WHERE DO YOU SEEK ADVICE? AND WHY?

" ONE LINERS FOR YOUR SOUL" & ONE A DAY

              Take these seeds of thought below and turn THEM into a wisdom tree.

 

    Eugene Brussell describes an agnostic this way, “One who doesn’t know whether God exists, but is afraid to say so loudly in case God might hear him.”  

WHERE DO   YOU..... 

      ...BELOW  is YOUR 'ONE A DAY' for Today

(Use in your personal or church newsletters) (365 stories a year)

 Wyrick’s Writings.
 CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING URL
http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com/  ******************************************************

A  stranger not use to the custom, approached a dog-leg hole and argued when the caddy suggested a different club than he had called for and a different approach to the tee.

The caddies reply was a classic, “Sir, you may use whichever club you wish and shoot in whichever direction you desire. I am only suggesting how to play in order to win the hole.

The Bible is so full of good advice and so many pass it by so many times. And play the game of life badly and end up in sand traps and thickets and behind trees and end up with more bogies than birdies.

And for those of you who have no idea how golf is scored...let it be said that a bogie is bad and a birdie is good.

"Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man."
-Proverbs 3:3-4
************************************************

Have you considered sharing this site with family or friends?

You can accomplish this also by having them go to Google Search and type in “Neil Spiritual Vitamins”

 

DO YOU HAVE A BLOG OR FACEBOOK? IF YOU ENJOY THESE WRITINGS COULD YOU CALL ATTENTION TO THIS BLOG? IF YOU DO, THANKS IN ADVANCE.

  Three of Neil’s books are still available on amazon.com. THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOOLN, RUST ON MY SOUL and POOR RICHARD’S ALMANACK FOR THE 20TH CENTURY (Written as if Ben Franklin had come back to life in the 20th Century and wrote yet another Almanac)

HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT GOD IN YOUR LIFE?

(Use in your personal or church newsletters) (365 stories a year)

Serialization of Neil’s Internationally Distributed Novel (Rust On My Soul) (Published by Bridge Press (1985) starts on his blog Wyrick’s Writings Tuesday April 13th and continues each Tuesday until finished. Thursday and Sunday will continue to cover a variety of subjects.

To view the blog that has this serialization CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING URL
http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com/

 

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEND THIS DAY'S BLOG TO A FRIEND GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS BLOG AND CLICK ON THE ENVELOPE.
*********************************************************************************
 

The Holy Man saw that the young man who was approaching was troubled. He wore distress on his face as if he had just traded it in for despair. The young man’s opening words trembled as he spoke, “How can I find God?”

The old man stared into the dark brown river and replied, “Do you really want to know?”

The young man’s reply was irreverent and impatient.

“Of course I want to know. Otherwise I would not have asked.” Anger added itself to the young man’s emotions.

With a motion as quick as lightning the young man felt his neck squeezed in an iron clasp as his head was thrust beneath the surface of the water. He struggled to free himself and was sure he was about to drown.

Finally the Holy Man released his grip and the young man sputtering and choking exclaimed “Why did you do that?”

“Because,” came back the reply, “When you want God as badly as you wanted air when you were under that water, you will find him…you will find him.”

How badly do you need God? With how much effort do you seek God? And yes…the inevitable questions.

When you die do you have any other plans besides heaven?

While you are living, how goes it? Got any problems? Are you handling them or are they handling you? Got all the answers? Think you could do with a bit more of that peace that passeth understanding.

Break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord ..." Hosea 10:12.
******************************************************************************

 

Have you considered sharing this site with family or friends?

Another way to do it...Just have them go to Google Search and type in “Neil Spiritual Vitamins”

DO YOU HAVE A BLOG OR FACEBOOK? IF YOU ENJOY THESE WRITINGS COULD YOU CALL ATTENTION TO THIS BLOG? IF YOU DO, THANKS IN ADVANCE.

COMMITMENT

(Use in your personal or church newsletters) (365 stories a year)

Serialization of Neil’s Internationally Distributed Novel (Rust On My Soul) (Published by Bridge Press (1985) starts on his blog Wyrick’s Writings until finished.

 

TO SHARE THIS DAY'S BLOG WITH FRIENDS GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS BLOG AND CLICK ON THE ENVELOPE.

 
To view the blog that has this serialization CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING URL
http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com/

*****************************************************************************
Ole Daniel Boone was starting across his beloved old mountains and someone took that time to ask him if he had ever been lost.

