I came across this short poem about prayer this week. I found it quite profound.
It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patcha few words together and don’t try
Mary Oliver, Thirst: Poems by Mary Oliver
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway into
thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.
To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who just missed a train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask someone who just avoided an accident.
To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal at the Olympics.
Treasure every moment that you have … and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with. Remember, time waits for no one.
Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why its called the present.
[Unknown]
Here’s an old poem by Edgar Guest that's worth reflecting on, especially for all of us who teach and preach others …
A Sermon
I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day;
I’d rather one should walk with me than merely show the way.
The eye’s a better pupil, and more willing than the ear;
Fine counsel is confusing, but example is always clear.
So I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do;
It is not enough to preach it, you must live the sermon, too.
For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give,
But there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.
The apostle Paul finished his letter to the church at Corinth, which was facing many challenges at the time, both internally and externally …
"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord's work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." 1 Corinthians. 15:58. NLT
Bill Hybels writes this in his excllent book Courageous Leadership …
"No matter how difficult the hardship, no matter how long the particular storm lasts, no matter how dark and scary it gets, no matter how the winds how and the waves crash … choose the path of courage. Be steadfast, immovable, endure. Decide in advance you are never going to quit. That’s courageous leadership!”
Mary Anne Radmacher once said, "Courage doesn't always ROAR. Sometimes courage is that quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow.' "
Aristotle said, "You will never do anything in this world without courage."
C.S. Lewis said, "Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point."
Dorothy Bernard said, "Courage is fear that has said its prayers."
Mark Twain said, "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not the absence of fear."
Victor Frankl said, "There is no need to be ashamed of tears, for tears bear witness that a person has the greatest of courage, the courage to suffer."
Napoleon said, "Courage isn't having the strength to go on, it is going on when you don't have the strength."
Winston Churchill said, "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."
"Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength." Unknown.
God said to Joshua, "Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take." Joshua 1:9. MB
Do you need to hear a call to courage today?
I do.
By 7 p.m. on October 20, 1968, at the Mexico City Olympics Stadium, it was beginning to darken. It had cooled down as well.
The last of the Olympic marathon runners were being assisted away to first-aid stations. Over an hour earlier, Mamo Waldi of Ethiopia had charged across the finish line, winning the 26-mile, 385-yard race looking as strong and as vigorous as when he'd started.
As the last few thousand spectators began preparing to leave, they heard police sirens and whistles through the gate entering the stadium.
The attention turned to that gate. A sole figure, wearing the colours of Tanzania, came limping into the stadium. His name was John Steven Aquari. He was the last man to finish the marathon in 1968. His leg was bandaged, bloody. He had taken a bad fall early in the race. Now, it was all he could do to limp his way around the track. The crowd stood and applauded as he completed that last lap.
When he finally crossed the finish line, one man dared ask the question all were wondering. "You are badly injured. Why didn't you quit? Why didn't you give up?"
Aquari, with quiet dignity said, "My country did not send me seven thousand miles to start this race. My country sent me to finish."
So it is with God. God didn't just send you to start this race. He didn't just send you to begin a noble task or a noble relationship. God sent you both to start and to finish.
Source: Craig Brian Larson, "Strong to the Finish," Preaching Today
"I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guard post. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint. Then the Lord said to me, 'Write my answer (the vision or the revelation) plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.''
~ Habakkuk 2:1-3 (NLT)
I love the story of a man who had dealings with two British prime ministers, William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli. He said of Gladstone, “Whenever I came away from a conversation with him I was left with the feeling of how brilliant he was.” He said of Disraeli, “Whenever I came away from a conversation with Disraeli I was left with the feeling of how brilliant I was.”
Disraeli probably earned the right then to quip:
"The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but to reveal to him his own.”
How can you bring out the best in other people today?
When you enter a room, don't have as your underlying script, "Here I am!" but rather "There you are!"
Born into poverty, Abraham Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life. He lost eight elections, twice failed in business and suffered a nervous breakdown.
He was known to have said:
“Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.”
Michael Jordan was one of the greatest basketball players ever to play the game, leading the Chicago Bulls to 6 NBA championships and winning 5 MVP awards.
Near the end of his career, he said this:
"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
Here is a special prayer of blessing for you today:
Romans 15:13. I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. NLT
Professor Howard G. Hendricks (1924-2013) influenced a lot of people. Here is a collection of some of his more well-known quotes:
[Source]
"There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."
Jesus – John 15:13. NLT
“We can’t all do great things but we can do small things with great love.”
Mother Teresa
"If you don't want to slip, don't go where it's slippery!"
Alcoholics Anonymous Maxim