EVERYBODY FOLLOWS SOMETHING

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Remember Karl Marx, Trotsky, Lenin, Stalin.  The state replaced God and a new theology was formed and promoted.

Marx fashioned his ideology first as a Jew and finally as an atheist.  From the Hebrew prophets he reached out and applied their belief that a violent social change was inevitable.  This led to the conclusion that it was perfectly all right to kill off a few thousand in the name of improvement. 

From atheism he extracted the belief that there is no hereafter and therefore was perfectly comfortable in disrupting the here now of 800 million people.  He fed the people a famine while trying to convince them it would be a feast.  

All the Russians who followed this quartet into the dreadful abyss of communism weren’t uneducated peasants.  But they were desperate to find a better life.

            After World War 1, Germany, war- ravaged and its people destitute, was looking for a leader and willing to accept anyone if the promises were big enough.  And in a dingy jail cell, Adolph Hitler dreamed of being that savior.  As he waited for his time in the political arena, he wrote his autobiography and manifesto, Mien Kampf (My Struggle),  which became the creed for National Socialism.

            Its theme was absurd, but perfectly acceptable to a nation gone blind in one eye and not able to see out of the other one.  Poverty can do that.  I paraphrase it as follows, I believe in a god who has sent us Adolph Hitler to save us from becoming parasites and do-nothings.  I believe in a god who has sent us Adolph Hitler to bring back to us beauty and truth.  I believe in Adolph Hitler because I no longer believe in myself.

These were stupid ideas but people, because of greed or arrogance or anger or desperation, buy into stupid ideas all the time.  History shows it happening again and again and again.   All the Germans who followed Hitler weren’t ardent followers of these thoughts but rather of his life improving promises dangled in front of them.

Therefore, in not too long a time, most all of Germany was shouting the nonsense of their God-given supremacy:  goose stepping through not only their own country but many other lands.  Persecuting Jews and anyone else who got in their way, and supping at the table of power and conquest.

It is not that most had not looked at the consequences of their actions.  It is rather that they had been become emotionally involved in a dream without being able to envision a nightmare..  The law of common sense, broken over and over again, had produced what only such brokenness was bound to produce.

You may scoff at the idea that YOU could possibly follow some cockamamie ideology down a rosy path toward a better future.  Don’t be too sure about that.

It happens to nations and people within a nation all the time.  Ruled by emotions;  unwilling to listen to two sides of an argument; drifting with the tide, until  one day, even in a democracy, too many have voted without thinking and reaped a whirlwind.

Am I pushing a political agenda with these thoughts?  No!  But I am asking for more thought, more study and more honest disagreement on the way to truth.

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SOME QUOTES FROM Rev. Wyrick’s 9^TH BOOK “THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN”

            Do you know that five hundred and fifty-five feet above the ground, there sits on top of the Washington Monument an aluminum cap upon which is etched the phrase Laus Deo? 

What difference does it make?

From this lofty height overlooking sixty-nine square miles of the District of Columbia, it sends out the message Praise be to God. 

Would you prefer to change the writings on the 12^th landing of its 898 monument steps, a prayer offered by the City of Baltimore? 

What of the memorial on the 20^th step presented by Chinese Christians?  No one argued against having Proverbs 10:7, Luke 18:16 and Proverbs 22:6 being engraved on the 24^th.  School children from New York and Philadelphia had suggested this and it was accepted as a splendid idea.  

Is there any significance that when the cornerstone was laid in 1848 a Holy Bible was put there by the Bible Society? 

There could, of course, have been a book on atheism or no religious book at all, but not if the leaders at that time had not truly believed that this was a “nation under God.”

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BREATHLESS CAN BE BEAUTIFUL

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There are, in each year, after all 12 months, 52 weeks or 365 days or 52 weeks or 525,600 minutes or 31,536, 000 seconds and these days we have a good chance of having close to 80 of them.  Pedople are living longer.  (Actually I’m ahead of the game with a birthday coming up in September that will list me at 82)

Living a better life is possible and following some of the following rules may be a good place to begin.

Be thankful for friends and family and let them know it.  They are after all a lifeline for emotional sanity as you are to them.  Be your best.  All of you need it.