He smiled and replied, “Well now, I can’t rightly say I have ever been lost but I have been powerfully confused.”

Speaks to the problem of some people. Ceptin’ they are lost and have been a lot worse than confused for a long long while.

Trying to be everything to everybody while losing their own identity. Laughing at jokes they don’t think are funny; agreeing to philosophies they don’t agree with at all. Lost their sense of Godly morality because it is easier to believe in nothing and everything all at the same time.

And what can be done to help solve this problem.

Well, to start with start a diary of God. Thjat’s right.

Every day write down a one sentence description of every prayer you prayed and when. And if you had a thought about God write down what that thought was and how influenced you.

Then at the end of a week sit down and read what you have written. If you missed a day or even more; were so busy God got put on the back burner or even worse wasn’t even taken off the shelf, well…what you don’t read will say a lot also.

If you didn’t short change yourself with a diary so short it said nothing you will read what your thanksgivings were and your petitions and who you prayed for if you prayed for someone besides yourself and whether you sometimes just shut up and listened.

This diary will tell you a great deal about you…and God…and how often he is in the picture frame of your life.

And from this you will see where you have been seeking directions and how often.

Call what I have talking “Your own personal GPS from God”

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”

 
*******************************************************************************

DO YOU HAVE A BLOG OR FACEBOOK? IF YOU ENJOY THESE WRITINGS COULD YOU CALL ATTENTION TO THIS BLOG? IF YOU DO, THANKS IN ADVANCE.

ONE OF THESE DAYS

" ONE LINERS FOR YOUR SOUL" & ONE A DAY

              Take these seeds of thought below and turn THEM into a wisdom tree.

 

        There are a host of folk who take up homesteads in the valley of indecision, water their flock at the river of procrastination, build their fences with wood from the forest of false promises, get their seeds from the market of the devil and then wonder why, when the harvest of memories is gleaned, it is so full of hell.

      ...BELOW  is YOUR 'ONE A DAY' for Today

ONE OF THESE DAYS

(Use in your personal or church newsletters) (365 stories a year)
FOR WYRICK'S WRITINGS
CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING URL
http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com/

TO SEND THIS DAYS BLOG TO A FRIEND GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS BLOG AND CLICK ON THE ENVELOPE

 
******************************************************

Two old farmers had taken a brief break from the fields and were having a conversation.

“My wife is always asking for money.”

“That so,” replied his friend.

“Yep, last month she asked for $10. Then last week she asked for $15 and just this morning she ask for $20 more.”
“Jumpin’ Jehosofat, what does she do with all that money?”

“Don’t know,” came back the reply, “I ain’t given her any.”

And God Almighty sits on his throne and says “Give me your life.”

And we can both spell and identify the meaning behind the word commitment but many have not yet given any yet.

So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages]. Isaiah 26: 4

 

***************************************************************************

Have you considered sharing this site with family or friends?

Just have them go to Google Search and type in “Neil Spiritual Vitamins”

DO YOU HAVE A BLOG OR FACEBOOK? IF YOU ENJOY THESE WRITINGS COULD YOU CALL ATTENTION TO THIS BLOG? IF YOU DO, THANKS IN ADVANCE.

Have you considered sharing this site with family or friends? Just have them go to Google Search and type in “Neil Spiritual Vitamins”.

 

     OR HAVE THEM CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING URL

 http://oneadayyourspiritualvitamins.blogspot.com

 
     And, yes, maybe they will back track a few weeks to read other of my musings.

     DO YOU HAVE A BLOG OR FACEBOOK? IF YOU ENJOY THESE WRITINGS COULD YOU CALL ATTENTION TO THIS BLOG? IF YOU DO, THANKS IN ADVANCE.

       click on the FOLLOWING URL

http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com/

     to go to Rev. Wyrick's other blog

Wyrick's Writings

  Check out Neil's 2 still available books on amazon.com.    

THERE ARE OTHER USED COPIES OF HIS 7 OTHER USED BOOKS AT MANY SITES

       THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN (AVAILLABLE ON KINDLE) & BEN FRANKLIN'S ALMANACK FOR THE 20TH CENTURY

 

       TO VIEW REV. WYRICK'S AWARD WINNING ONE MAN DRAMAS Click on the following http://www.speakerneil.com/

       BELOW ARE SOME OF THE RAVE REVIEWS ABOUT "THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN."

++++++++++++++++

      "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 Lincolnshould 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 fullmeasure 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

LOST? FOUND? OR NEVER LOST AT ALL

" ONE LINERS FOR YOUR SOUL" & ONE A DAY

 

              Take these seeds of thought below and turn THEM into a wisdom tree.

        For too many, anxiety Velcro’s itself to their emotions and serves up exhaustion, A. J. Cronin, wrote: “Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow.  It only saps today of its strength.”

 

      ...BELOW  is YOUR 'ONE A DAY' for Today

LOST? FOUND?........

 

(Use in your personal or church newsletters) (365 stories a year)

 

blog Wyrick’s Writings 

 

To view this blog CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING URL

http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com/

TO SEND THIS DAY'S BLOG TO A FRIEND CLICK ON THE ENVELOPE BELOW.

*****************************************************************************

 

During the Civil War, a Yankee Commodore was put in charge of a blockade on the Mississippi with strict orders to allow no cotton to pass down the river. In a very short time the inevitable took place. Speculators were in hot pursuit of a weak or non-operating conscience.

The bribe machine was soon in full working order.

Which is why on a rainy afternoon three men stood before the Yankee commodore and offered a large sum of money to allow cotton to pass down the river.

What happened next is worth relating.

Three barges were still unmoving as the afternoon hours faded away. The men kept raising their offer and the Commodore kept saying “No!”

After yet another offer he rose from his chair and shouted “Get out of here. All of you get out. You are getting to close to my price.

Judas had his price. It was thirty pieces of silver.

A modern day Judas may sell his soul for money or power or some title to affix before his name. The temptations are many and they are relentless.

There are those who would argue that conscience is a jail cell that restricts and restrains to a degree that life is no longer pleasant. There are others who declare that conscience is old fashion and that a better guideline is to ask “Does it make me feel good?” Or “There is no right nor wrong, only what I say is right on wrong.”

Martin Luther King, as he did so well with so many subjects, spoke the following “…When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered. A nation can flounder as readily in the face of moral and spiritual bankruptcy as it can through financial bankruptcy.”

Acts 24:16 “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.”

 

************************************************************************

Have you considered sharing this site with family or friends?

ANOTHER WAY IS just to have them go to Google Search and type in “Neil Spiritual Vitamins”

DO YOU HAVE A BLOG OR FACEBOOK? IF YOU ENJOY THESE WRITINGS COULD YOU CALL ATTENTION TO THIS BLOG? IF YOU DO, THANKS IN ADVANCE.
 

Have you considered sharing this site with family or friends? Just have them go to Google Search and type in “Neil Spiritual Vitamins”.

     OR HAVE THEM CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING URL 

http://oneadayyourspiritualvitamins.blogspot.com

 
     And, yes, maybe they will back track a few weeks to read other of my musings.

     DO YOU HAVE A BLOG OR FACEBOOK? IF YOU ENJOY THESE WRITINGS COULD YOU CALL ATTENTION TO THIS BLOG? IF YOU DO, THANKS IN ADVANCE.

       click on the FOLLOWING URL

http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com/

     to go to Rev. Wyrick's other blog

Wyrick's Writings

   Check out Neil's 2 still available books on amazon.com.     

 

THERE ARE OTHER USED COPIES OF HIS 7 OTHER USED BOOKS AT MANY SITES

       THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN (AVAILABLE ON KINDLE) & BEN FRANKLIN'S ALMANACK FOR THE 20TH CENTURY

    

       TO VIEW REV. WYRICK'S AWARD WINNING ONE MAN DRAMAS Click on the following http://www.speakerneil.com/

       BELOW ARE SOME OF THE RAVE REVIEWS ABOUT "THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN."

++++++++++++++++

      "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 Lincolnshould 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 fullmeasure 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

A SPECIAL KIND OF COURAGE

" ONE LINERS FOR YOUR SOUL" & ONE A DAY

 

              Take these seeds of thought below and turn THEM into a wisdom tree.

     

 THE POWER OF NEGATIVE THINKING                         

                                           

The Power of Negative Thinking does come easily. Some people have earned their PHD in it.  If you are or have occasionally been one of these folk there is a test you can take to see if you still have the stuff it is made of.

Tomorrow morning, when you wake up, walk outside and stamp a flower. Scream at a sparrow. Kick a tree. On your way to work, triple your honking power. Honk when there really is no reason and make it long and loud. Short of having a wreck, work toward winning Road Hog of the Year Award.

Beware positive thoughts may inflict great harm.  So beware, the Power of Positive Thinking is a mighty force and nothing to be made light of.

In the continuation of your test and the pumping up of anger, frustration and depression don’t stop with anything less than maximum output. At work or at home, if you are asked to do something extra, pout if you are a woman or mutter if you are a man. If someone says, "Thank you," give him or her a blank stare. If you feel a smile coming on resurrect some real or imagined hurt. If an associate or a mate shares with you a good idea, grunt. If it is an exceptional idea, feel threatened. If he or she still won’t go away, kill their enthusiasm by saying, "It won’t work." Above all else avoid any social issues that might cause you to take a stand.

When lunchtime rolls around be sure and have a meal that heightens your cholesterol and enthuses your ulcer.

Have your fourth or fifth cup of coffee for the day and in the middle of the afternoon your third or fourth candy bar so your blood sugar can continue to ride a roller coaster. Start on your third pack of cigarettes, preferably near a non-smoker.

If it has been a workday, at its close shove toward the elevator and race toward the parking lot. Remember that you will have been on emotional overload since early morn and you don’t want to lose your edge.

Everyone wants to get out of the parking lot first. Don’t let them. Drive like you are in a demotion derby. Nudge but don’t dent until you have made several other drivers as miserable as you are. You may even want to write down license numbers as trophies.

 When you come back through your front door, kick the dog, yell at the children if they happen to be around, complain about congress, cuss about gas prices and gulp down your dinner. If you have to go out for the evening lament you never have time for yourself. If you don’t have to go out; turn on TV, switch from station to station, finally fall asleep, snore and prepare to do battle all over again.

It does require consistent effort to be a card carrying Negative Thinker. Keeping alive the best of one’s worst is never easy. Because, yes, there are positive guidelines and hope filled nudges that might get in the way if we give them half a chance. Therefore, a word to whoever will listen, "Control yourself because if you don’t you might actually become a person you enjoy keeping company with."

 

      ...BELOW  is YOUR 'ONE A DAY' for Today

A SPECIAL KIND OF COURAGE

(Use in your personal or church newsletters) (365 stories a year)

Wyrick’s Writings

To view this blog CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING URL
http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com/

TO SHARE THIS DAY'S BLOG WITH A FRIEND CLICK ON THE ENVELOPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS BLOG.

****************************************************************************

The medical missionary David Livingstone, after 16 years in Africa, spoke the following. on a visit to Glasgow University.

“Shall I tell you what sustained me amidst the toil and hardship of my exiled life? It was the promise, ‘Lo, I am with you always even unto the end.” He was older than his age. As he spoke his arm hung limply at his side. And this man who never thought of giving anything less than his all gave forth an unworldly calm.

“But the Lord GOD helps me;
therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like a flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame.”
—Isaiah 50:7

***************************************************************************
 

DO YOU HAVE A BLOG OR FACEBOOK? IF YOU ENJOY THESE WRITINGS COULD YOU CALL ATTENTION TO THIS BLOG? IF YOU DO, THANKS IN ADVANCE.

 

Have you considered sharing this site with family or friends? Just have them go to Google Search and type in “Neil Spiritual Vitamins”.

     OR HAVE THEM CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING URL 

http://oneadayyourspiritualvitamins.blogspot.com

 
     And, yes, maybe they will back track a few weeks to read other of my musings.

     DO YOU HAVE A BLOG OR FACEBOOK? IF YOU ENJOY THESE WRITINGS COULD YOU CALL ATTENTION TO THIS BLOG? IF YOU DO, THANKS IN ADVANCE.

       click on the FOLLOWING URL

http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com/

     to go to Rev. Wyrick's other blog

Wyrick's Writings

  Check out Neil's 2 still available books on amazon.com.    

THERE ARE OTHER USED COPIES OF HIS 7 OTHER USED BOOKS AT MANY SITES

       THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN (AVAILABLE ON KINDLE) & BEN FRANKLIN'S ALMANACK FOR THE 20TH CENTURY

 

       TO VIEW REV. WYRICK'S AWARD WINNING ONE MAN DRAMAS Click on the following 

 http://www.speakerneil.com/

       BELOW ARE SOME OF THE RAVE REVIEWS ABOUT "THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN."

++++++++++++++++

      "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 Lincolnshould 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 fullmeasure 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