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Do not go where the path may lead, go
instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"If
you live close to God
And His infinite grace,
You don't have to tell;
It shows on your face."
And His infinite grace,
You don't have to tell;
It shows on your face."
-anonymous
I have journeyed far and
wide...as far to the east as Moscow and as far to the west as Beijing...but no
journey has intrigued and continues to intrigue me quite as much as the journey within that is
so often influenced by my journeys without.
This
journey within constantly is an attempt to understand what makes me tick and
how to improve the ticking. And, of course, why God set me...neil wyrick (lower
case on purpose) ...ticking...and continues me ticking.
And the journey
without... all the folk I interact with daily and where and how I interact with
them.
I do know that when I
seek out what is right in the outside world... my world within is a far better
place to live. When my decisions are
soul directed I hear the bells sound.
When not there is often a dull thud.
I know I want to
make as many good choices as I can so I can get to where I want to be on the
way to being who I want to be.
How
to do that? By
remembering that life is not just a journey but a guided tour. That is what the words and the ways of Jesus
are.
Let's put it this way, "The
Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."
That's a direction and a promise all wrapped up in one.
The summer before
Seminary I was a traveling salesman...and in my journeys I was always coming across
crossroads...and if I read the map wrong or went to sleep at the switch I got
lost...not often...once only...but it sure wasn't wise to continue going in the
wrong direction on the wrong road.
So I work hard at keeping
my spiritual GPS in proper order...by doing what Proverbs 3:1-7 tell me.
1 My son, do not
forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you prosperity.
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.
but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you prosperity.
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.
My way or your way or God's way and they
do quite often conflict. Or as Proverbs 14:12, is want to put it “There is a
way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
The Christian journey...a recommended
tour...a recommendation from a mountaintop...most often referred to as the
Sermon on the Mount...by the sea of Galilee...the Christian journey is wherever
Christ has walked...our tour guide so to speak.
The Christian journey and I like well
these words by Edwin Markham.
"Live and let live" was the
call of the old...
the
call of the world when the world was cold...
The
call of men when they pulled apart...
The
call of the race with a chill on the heart.
But "live and help live" is the
cry of the New...
The
cry of the world with the Dream shinning through...
The
cry of the Brother World rising to birth..
The
cry of the Christ for a Comrade-like-earth.
First and
foremost, you are priceless because you were made by God...but having said that
I would remind both of us that all future and present worth is based on what we
have become and what we are becoming.
Because...a plain
bar of iron is worth $5. The same bar,
when made into horse shoes, is worth $10.50.
If made into needles it is worth $4285.
If turned into balance wheels for watches it becomes worth $250,000.
This is true of another
kind of material - you. Your value is
determined by what you make of yourself.
How much enthusiasm have
you found in the reading these statements?
If none then consider this phrase rising yet again out of my collection
of quotes, "What's apathy? Who cares!"
A Christian journey
requires some very basic plantings in the garden of your life.
A row of
peas...patience, promptness..prayer.
A row of squash...squash
gossip...squash indifference...squash criticism.
A row of lettuce...let
us obey the Lord...let us be loyal to our faith...let us be true to our obligations...let
us be unselfish...let us love one another.
And finally, four rows
of turnips...turn up when needed...turn up with a smile...turn up with a
vision...turn up with determination. (anonymous)
Do all these things because you have not
let the hungering and thirsting after God go unfulfilled...and if you do not feel as close to God as once you
did...guess who moved.
What have I been trying to say in these
ramblings...well, behind it all...to explain my feelings as I have
written...let me close with the following oldie goldie...
May the road rise
up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
+++++May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
(and some more thoughts on the subjects from a host of different folk)
Live one moment at a time and that moment for God. Don't think of a holy life for that will drown you by its' immensity, but remember that a holy life is a series of holy moments. (anonymous)
Live one moment at a time and that moment for God. Don't think of a holy life for that will drown you by its' immensity, but remember that a holy life is a series of holy moments. (anonymous)
You can
live opposite of what you profess,
but you cannot live opposite of what you believe.?
but you cannot live opposite of what you believe.?
- Dallas Willard
Courage
does not always roar. Sometimes it is a quiet voice at the end of the day,
saying. .."I will try again tomorrow."
- Unknown
If you are
a Christian, you are not a citizen of this world trying to get to heaven; you
are a citizen of heaven making your way through this world.
- Vance Havner
To your
enemy . . .forgiveness,
To your opponent . . .tolerance.
To a friend . . . your heart.
To a customer . . . service.
To all men . . .charity.
To every child . . . a good example
To yourself . . .respect
To your opponent . . .tolerance.
To a friend . . . your heart.
To a customer . . . service.
To all men . . .charity.
To every child . . . a good example
To yourself . . .respect
-Author unknown
Some
people,
No matter how old they get,
Never lose their beauty ?
They merely move it from their
Faces into their heart.
No matter how old they get,
Never lose their beauty ?
They merely move it from their
Faces into their heart.
- Martin Buxbaum
If I can
stop one heart
From breaking,
I shall not live in vain.
From breaking,
I shall not live in vain.
-Emily Dickinson
QUOTES BELOW ARE
FROM WYRICK'S WRITINGS...CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING TO TAKE YOU THERE... http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com
(These
are selected sermons from over 50 years of ministry)
+++++++++++++++++++
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 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 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 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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