Fall in love with beauty and stay that way.  Beautiful thoughts, beautiful deeds; an appreciation of beauty in all its form.  Ugly thoughts and ugly deeds do indeed make for an ugly life.

Labor well and without procrastination or laziness.  You do not want to be bored or boring and you certainly don’t want to waste your life.

Seek knowledge.  Foolishness comes easily to all of us and ignorance assures we will have more of it.

Be content with small victories.  Get over your love affair with bigness.  If you achieve something big…congratulations…but just remember a thousand small and decent deeds end up making big improvements in this old world.

Never quit.  Never quit.  Never quit.  Persistence is your friend.  Quitting never is.

Trust people.  It is hard these days but do it anyway until they give you a reason not to.

Give to others the gift of listening.  We all are capable of talking too much and listening too little.

Just remember that…“Life is not measured by the number of breathes we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.."
- ANONYMOUS

 

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BEING A GOOD PARENT

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Being a parent takes the patience of Job, the wisdom of Solomon and enough common sense to help us make sense more often than nonsense.

            I am now 82 and all the years of parenting through grand parenting experience plus years of counseling have taught a bit.

            Children must be taught.  They don’t pick up good habits or good manners by osmosis and certainly not from their peers.   Ask some adults today who have to attend seminars to learn what they weren’t taught as children.

            So…!. 

1.   At an early age teach your children to cover their mouths when coughing.

2. Tantrums should not be allowed.  Easier said than done, I know, but if you don’t nip such behavior in the bud it will only become a bouquet of stinkweeds.
3. Explain that you are willing to listen to words, but screams only bring banishment from polite society until they are over.  Think your little ones are too young to handle such talk?  It’s amazing how soon younguns begin to understand.  Be sure you don’t match their actions with your own tantrums

4. Table manners are just as important at home as they are at a restaurant.  In fact, don’t expect them anywhere if you haven’t enforced them at home.  Don’t be afraid to send your child away from the table.  A few missed meals won’t be disastrous to his/her health and will usually get your point across.

5. One of the fascinating gadgets that kids can’t wait to use is the telephone.  However, it’s not a toy and how to use it should be learned before handling is allowed.  Does “Good Morning, this is the Jones residence” , “Julie speaking” sound artificial to you?  But it’s so much better than “Hello (often spoken too loudly” or “Yeah.”  It also reflects on their upbringing…YOU.

6. Loud and unruly behavior in stores, movies, etc.are verboten!  Ever heard a parent say (when the child can hear) “I never discipline her/him in public.”  This is like “Open Sesame” to any kid.  You don’t have to spank or create a scene – taking the misbehaving  child quickly out of the movies…or no more shopping for the day…sends a very strong message.  A few times of sticking to your guns and not giving in will work wonders.

7. Please.  Thank you.  Ah, sweet music to everyone’s ears.  Once again when taught young it’s easier.  You have to be consistently persistent or it’s in one ear and out the other. 

Of course, these aren’t the only problem areas children have. It isn’t easy learning how to grow up to be responsible adults.  And yes, the best training tool is “Monkey see, monkey do.”

SOME QUOTES FROM Rev. Wyrick’s 9^TH BOOK “THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN”

Preface

‘This book is more than just a march down memory lane.  It is certainly not a search-and-destroy mission as are some historical efforts.  It is really a questing for an understanding of the man able to write, “He has the right to criticize who has the heart to

help.”    “Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?”  “It is the duty of all nations as well as of men to owe their dependence upon the over ruling power of God.”¹   “With malice toward none; with charity toward all…”

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JULY!  HOW WELL DO WE KNOW YOU?

      
        “Many public-school children seem to know only two dates: 1492 and the 4^th of July, and as a rule they don’t know what happened on either occasion,” wrote Mark Twain those many years ago. 

       Come to think of it, many things have happened in the heated month of July, many things that folks don’t know about.  

I, therefore, dedicate this column to educating both the writer and the reader on some of the fascinating happenings in the ongoing calendar cadence.   

       In July 1776, we went from wanting a place in the English Parliament, one year earlier, to a goal of complete Independence. 

