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In his book FOLK PSALMS OF FAITH, Ray Stedman tells of an experience H.A. Ironside had in a crowded restaurant. Just as Ironside was about to begin his meal, a man approached and asked if he could join him. Ironside invited his to have a seat.
Then, as was his custom, Ironside bowed his head in prayer.
When he opened his eyes, the other man asked, "Do you
have a headache?"
Ironside replied,
"No, I don't."
The other man asked, "Well, is there something wrong with
your food?"
Ironside replied, "No, I was simply thanking God as I
always do before I eat."
The man said, "Oh, you're one of those, are you? Well, I
want you to know I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat of my brow
and I don't have to give thanks to anybody when I eat. I just start right
in!"
Ironside said, "Yes, you're just like my dog. That's what
he does too!"
Suppose that people had to pay
to see the crimson sunset play
Or the magic stars of the milky way
Suppose it was 50¢ a night,
to see the great moon's silvery light.
Suppose God charged us flowers and rain, put a purchase
price on a bird' s glad strain
of music•••• the dawn mist on the plain.
How much would an autumn landscape cost, or a window etched with wintry frost, or a rainbow rs glory
so quickly lost.
How much. I wonder, would people pay, to
hear the cry of a child at the close of day, suppose God charged us for that I
say.
How much I wonder would it be worth, to
smell the good brown fragrant earth, in spring, the miracle of birth.
Suppose we paid for a glimpse of hills, the rippling sound of the mountain rills, for the mating call of the whippoorwills.
For curving green breakers on the sea, for
truth and beauty and majesty, for all those things he gives us free.
Ah, what a poor return for these, we yield at night on bended knees,
forgetting thanksgiving, murmuring please.
Ignoring the moonlight across the floor, the
voice of a friend in the open door, we beg the master. for more and more.
What if there
were a price tag on everything from a shooting star to a sunset to sunrise. Suppose that love (not lust) were for sale
and the price was quite high for man seems to hate far too easily.
Suppose charged $5 or
$10 at a heavenly toll both for all the beauties of the world around us...would
we pause to gaze upon them or appreciate them more.
Isaiah 55:2 reads
"Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread?
May I ask you to ask yourself some questions?
How
much would you sell your eyes for? Not
just one eye...both eyes! One million
dollars? One billion? One trillion?
Both
arms. Both legs. Given a blank check what figure would you put
down?
Your
brain that lets you think as you read these words...and work out a
choice...what is it worth?
To some of us we have by
injury or accident or sickness lost totally the use of some limbs or partial
use (I crashed a hang glider and the left arm works reasonably well and broke a
hip last year and the right leg is adjusting nicely...but I would not have
chosen it.)
How much to you
appreciate the wonders of your body and the beauties of the world? How much really?
A 12 year old boy named David was born
without an immune system. He underwent a bone marrow transplant in order to
correct the deficiency. Up to that point he had spent his entire life in a
plastic bubble in order to prevent exposure to common germs, bacteria, and
viruses that could kill him. He lived without ever knowing human contact.
When asked what he'd like to do if and
when released from his protective bubble, he replied, "I want to walk
barefoot on grass, and touch my mother's hand."
++++++++++++++++++++++
Before
you consider purchasing or not purchasing Neil's 9th. book THE SPIRITUAL
ABRAHAM LINCOLN...
+++++
GO TO NEIL'S OTHER BLOG
"WYRICK'S WRITINGS" TO READ SELECTED SERMONS FROM OVER 50 YEARS OF
HIS MINISTRYL
CLICK ON THE URL BELOW
Some
of 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 QUOTES FROM NEIL'S RECENTLY POSTED SERMONS
++++++++++++++++++
A QUOTE FROM THOUGHTS POSTED ON MY
OTHER BLOG WYRICK'S WRITINGS ENTITLED
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 ENTITLED
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 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 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 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.
"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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