GROWTH (2ND IN SERIES)

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There are over 600 stories and commentaries on this blog. It is added to daily.

 

A group of tourists were visiting a high mountain obscure  village and came upon an old man leaning against a gnarled tree..

In a rather patronizing way, one tourist asked, "Were any great men born in this village?"

The old man squinted at the questioner and replied, "Nope, only babies."

An inane question brought a profound answer.

There are no instant heroes--whether in this world or in the kingdom of God.

Growth takes time, and as I Timothy 3:6 and 5:22 point out, even spiritual leadership must be earned.

(growth) Romans 8:5

Give tomorrow’s flowers of faith and glad goodness a chance to bloom.

(growth) Romans 8:5

Pray to receive the gift of understanding that lets you smile, the gift of prayer that transcends even understanding, the gift of love that makes the tragic bearable and the kind wonderful.

(growth) Romans 8:5

Let the school of life teach you because your principle is God and your heart is full of this Principal.

(growth) Romans 8:5

Let it become a permanent part of your nature; the positive acceptance of the fact that for every darkness there is a sunrise, for every tear a smile and for every shattered dream a dream fulfilled.  Indeed, what you are, what you feel and what you think are all measured on the stretch of eternity and held in the mind of the Creator.

           

TO VISIT Neil’s other blog WYRICK’S WRITING (A variety of serializations; a novel, a 2^nd book Sixty Plus and not Holding (How to get by in life with a host of plusses no matter what your age) on Sunday and Tuesday and Thursday varying subjects) (3 times a week added to)

Some recent topic titles are:ONE LOG ON A FIRE, TWO JOLLY GREEN GIANTS; LOVE AND FORGIVENESS, WISDOM IS

 

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING URL

 

http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com

To view his One Man Dramas on film (see by millions, live and on film and on video)(Martin Luther, Ben Franklin, Charles Wesley, Abraham Lincoln)

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING

 

http://www.speakerneil.com/

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GROWTH (1ST IN SERIES)

Do you know why a ten ton elephant can be kept from wandering by a stake only strong enough to prevent a baby elephant of 300 pounds for going where he will?

The elephants memory.  That is what.  When he is a baby and tries to pull away from the stake that is strong to prevent his going anywhere he soon learns he cannot pull the stake out of the ground. 

Persistently, over and over again he tries, but to no avail. 

And one day he gives up and never tries again.

Thus when he is grown and could rip the stake from the ground with no more than a twitch of his muscles he is restrained from any forward progress because he has been taught to believe it is impossible.

So it is with some people. 

Someone told them when they were young that they had no talent or had no brains or were just no good.  And they were told that time and time again until they came to believe it…and now in their adult years they no longer try and have not tried for years…they are beaten down from the beginning…

So if you were told that one day by someone, whatever negative thought it was…ignore it and go out and prove those somebodies wrong…

And oh yes…parents…if this is what you are doing to your child…filling them with negative thoughts…cease and desist…and instead give them growth tablets…positive thoughts…shouts ‘YOU CAN…YOU CAN..YOU CAN…”

 

(growth)  Romans 8:5

Live in such a manner you can live with yourself and find it pleasure instead of pain.  Make some path a little brighter, some load a little lighter for a stranger or a friend.

(growth)  Romans 8:5

Pray each day a prayer worth praying, and live one moment each day so fine it would be worth living again.

Romans 8:5

Accept with fortitude your days of dismay and move with faith toward better tomorrows. 

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 600 stories and commentaries on this blog. It is added to daily.

           

TO VISIT Neil’s other blog WYRICK’S WRITING (A variety of serializations; a novel, a 2^nd book Sixty Plus and not Holding (How to get by in life with a host of plusses no matter what your age) on Sunday and Tuesday and Thursday varying subjects) (3 times a week added to)

Some recent topic titles are:ONE LOG ON A FIRE, TWO JOLLY GREEN GIANTS; LOVE AND FORGIVENESS, WISDOM IS

 

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING URL

 

http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com

To view his One Man Dramas on film (see by millions, live and on film and on video)(Martin Luther, Ben Franklin, Charles Wesley, Abraham Lincoln)

 

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING

 

http://www.speakerneil.com/

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10 STEPS TO A HAPPIER RETIREMENT

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There are over 600 stories and commentaries on this blog. It is added to daily.