On the 4^th of this monumental month, John Hancock signed the new Declaration of Independence (actually the only one to sign it on this date, some waited until September). 

 When all 56 finally signed the document, events went from bad to worse.  Of the signers, five were captured by the British as traitors.  Twelve had their homes burned to the ground.  Nine lost their lives in the subsequent battles.  One returned home to find his wife had died and his 13 children missing. 

These were courageous men, and they paid dearly for their courage and their dedication to the liberty we enjoy.

       Over the centuries, other giant political moves have occurred.   Hong Kong reverted back to Chinese rule on July 1, 1997.  

On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the historic Civil Rights Law.  In this same month, in 1984, the opportunity for a woman to be no more than a heart beat away from the Presidency took place.  Walter Mondale, the Democratic Presidential candidate chose Representative Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate. 

 On July 14, 1789, the French Revolution began as the Bastille was dismantled and destroyed.

       July was also the month the Atomic bomb was tested in 1945, thus bringing to an end a war that had seemed otherwise destined to go on forever.  This month in the 20^th century was filled with one scientific surprise after the other. We walked on the moon.  We flew the first commercial jet airliner. 

       The year 1955 was kinder to the senses, for this was the month and the year that Disneyland began to offer Americans a unique way of journeying into fantasy. 

 In July 1936, Margaret Mitchell sold the rights to her novel Gone with the Wind, and the entertainment world scored yet another victory for exceptional entertainment. 

       Too, this was the month for the birthing of many of our presidents, as well as for the ending of their presidency by tragedy.  July 2, 1881, President James A. Garfield, after only four months in office was shot.  He died 80 days later.  On July 4, 1826, two former presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, died on this same day.  In 1946, our former President George Walker Bush was born.

       Civil War, Cold War, Crime, Old West, New Age, Wall Street, and World Wars…. Like every month, History marches on and leaves behind all the events that so impact our individual lives.

        Indeed, I am making history and so are you.  Most likely, our history is not recorded but still it is impacting by what I like to call THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DESTINY OF LITTLE THINGS. 

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PRODS TO THE EQUIVALENT OF NOWHERE

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Do you want to know what one of the big problems in America today is?  Check out each year’s commencement addresses. 

 They used to be about courage and persistence and honor and selflessness. 

 The spirit of the words that President Kennedy quoted in his Inaugural Address, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

By way of example, the American University class of 2002 heard actress Goldie Hawn tell her audience that it was time for them to attend the “college of you.”

Several years ago, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Anna Quindlen told graduates of Mt. Holyoke to “set aside” the expectations, demands and requirements imposed by others. 

Instead, she urged her audience to do what they thought was best for them. 

In other words to set up a banquet table for me, myself and I.  No wonder the world is going to the dogs - too many people today really are barking up the wrong tree.

“Find yourself” is the overwhelming theme.  And having found yourself, put yourself ahead of everyone else.

But all is not lost.  There are pockets of selflessness rather than selfishness alive and well.  I remember hearing on the news several years ago of a problem in Minnesota.  A delightful problem called Minnesota Nice.  It seems that authorities have had trouble distributing flue vaccine.  Everyone has been saying, “No, I want to be sure those who really need it are getting it.”

.  When I graduated from college, the speakers spoke on altruism, otherness - God     first, then family and country and me last. 

     In writing about Abraham Lincoln, Carl Sandberg said, “He lived in a divided house but he never had any doubt as to what he must do.  He knew who he was.”

            Can a selfish person become less so.  Can a desire to do good for no more reward than satisfaction be accomplished in a life unaccustomed to such actions?  The answer is yes!

            How? 

By working at reducing the ego.  By forcing ourselves to let other people make compliments about us rather than constantly complimenting ourselves in our own conversations. 

If the habit is out of control…start making notes of how often you brag about what you have done or important people you know.  It may promote a little bit of disgust with such actions and began to limit them.

            Don’t speak badly about other people so that by standing on their flattened reputations you feel taller.  Funny thing is (though not funny at all)…quite often when we constantly find a certain fault in others it is the same fault we cannot see in ourselves.

            Avoid false modesty.  How often do say “I’m really hopeless” because you want people to respond in return “Oh, no you’re not.  You’re really quite good at whatever you do.”

            One thing is for sure; each day we become more selfish or more selfless.  No one stays the same.

^{THE CARE AND CONTROL OF ANGRY ARGUMENTS STARTS TODAY} 

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

 

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INFLUENCE

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His name was Wray and the name and will and way of Christ was written strong upon his daily actions.

And so one day when he was accepted as a foreign missionary his heart was filled with joy.

However, good man that he was his intellect could not match this goodness.  Try as he might he never really mastered the language of the people he daily ministered to.  He would talk and try to explain the scriptures but his knowledge of the language and ability to apply it escaped him. 

The people loved him but they could not understand him.

But though they could not understand his talk they could understand his walk.

One day, according to their custom, they were seated on the ground around a visiting missionary and a question was asked, “What is it to be a Christian?”

Not one of them could answer, but finally one of them pointed to where the young missionary Wray was seated and replied, “It is to live as Mr. Wray lives!”  They could not read the Gospel according to Matthew or Mark or Luke or John, but they could read the Gospel according to Wray.

You may have no talent to teach the gospel or an inclination or desire to preach from some pulpit…but those around you have eyes and they have ears…and what they see you do as a Christian speaks louder sometimes evejn than if you had a PHD in theology. 

We exert a tremendous influence on the lives of people we hardly even now. 

When we go shopping, fill our gas tank, have our hair cut, etc. we probably are at least civil most of the time and hopefully downright friendly. 

But what about people met for the first time and last time all at once. 

Are we gruff?  Smiling? Curt?  Happy? Taciturn?

 In such a little time we can make a complete stranger absolutely miserable or at the very least briefly happy. 

Perhaps you say to everyone you meet and greet, “Have a good day!”If not in those exact words at least in the way you act. But if you don’t would it really be that difficult?

           

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A SOUNDLESS HISTORY

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Try to think of history without sound.  Try to imagine great battles surrounded by complete silence.  Try to imagine diplomats from two opposing countries debating in silence. Suppose there had never been Roosevelt’s quiet fireside chats,

Hitler’s wild chattering,

Nero playing his fiddle,

Lincoln and his Gettysburg address,

The leadership voice of Washington at Valley Forge.

No shouts at Bunker Hill

Voices of hope echoing off the bow of the Mayflower.

History is recording sound at this very moment and slightly before and soon thereafter. What you have been saying on this day and will be saying and your words traveling through timeless space never to be quieted.

Can we play for a moment the WHAT IF game? 

What if someone had looked at the art of Adolph Hiller and praised him for having great talent and he had become a great artist instead of a dictator whose canvases became living pictures of battlefields and death.

What if Nero had not played a concert never to be forgotten and instead had governed with wisdom and the only flame Rome had seen were small candles around a family dinner table.

What if Lincoln had not had to make a Gettysburg address because the leaders in both North ad South had listened to each other and not felt obliged to settle their differences on fields of war.

What if George Washington had walked away from Valley Forge, leading his men to defeat and surrender and all the statements he made were never made and  therefore his voice was never heard as President of a new nation. 

Sounds!  And what sounds have you filled the world with in the last hour or day or week?  What words?  What thoughts decent and uplifting?  What thoughts indeed?

A reader wrote in and asked “Please Write on Love”

I AM LOVE

I am love.

I challenge you to do something better

than walking down lovers lane holding your own hand.

I call out for you to reprogram the

answering machine of your heart

so that it is not guilty of drive by mouthings.

Live so you do not cause the angels to weep

or in a manner that could turn an Eden into hell.

Avoid keeping unerasable mental and emotional records

Of every real and imagined wrong.

Consider hate for the obscenity it truly is.

Just remember, I am more easily practiced

if you work toward increased compatibility

with your God.

       

 

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

 

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DO YOU HAVE A SUBJECT YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE NEIL WRITE ON; EXAMPLES: COURAGE, LOVE, DETERMINATION, ETC.  JUST TO THE BOTTOM AND CLICK ON COMMENT AND SEND US YOUR IDEA.

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