These One A Days are added to daily. There are over 1100 stories and commentaries on this blog. It is added to daily.
When I was in grade school, they told me to write down what I wanted to be when I grew up.
I wrote down happy.
They told me I didn't understand the assignment,
I told them they didn't understand life
- Unknown
If you think sunshine brings you happiness, then you haven't danced in the rain.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEND THIS BLOG TO A FRIEND COPY and
paste THE FOLLOWING URL
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/
@@@@@@@@@@@@@
I almost decided, those 66 years ago, not
to become a minister because of some of the ministers I met. Some of them acted as if any kind of pleasure
was an attack straight from hell and a sober expression was more holy than a
smile. I used to say they looked
like they were "weaned on a
pickle."
And so I who firmly believed in my Lord was almost led astray by
some ministers who didn't act like there was any joy in the experience.
Pause and read Psalm 100 again (for I presume you have read it
many times before) to undergird the truth that God definitely gives us
permission to seek joy and enjoy it.
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Faithful to the Lord but not to trivia.
Content
to the cause of Christ.
The
pleasure of a purposeful life.
Ah,
now we're at the point of "the peace that passeth understanding."
What I'm talking about is not hereditary joy or environmental
joy
These
obviously have their place. The DNA of
some is more sober than others and living from one meal to the next is not
going to cause one to do hand flips of joy.
Nevertheless, there is an outgrowth from admiring the
fact of God with adoration and awe. And that "outgrowth" is that peace
and joy that may be without complete understanding but nevertheless is a living
reality.
It is a choice
I am talking about between making "mud pies in the sand or a holiday at
the sea" as C.S. Lewis put it.
There
is nothing wrong with the pursuit of joy.
What is wrong headed is pursuing it in the wrong direction for the wrong
ends.
Such as did Voltaire with his
unbelief and who as an infidel one day wrote, "I wish I had never been
born."
Or Lord Byron who if he could
not tag an activity with the word pleasure was not interested. This hedonist on
the edge of his dying day wrote, "The worm, the
canker, and grief are mine alone."
Or Jay Gould who piled high his dollars until like so many after
him had more than he could ever possibly spend...and then as he lay dying said,
"I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth."
Or position and
fame, these power points in life Lord Beaconsfield pursued... with such overwhelming vigor only
to find they were empty in their promises.
Which is why with weary retreat in his later years he wrote, "Youth
is a mistake; manhood a struggle; old age a regret."
And poor Alexander the Great, known the world over for one
day weeping in his tent and crying out, "There are no more worlds to
conquer."
I
guess what I am saying is that to find joy don't pursue it. Pursue a life of worthwhilness and service to
our maker and giving more often than getting and seeking the wisdom of humility
rather than the arrogance that too often comes with fame and the glory of being
a good and godly person...and then...joy will pursue us.
"I am come that you might have life
and that you might have it more abundantly." This certainly doesn't sound like an
invitation to misery.
When
my youth was young and vital and offered so much of adolescent joy, like so
many of my age one of the great moments of each year was the coming of the
circus into town. All those exotic
creatures and clowns and orchestrated chaos but best of all, at least for me,
were those aerobatic folk who high above the 3 ring circles did their
magnificent balancing acts.
They
seemed to get such exhilarating joy out of throwing themselves through the air
and then there were those who balanced on those tight ropes. Too far to the right or left and they fell
and usually except for the few who really pushed the enveloped there was a net
to catch them.
And
now, this very morn, thinking about it...it comes to me that that is the source
of my ongoing happiness...life is a balance beam...a tightrope along which I
walk and if I fall too far off course I fall...but each time I do I am caught
in the net of my Father's love. And I
climb back up to try again...secure in the knowledge that he will continue to save
me from myself.
Thereby,
I prayerfully, and with full knowledge of my weaknesses, pursue a right way of
life and thinking and benefit from the results of this pursuit rather than
pursuing happiness alone. It is a subtle
difference but then not so subtle at all.
For it is the way of the Lord and I know ultimately the ultimate answer...
I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew
he moved my soul to seek him, seeking
me.
It was not I that found, O Savior true;
no, I was found of thee.
Thou didst reach forth thy hand and
mine enfold;
I walked and sank not on the
storm-vexed sea.
'Twas not so much that I on thee took
hold,
as thou, dear Lord, on me.
I find, I walk, I love, but oh, the
whole
of love is but my answer, Lord, to
thee!
For thou wert long beforehand with my
soul;
always thou lovedst me. (I trust many
of you have often sung this hymn)
I think
the ultimate error that can be made is to believe and act as if the purpose of
the world must be to make us happy...rather than the other way around.
So that true happiness is found in the act of giving that
produces a reflection of the happiness given back upon the giver. Otherwise, life becomes a decent into an
abyss of selfishness rather than elevated to a high mountains of selflessness.
Ah, what pure
joy...and in whatever age it is found...what an everlasting gift.
As a third-century man had learned and in anticipating
death was writing about...penned
these the last words.
"It's
a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it
a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret.
They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than
any pleasure of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they
care not.
They
are masters of their souls.
They
have overcome the world. These people are the Christians--and I am one of
them."
And therein it seems to me here lies the proper closing
of these thoughts. The same with which
they were begun.
HAPPINESS...THE PURSUIT OF
OR PURSUED BY.
++++++++++++++++
QUOTES ON HAPPINESS
When I was in grade school, they told me to write down what I wanted to be when I grew up.
I wrote down happy.
They told me I didn't understand the assignment,
I told them they didn't understand life
- Unknown
If you think sunshine brings you happiness, then you haven't danced in the rain.
- unknown
The best feeling in the world is realizing that you're
perfectly happy without the thing you thought you needed
- marxie
++++++++++++
A new quote (posted OCT 11) below from Rev. Wyrick's 9th book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM
LINCOLN (read the rave reviews
below the quote)
Lincoln had seen a house of cards about to
fall and realized how it could establish a precedent that would truly destroy
what the Founding Fathers had created.
Divided
by two, in short time it might well have become a division of three.
The
northeast, once not sure if it even wanted to be part of the original thirteen
colonies, might then have pulled out.
A
few years down the road, some state in the Confederacy, unhappy with the new
uniting, might have done the same. Bad
habits come easily and are slow to leave.
"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 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.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment