IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEND THIS BLOG TO A FRIEND COPY and
paste THE FOLLOWING URL
AND THEN PASTE IN AN EMAIL.
Click on http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com
to read selected Sermons from
over 50 years of Rev. Wyrick's ministry.
To view Rev. Wyrick in 4 of his highly
acclaimed One Man Dramas click on the below
http://www.speakerneil.com/
@@@@@@@@@@@@@
After
the first World War the allies punished the Germans with over the top revenge.
Which provided an open door for Hitler as
Germany's inevitable complete collapse took place.
After World War II the Marshall plan without revenge opened a
different door and today there is a prosperous Germany and there has not been
another war in that area for over 60 years.
Man has enough trouble getting along without throwing vengeance
into any and every fray.
Ask husbands and wives
who work out their differences during divorce and throw vengeance out the
window.
Ask husband and wives who don't and the
terrible wounds inflicted in all directions.
Vengeance is a cancer that loves to
attack and spread and do its damage over and over again.
So visit with me again that wonderful
world of forgiveness and love and patience that makes sense...as against the
idiocy of vengeance that makes no sense at all.
Who is wrong in any
instance that has fostered vengeance?
Both parties. It is hard to be
100% right so cool it...extend hands of fellowship...fist (and worst than that)
are certainly counterproductive.
We will never rid the world of vengeance
or wars or rumors of wars or personal animosities that break out and infect or
layers of angers that create so much wounding and hurt...BUT...each of us...one
by one...can be a ray of sunlight breaking through the clouds...each of
us...one by one can be a morning horizon sweeping away the darkness...and because we can...we must.
When you die will you leave a legacy of love and forgiveness or
will you be remembered as one who never forgot a wrong?
What is forgiveness? It is the delete button on God's computer. God's good at forgiveness but we
humans...well, that's another story.
We hold grudges. Some people
collect them like stamps and what a collection they have. Filed, catalogued, brought out for
examination again and again and again.
Let me tell you a story.
It is a story of a man who loves
dogs.
One day, he
began a project he had been proposing to himself for a long while. Finally procrastination could come up with no
more excuses and he began to pour cement to create a sidewalk to run along the
front of his property.
He had
grown tired of city promises that never had been followed through on.
Just as he
poured and smoothed the last stretch of concrete a dog happily pounced into the
midst of his creation and began to leave his dragging footprints from front to
back and side to side.
He shouted
and waved his arms and the dog ran away.
Patiently,
understanding how dogs seem drawn to wet concrete he re-smoothed his work and then
as he gazed on it in satisfaction the dog returned.
Same
results.
This time
when he had finished he placed a long rope around his project.
It
presented no problem at all to the dog as for a third time he jumped the rope
and playfully resumed his joyous day.
It was too
much. The man entered his home and
returned with a gun in hand. He promptly
shot the dog.
When his
neighbor saw what happened he rushed out and cried, "I thought you loved
dogs."
"I
do," replied the man, "in the abstract but I hate dogs in the
concrete."
And that's the point. It's
easy to forgive in the abstract. It is
easy to nod in approval as you read these words on forgiveness. It is so much more difficult to put true
forgiveness into practice.
"If you forgive men when
they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (15) But if
you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your
sins." I didn't say it. Jesus did.
Seems to say that forgiving our fellowman is pretty important...now
doesn't it."
To
make it easier but never easy; try to find reasons for why a person has done
you wrong.
What was their upbringing that
led to their downfall act?
What was their mood and why when they said those awful words or told
that awful untruth truth about you?
Are they naturally mean? Some
seem so. Look hard for good...put out
extra effort...it may still be a struggle and it may go on for a long while but
God will be aware of your effort.
I have one person in particular who has given me ample reason not to
forgive them...but I do...forgive them...struggle with it...but do...love them
despite which is nowhere near the kind of love that comes from "because"...but it is what God demands...and so I
forgive them...and pray for them.
Corrie ten Boom in one of her books tells of not being able to forget a
wrong that had been done to her. She
had forgiven the person, but she kept rehashing the incident and so couldn't
sleep.
Finally
Corrie cried out to God for help in putting the problem to rest. "His help
came in the form of a kindly Lutheran pastor," Corrie wrote, "to whom
I confessed my failure after two sleepless weeks."
"Up
in the church tower," he said, nodding out the window, "is a bell
which is rung by pulling on a rope. But you know what? After the sexton lets go
of the rope, the bell keeps on swinging.
First
ding, then dong. Slower and slower until there's a final dong and it stops.
I
believe the same thing is true of forgiveness. When we forgive, we take our
hand off the rope.
But
if we've been tugging at our grievances for a long time, we mustn't be
surprised if the old angry thoughts keep coming for a while.
They're
just the ding-dongs of the old bell slowing down."
"And
so it proved to be. There were a few more midnight reverberations, a couple of
dings when the subject came up in my conversations, but the force -- which was
my willingness in the matter -- had gone out of them.
They
came less and less often and at the last stopped altogether: we can trust God
not only above our emotions, but also above our thoughts."
Do you arise each morning and pray for ill health? Do you ask that your nervous system collapse
and give you constant pain? Do you pray
for an overheated heart and to live in the dungeon of depression?
Well,
to hold vengeance rather let the spirit of forgiveness hold you is the
difference between good physical health and a physical health that only
deteriorates faster because of the psychological burden of an angry heart.
My mother would often look at my skinny frame. You wouldn't know it now but when I was 12
years old and already well over five feet tall I weighed less than 100
pounds. So mother was always trying to
get me to eat more, "She would point to the food I wanted to leave on my
plate and say, "Eat it. It's good
for you." And she was right but
that still didn't make me want to.
Same with forgiveness. Enough said.
But
how many times do I have to forgive Tim or Jane or Jan or George? Isn't there a statue of limitations that
kicks in?
Well, no fraid not. And again I
give no better authority than Jesus himself.
The Rabbis of Jesus time would have given
you some slack. They taught a three
times limit on forgiveness and quoted the Talmud to back up their edict.
But not Jesus. Know that Peter preferred double that number
plus one Jesus said, "Not seven times, but seventy times seven." That's almost 500 times and by the time you
pick up on that kind of thinking you should be getting them message.
Try unlimited forgiveness.
Do
you enjoy sunsets? I do. All that
beauty. The various shades of orange and
red in the clouds hovering on the horizon.
But the next time you are gazing west and
enjoying that setting sun view just remember that when you got mad in the
middle of the day it is now a day coming to an end and you are not as the Bible
says to let "the sun go down upon your wrath." (Ephesians 4:6)
Do you need to get a bigger container for all the grudges you carry? Do you have a list made out of how you believe people should act toward you and if they do not follow that list meticulously...they are in trouble.
Do you need to get a bigger container for all the grudges you carry? Do you have a list made out of how you believe people should act toward you and if they do not follow that list meticulously...they are in trouble.
No...you are in trouble...for
vengeance is a fun house mirror that reflects back a twisted you that is no fun
to behold or to have to live with.
++++++++++++
QUOTES
ON LOVE AND FORGIVENESS
Mark Twain
++++++++++++
A new quote (posted OCT 11) below from Rev. Wyrick's 9th book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM
LINCOLN (read the rave reviews
below the quote)
It was late summer in 1864 when Sherman ’s army captured Atlanta Georgia
It was Sherman
"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.
++++++++++++++++++
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment