A LIFETIME

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          There are over 900 stories and commentaries on this blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to daily.

          To Visit neil's other blog Wyrick's Writings click on the following

                     http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com

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       He is twenty-five, bright of eye, his soul on fire for his God.

His diploma is clutched tightly in his hand, his Christ

is deep and warm in the depths of his heart.

His first church stands small and square on a distant hill.

His day of ordination is a short memory - only yesterday really.

       He is thirty five.

Ten years of weddings and funerals, tears and tempest, meetings and meditation, all these stand in stately repose.

They temper the man this man of God.  They give wisdom to what he says - but more humility too.

He knows more than once he knew, but he feels less capable.

His security is in the added awareness of his Lord.

       He is forty five.

Twenty years of the church.

His first church is a day in the past, his present

church a stately spire, a paid quartet, and people as

they have always been.

His hair has the beginnings of gray, gray from the years, but also from

sharing fears and death and hates...yes, hates

within the sanctuary of the Lord.

       He is fifty-five now.

Babes he once baptized in the long ago are men and women of the world.

They forget or they remember what they learned as

nursery tots, teen-age totem poles, or new born adults.

It is a long while since he preached his first sermon,

prayed his first pastoral prayer, first sat with comforting nearness beside the bereaved as bearer of the promises of immortality.

       He is sixty-five now.

Retirement is a reality, or near.

Forty years of service,  His conviction is no less, his

strong heart no less on fire for God, his dreams more mature but just as real.

Morning seems to come quicker and evening finds

him more weary.

He knows he must soon throw the torch to younger hands.

He does not wish to be put out to pasture, but neither

does he wish to impede the progress of the Word.

       He is seventy-five now.

He sits, a part of the setting sunset.

There is a gathering smile o his face.

It is the smile of one who has served who daily

weighs his yesterdays and finds some days wanting

and other days in which his words or deeds did bring some comfort.

       And he wonders how many years are left...

and how he will served in a diminished fashion

but nevertheless serve.

       And he falls to his knees and when he rises

he has finished once again a prayer he prayed a thousand times a thousand times.

     Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,

The power, and the glory,

For ever and ever.

Amen.

 

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

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

       http://www.speakerneil.com/

                                    To Order and Read Neil's 9th book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN

                                    GO TO amazon.com

...and get a brand new book for $2 "from author" which is less than used book prices you will see!!!

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

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

          There are over 900 stories and commentaries on this blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to daily.

          To Visit neil's other blog Wyrick's Writings click on the following

                     http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com

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monday feb 6

IN JUDGEMENT (one a day....oct 2011

1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged.2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

Matthew 7:1-5

          It was a long while ago...so cruise arrangements were different...but it is not the cruise arrangements I am talking about...

          He was sailing for Europe on one of the great transatlantic ocean liners.

When he boarded, he found that another passenger was to share the cabin with him.

          After going to see the accommodations, he came up to the purser's desk and inquired if he could leave his gold watch and other valuables in the ship's safe.

He explained that ordinarily he never availed himself of that privilege, but he had been to his cabin and had met the man who was to occupy the other berth.

Judging from his appearance, he was afraid that he might not be a very trustworthy person.

          The purser accepted the responsibility for the valuables and remarked, 'It's all right, sir, I'll be very glad to take care of them for you.

The other man has been up here and left his valuables for the same reason!'"

          Are you too often in a hurry to judge another person so you can avoid judging yourself.

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

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

       http://www.speakerneil.com/

                                    To Order and Read Neil's 9th book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN

                                    GO TO amazon.com

...and get a brand new book for $2 "from author" which is less than used book prices you will see!!!

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

A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY

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

          There are over 900 stories and commentaries on this blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to daily.

          To Visit neil's other blog Wyrick's Writings click on the following

                     http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com

"""""""""""""""""""""

       When Queen Victoria was a child, she didn't know she was in line for the throne of England.

       Her instructors, trying to prepare her for the future, were frustrated because they couldn't motivate her. She just didn't take her studies seriously.

        Finally, her teachers decided to tell her that one day she would become the queen of England.

        Upon hearing this, Victoria quietly said, "Then I will be good."

       The realization that she had inherited this high calling gave her a sense of responsibility that profoundly affected her conduct from then on.

When you take a stand, or do not take one, just stop and realize that one day the stand you take will be before the throne of God. 

And as you stand there, it will have been duly recorded what you stood for while you lived. 

Made in the image of God and sometimes godly…and sometimes not. 

This is not a matter of being forgiven.  That is unlimited.  This is trying to have less to be forgiven for.