 

It has been said that the trouble with retirement is you never get a day off.  Therefore, to benefit the most from it…think on the following.

           

Think of retirement not as a time of being “over the hill” but rather a time to view the world from a different hill. Consider what you are retiring to, not just what you are retiring from.  Yes, it should be a time for smelling the roses, but also a time for planting some.

1.      You may be working into your nineties and loving every minute of it or need to switch gears and get as far away from work as possible…but whether it is a vacation or an avocation, nature abhors a vacuum.

2.      Whatever amount of time you have left before retirement, save more and spend less.  Don’t buy everything within sight.  Rather try buying with more insight.

3.      And as a motivation, stop and figure out what your annual income would be if you were forced into retirement tomorrow.  Then figure what you will retire with at say 70, not even thinking 65.

4.      Today, the experts figure you need twenty times your present income in the bank, if you want to retire in the same financial neighborhood of your present income.

5.      When the time comes think long and hard before you move into a retirement community or a smaller home. Think long before you act (too short a time).

6.      When you think of long term nursing care, think statistics – the average nursing home stay is two to three years. Consider a bigger deductible vs. a bigger premium.  But then, don’t spend so much time thinking you become your own worst enemy.  And yes, again…let any conclusion simmer for awhile rather than immediately bringing them to a boil.

7.       If at all possible, pay off your mortgage.  It’s very comforting to know that, if needed, there is the possibility of a reverse mortgage rather than an ongoing mortgage payment that, with a reduced income, can be increasingly difficult to pay.

8.      Think capital preservation as well as capital appreciation.  There are countless formulas, but the stock market is always a giant question mark.  Remember, if an investment seems to be too good to be true, it probably is.

9.       Last and certainly not least talk to a financial manager.  However, check them out carefully because you don’t want one with any kind of vested interest in his or her proposals.  And you certainly want first class recommendations about financial managers from friends rather than ads.

             It may be an over-simplification but I think not too much so; Prepare for retirement so it will not be a time of sadness but of hope.

These are suggestions not edicts.  They are not written in stone.  So realize that your situation may dictate the exact opposite of some or all of them...but at least they are something to get you thinking.

TO VISIT Neil’s other blog WYRICK’S WRITING (A variety of serializations; a novel, a 2^nd book Sixty Plus and not Holding (How to get by in life with a host of plusses no matter what your age) on Sunday and Tuesday and Thursday varying subjects) (3 times a week added to)

Some recent topic titles are:ONE LOG ON A FIRE, TWO JOLLY GREEN GIANTS; LOVE AND FORGIVENESS, WISDOM IS

 

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING URL

 

http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com

To view his One Man Dramas on film (see by millions, live and on film and on video)(Martin Luther, Ben Franklin, Charles Wesley, Abraham Lincoln)

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING

 

http://www.speakerneil.com/

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FAITH AND FINANCES

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There are over 600 stories and commentaries on this blog. It is added to daily.

"I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of contentment in every situation, whether it be a full stomach or hunger, plenty or want; for I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power." Philippians 4:12-13

If you have a roof over hour head; rented or owned you’re rich.

If you own a car and can drive you are rich; look at the millions around the world who have no means of transportation but their legs.

If you have enough food to eat, you’re rich.  Thinks of all those who get by with two or only one meal a day. 

If you have extra clothes in your closet, you’re rich.  Did you think on this the last time you donated to the salvation army.

If you’ve got enough money to go out to eat occasionally, you’re rich.

 

I early learned that if I didn’t allow God to help me manage my money it would manage me.  In short, like many or most, greed has sometimes been my guide and financial common sense has suffered along the way.

So I carry around with me a wrinkled and worn piece of paper that has some lessons that have been my friend for a long while and perhaps some of them these ideas will become your friends too.

Your American Express card?  Please leave home without it.

Poor money management means you will rob Peter and then you will be tempted to rob Paul.

Never regard a lottery ticket as an investment.

Proverbs 22:7
The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

Have a two pronged goal when it comes to earning money.  Do not seek poverty.  There is nothing spiritual about being poor.  But do seek generosity.

Do not chose to be a slave to money which is what any of us do when we consistently spend more than we make.  I found it interesting to read that credit card companies will let me borrow 250% more than I can possibly pay back.  And why not?  It is to their interest to place me under the bondage of interest.

Luke 14:28
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

Save but don’t hoard.  And while managing your money constantly remind yourself that it is really God’s money. Because I doubt you’ll ever see a Brink’s truck following a hearse.

Don’t go to the financial page first thing in the morning.  Miss a day or two, both you and your investments will survive. Make a point of not being obsessed with checking and over checking.

Experts say: at least 10% of our income should be saved for future needs, the unexpected, for our children’s education, for our retirement, for an inheritance for our children and grandchildren.

Don’t marry your job.  If even on vacation you have to call back to the office or are pursuing another get rich quick scheme then you are in serious trouble.  (I’m semi retired now but this was a good reminder when I wasn’t)

I don’t remember who said it but it’s certainly worth remembering, “If you love money and use people, that’s bad.  If you love people and use money, that’s good.”

TO VISIT T Neil’s other blog WYRICK’S WRITING (A variety of serializations; a novel, a 2^nd book Sixty Plus and not Holding (How to get by in life with a host of plusses no matter what your age) on Sunday and Tuesday and Thursday varying subjects) (3 times a week added to)

Some recent topic titles are:ONE LOG ON A FIRE, TWO JOLLY GREEN GIANTS; LOVE AND FORGIVENESS, WISDOM IS

 

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING URL

 

http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com

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

To view his One Man Dramas on film (see by millions, live and on film and on video)(Martin Luther, Ben Franklin, Charles Wesley, Abraham Lincoln)

 

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING

 

http://www.speakerneil.com/

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DON'T LET GREED AND PRIDE MANAGE YOUR MONEY

Matthew 6:19-21, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

I early learned that if I didn’t allow God to help me manage my money it would manage me.  In short, like many or most, greed has sometimes been my guide and financial common sense has suffered along the way.

And certainly two of the eneies he constantly warns me of are greed and pride of wealth.

So I carry around with me a wrinkled and worn piece of paper that has some lessons that have been my friend for a long while and perhaps some of them these ideas will become your friends too.

Have a two pronged goal when it comes to earning money.  Do not seek poverty.  There is nothing spiritual about being poor.  But do seek generosity.

Do not chose to be a slave to money which is what any of us do when we consistently spend more than we make.  I found it interesting to read that credit card companies will let me borrow 250% more than I can possibly pay back.  And why not?  It is to their interest to place me under the bondage of interest.

Save but don’t hoard.  And while managing my money I constantly remind myself that it is really God’s money.

Don’t go to the financial page first thing in the morning.  Miss a day or two, both me and my small investments will survive. I make a point of not being obsessed with checking and over checking.

Don’t marry my job.  I have one wife and if I am so consumed with having there is little time left to give her any of it, then I am to with having.  If even on vacation I have to call back to the office or am pursuing another get rich quick scheme then I am in serious trouble.  (I’m semi retired now but this was a good reminder when I wasn’t)

There is a prayer I pray often, “Lord, save me perpetual dissatisfaction.  It can only lead me to be my own worst enemy.”

TO VISIT T Neil’s other blog WYRICK’S WRITING (A variety of serializations; a novel, a 2^nd book Sixty Plus and not Holding (How to get by in life with a host of plusses no matter what your age) on Sunday and Tuesday and Thursday varying subjects) (3 times a week added to)

Some recent topic titles are:ONE LOG ON A FIRE, TWO JOLLY GREEN GIANTS; LOVE AND FORGIVENESS, WISDOM IS

 

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING URL

 

http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com

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

To view his One Man Dramas on film (see by millions, live and on film and on video)(Martin Luther, Ben Franklin, Charles Wesley, Abraham Lincoln)

 

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING

 

http://www.speakerneil.com/

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IS ENVY AN OLD FRIEND OR A BEATEN ENEMY

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There are over 600 stories and commentaries on this blog. It is added to daily.

