intelligent liquid intake one drowns.

       Overindulgence.  "If a little is good then more is better and more than more is the zenith to be sought after and acquired." cries out the over indulger only to find out that too much of a good thing is exactly that....too much of a good thing.

According to Robert Ripley, a mule named Boston Curtis was elected Republican committeeman from Wilton, Washington, by a 51-vote plurality in 1938. The mule was sponsored by the Democratic mayor of the town—to prove a theory that many voters are careless. The filing notice was signed with the candidate’s hoofprints and his sponsor signed as a witness.

And again: A cigar store Indian was elected Justice of the Peace in Allentown, New Jersey, in 1883. The statue clothed with the fictitious name of Abner Robbins was duly placed on the ballot and elected with a plurality of seven votes over the incumbent Sam Davis. Judge Davis, who held office many years, resigned in indignation when he learned his successful opponent was a wooden Indian.

              Do you live only for pleasure or do you include purpose as necessary to real contentment?

       There are certain basic truths.  They cannot be argued with.  They simply have about them the stamp of time.

       I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chatted all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne’er a word said she;
But, oh! The things I learned from her,
When sorrow walked with me.

-Robert Browning Hamilton

       What makes you happy?  What if your pay raises just kept even with inflation so that you never had a paycheck larger than one you receive?  How much greater would you require your paycheck to be to make you totally everlastingly happy without ever making any more?

       The sweet spot is somewhere between $50,000 and $75,000. If you make under $50,000, you might be stressed about your financial situation. If you make over $75,000, the additional returns on working longer hours might not be worth it anymore. But it’s nice to know that a $75,000 salary isn’t necessary to be happy. It’s just a perk.

In other words: the pursuit of happiness, for 33% off the original price.

Quote from Forbes (A 2010 study from Princeton University‘s Woodrow Wilson School)

       “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint... (NIV, Proverbs 23:4-5)

       I quote Paul often.  Why?  Because of his wisdom, yes.  Because of his life changing experience on the road to Damascus. yes.  But think on this...for his enthusiasm...his commitment...his persistent perseverance...his lack of apathy such an inspiration.

       We are drawn to people who know that they want to be tomorrow an ongoing improvement over what they are today.

       And to close on a note of what happens when apathy does not reign.

       Angels in the heavens crying out their good news of great joy.

       And non apathetic shepherds racing toward the beginning of the most monumental even mankind has ever known.

       And Wisemen proving their non apathetic wisdom.

       And the disciples and missionaries and laymen and ministers of our beloved Christ committed to commitment with muscles on their souls and a vigor to their daily walk with Faith.

       Spiritual apathy.  Suppose that had been an apt description of these early disciples.

       There was once a flock of pelicans that happily fished off the coast of California.

        One day, a fishing company began cleaning their catch at a nearby dock, where it was convenient for them to cast the discarded fish scraps into the water.

       The pelicans, drawn to the daily ritual, soon gave up fishing for themselves and settled into a more domesticated existence.

       Life was pretty good for these pelicans, at least until the fishermen discovered that there was a market for fish scraps.

        Abruptly, the free meals ceased.

Despite this regrettable change of fortune, the pelicans continued to show up every day at meal-time, only to go away with empty stomachs.

       It wasn’t long before the lack of sustenance began to take its toll.

       The unsightly appearance of the emaciated birds eventually drew the public’s attention, and experts were called in to investigate the cause of their plight. For some unknown reason, the pelicans no longer seemed able to access the abundance of food that teemed just below them in the sea.

       After a thorough investigation, it was concluded that the pelicans were starving to death because they’d forgotten how to fish!

       Have you ever heard of anything so absurd? Pelicans were created to fish. But they had forgotten who they were and what they were made to do.

       Are you suffering from the kind of apathy that has made you who has forgotten who you are (God's child) and what you were made to do?

       And so it is ...he who always used to go to church no longer does.

       And so it is...she who read her Bible on a regular basis no longer does.

       And so it is...      Spiritual apathy. 

       Procrastination feeding it..." On some distant tomorrow I will return to my religious roots."

       Physical exercise.  To fall to ones knees in prayer is obviously a part of any spiritual awakening but also to rise and fall with deep knee bends is part of a muscle awakening and good health awakening and perhaps leading to a better diet and...IF YOU DON'T FEEL GOOD...APATHY LOVES IT.

       By way of emphasis, "I Corinthians 3:16? “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”

       Get excited or at least interested in the needs of your community.  It expands your mind...it sharpens your compassion..it is a death knell to apathy that is then replaced by empathy.

       Rev up your imagination.  As best you can picture yourself there when that Sermon on the Mount was given.  Picture yourself at the feeding of the 5000.  Bring before your mind's eye whatever part of the ministry of Christ has gathered the most of attention.

       And pray to be able to do this...to help to make those Bible words of description come alive...do this...and you will feel whatever apathy is around you and in you (hopefully little or none) it will go and not return.

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The nice thing about apathy is you don't have to exert yourself to show you're sincere about it.

       Did you hear about the company that makes blank bumper stickers? They're for people who don't want to get involved. 

 

                    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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