And to this challenge to think better and live better come the words of the Psalmist (Psalm 1:1-2)

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

       It all comes down to whether we dig in our heels or drag our feet. 

       Move toward God’s will when it comes to an ethical attitude and doing what’s right, or drag our feet when it comes to taking such a moral stand. 

       Are we reluctant to carry Christ’s cross on the highways and byways or do we prefer to keep it secluded in the shadows of our sanctuaries? 

       Just remember, on your birth day when you were given the great gift of life, you were at the same time given the great gift of responsibility

       A patient knocked over a cup of water, which spilled on the floor beside the patient's bed.

       The patient was afraid he might slip on the water if he got out of the bed, so he asked a nurse's aide to mop it up.

        The patient didn't know it, but the hospital policy said that small spills were the responsibility of the nurse's aides while large spills were to be mopped up by the hospital's housekeeping group.

       The nurse's aide decided the spill was a large one and she called the housekeeping department.

       A housekeeper arrived and declared the spill a small one. An argument followed.

       "It's not my responsibility," said the nurse's aide, "because it's a large puddle."

       The housekeeper did not agree. "Well, it's not mine," she said, "the puddle is too small."

       The exasperated patient listened for a time, then took a pitcher of water from his night table and poured the whole thing on the floor. "Is that a big enough puddle now for you two to decide?" he asked.

       It was, and that was the end of the argument.

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

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

       http://www.speakerneil.com/

                                    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

LAUGH YOUR WAY TO GOOD HEALTH

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

          There are over 900 stories and commentaries on this blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to daily.

          To Visit neil's other blog Wyrick's Writings click on the following

                     http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com

"""""""""""""""""""""

       Would you have more happiness?  Get a gratitude attitude.  Minimize your complaints.  Maximize your thanksgiving.  “Earth’s crammed with heaven,” said Thoreau.  Love, light, laughter.  The smile of a child.  The ripple of a stream.  A sparkling star.  A rainbow. 

       Would you have more happiness?  Then daily train yourself to laugh at yourself, in particular if the years are slowing you down and you are tired of being tired. Like telling the story on yourself that when you get up some mornings you feel like it’s the morning after…and you didn’t do anything the night before. 

       Would you have more happiness?  Be a beacon of joy.  The next time you feel an overwhelming desire to find fault, sew your mouth shut until the feeling goes away.  Or perhaps another way of putting it’ don’t needle – use one.

       Happiness is being committed to a cause, to something that sets you on fire, that warms your very being because you are concerned with the happiness of someone else as much or more than you are for yourself.  Happiness is having a principle you are willing to stand up for. 

       Did you ever see Stir Crazy?  It starred Gene Wilder as a man named Harry.  It was one crazy movie that exaggerated the art of accentuating the positive.  First, Harry is thrown into prison for a crime he didn’t commit.  Does this get Harry down?  Not on your life. 

       He just keeps smiling and driving all the prison personnel crazy with his positive attitude.  They hang him by his wrists for several days and he just breaks out with thanksgiving.  “Thanks you.   Thank you.  Thank you.  You just solved my back problem!”

       The guards then lock Harry in a little hot box beneath a boiling sun.  When they release him several days later he begs them to leave him there a little longer.  “I was just starting to get to know myself,” he explains.

       Finally, they throw happy Harry into a cell with a 300 pound murderer who gives a new meaning to the word crazy.  Doesn’t faze Harry at all.  When the guards return they find Harry and the crazy murderer laughing over a game of cards. 

       Harry may well be called a man who has pursued happiness to a crazy extreme…but then... Isn’t it just as crazy to look only for the miserable?  To fall in love with negative thinking?  To argue that the glass is half empty while ignoring the fact that it is half full?

       When was the last time you laughed at a bad accident you had in the past?  Maybe just the other day when you were thinking about it and how ridiculous it was you did it to yourself?

         Now it is funny.  Then it wasn’t.  Time does that.  It gives a new perspective. 

       A good attitude won’t make you able to laugh at every miserable moment of yesterday but it will help you to learn from it, and sometimes even enjoy the humor in it.

       Have I followed my own advice?  Well, last spring when I broke my hip I started writing a book on how to handle recovery and entitled it HIP HIP HOORAY.

       SOME POSTIVIE THINKING QUOTES FROM THE BIBLE

       I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13).

       If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

       be ye transformed by the newing of your mind..." (Romans 12:2)

       He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth stength." (Isaiah 40:29)

       Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you..." (John 14:27)

       They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:28-31)

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

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

       http://www.speakerneil.com/

                                    To Order and Read Neil's 9th book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN

                                    GO TO amazon.com

...and get a brand new book for $2 "from author" which is less than used book prices you will see!!!

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