“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” (Proverbs 14:30)

We have all learned the best unlearned art of envy and painted some pretty terrible pictures under its direction and thats for sure.

And when we have done so we have been the fool trying to wear a crown when it was actually a dunce cap.

There was a farm not far from where I had one of my first pastorates and on this farm they had a donkey; and one day it got me to thinking about the donkey that carried Jesus into Jerusalem and whether or not he may have been envious about all the crowd praising Jesus.  “After all,” he may have thought, “I am the one carrying him.  I certainly deserve some praise.”

And I looked down at the Bible on the corner of my desk and I thought of all the examples of envy just beneath its cover.  Cain and Abel and envy causing a murder.  With Christ and the Chief Priest and envy causing a crucifixion.

And in the midst of the sadness my thinking caused I began to give thanks for two solutions for solving the sickness of envy.

Keep your mouth shut Neil.  I learned that the hard way and I am still learning but it is true.  Don’t put other people down as a way of lifting myself up.

And, yes, get to know the person I may have some envy toward, better. 

Train myself to admire a trait or talent they have that I don’t rather make myself ill because I don’t have them.

Envy really isn’t one of my problems and it may well not be one of yours…but envy is a hoverer…hovering and hovering and hovering just waiting for its chance.

And I looked at the corner of the table and put my hand on the Bible and held it there for it also taught to me love my neighbor as myself, which after all is a pretty good antidote for envy…now isn’t it.

TO VISIT T Neil’s other blog WYRICK’S WRITING (A variety of serializations; a novel, a 2^nd book Sixty Plus and not Holding (How to get by in life with a host of plusses no matter what your age) on Sunday and Tuesday and Thursday varying subjects) (3 times a week added to)

Some recent topic titles are:ONE LOG ON A FIRE, TWO JOLLY GREEN GIANTS; LOVE AND FORGIVENESS, WISDOM IS

 

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING URL

 

http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com

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

To view his One Man Dramas on film (see by millions, live and on film and on video)(Martin Luther, Ben Franklin, Charles Wesley, Abraham Lincoln)

 

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING

 

http://www.speakerneil.com/

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BE UNCOMPROMISINGLY KIND. UNREMITTIONGLY LOVING

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There are over 600 stories and commentaries on this blog. It is added to daily.

Do something very special for yourself, for your community, for your church, for whomever in the human race that is watching you.  Be uncompromisingly kind.  Unremittingly loving. 

When you feel an attack of pettiness coming on run from it as fast you can. 

You don’t like someone?  You don’t like what they do or say?  Have you ever stopped to think that your negative response makes a two-way street that is no fun for either of you to travel. 

 It is easy to fuss and fume because others do not follow your particular set of rules for proper behavior, but it is counterproductive.  It messes up a morning and sometimes a day or an entire relationship.  Meanwhile you may not be following the set of rules for proper behavior that the others set have for you. 

 

In short, cool it.  Repeat the 13^th chapter of First Corinthians over and over and over and over again until it is coming out your ears.  No, better still, until it is making you act like the Christian you say you are.

TO VISIT T Neil’s other blog WYRICK’S WRITING (A variety of serializations; a novel, a 2^nd book Sixty Plus and not Holding (How to get by in life with a host of plusses no matter what your age) on Sunday and Tuesday and Thursday varying subjects) (3 times a week added to)

Some recent topic titles are:ONE LOG ON A FIRE, TWO JOLLY GREEN GIANTS; LOVE AND FORGIVENESS, WISDOM IS

 

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING URL

 

http://wyrickswritings.blogspot.com

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

To view his One Man Dramas on film (see by millions, live and on film and on video)(Martin Luther, Ben Franklin, Charles Wesley, Abraham Lincoln)

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING

 

http://www.speakerneil.com/

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