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Dear Abraham,
Today in Jerusalem they crucified the man named Jesus. The one you heard preach that afternoon on the side of a mountain. Pilate said, “I see no wrong in this just man,” but the crowd seemed intent on only one decision. It was obvious some had been paid to shout, “Let him be crucified!” but we both know how this is. Life is cheap in our day and love a commodity not easily come upon.
You said you had never met anyone like this man and I agree. He had more dignity carrying the cross down the Via Dolorosa than some men can muster sitting on a throne. I do not make a habit of attending crucifixions and surely one day they will be outlawed. I have certainly never before stayed to the bitter painful end, but as he hung on the cross he proved his mettle. It is not that he spoke often but what he had to say. I have forgotten some of his words, but others I will never forget.
“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” How he could say this at such a time escapes me. That love he has been preaching for three years, he meant it.
When I heard him say, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,” his father was not the same as if I had said it. And I heard his last words; “It is finished.” He was calm when he spoke. There was almost a smile on his face like someone anticipating going back home. One of the soldiers cried out, “Surely this man was the Son of God.”
Son of God…the phrase seems to echo over and over in my mind. Why should the Son of God come to live among men only to die on a cross? I think and ponder and have more questions than answers. I dare not share them with many, but my friend of so many years, allow me to share them with you. I wonder of God wanted us to know he cares? Perhaps there was a special meaning to this death and the world has not heard the last of it. Caiaphas walked away in triumph. Could it be his victory will be brief?
I am no prophet. For all my schooling I am not that wise. You were always the better student. But I know what I feel and what I feel is God.
I shall be leaving here in the next several days and traveling by of the road to Emmaus. God’s blessings on you.
Your friend,
David
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POSTED ON WYRICK'S WRITING THOUGHTS ENTITLED "What Do You Want from Jesus?"
Do you want from Jesus all the joy that can be gained from fully accepting the fact that you are truly the child of a King? So that when you die you will not have to ask that someone write on your tombstone, “Born a human being, died a question mark.”
POSTED ON WYRICK'S WRITING THOUGHTS ENTITLED "Are you a Peacemaker or a Peacebreaker?"
Someone has said thatpeace is merely that brief, glorious, moment in history when everyone stops to reload their weapons.
POSTED ON WYRICK'S WRITING THOUGHTS ENTITLED ""Arrogance and Humility
When a company takes over another company, there is often a sign placed outside the premises announcing, UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT.
Such a sign accurately summarizes what takes place in Christian conversions. When Christ takes over a life, that life is literally under new management.
So consider, is God now managing your pride? Or is your pride still managing you?
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Yes, God loves you the way you are but he loves you too much to let you stay that way.
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QUOTES ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL INSPIRING INFORMATIVE book
STILL RECEIVING RAVE REVIEWS 8 YEARS AFTER IT'S PUBLICATION.
"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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