Thursday, January 29, 2009
TWO POUNDS OF ENTHUSIASM
Anonymous. I'd like to meet that person sometime. Anonymous has come up with some of the funniest and pithiest expressions I have ever heard. And he (or is it she?) can also be so deeply profound at times. Like these words from Anonymous about what enthusiasm can do for us:"In difference never wrote great works, nor thought out striking inventions, nor reared the solemn architecture that awes the soul, nor breathed sublime music, nor painted glorious pictures, nor undertook heroic philanthropies. All these grandeurs are born of enthusiasm, and are done heartily."I'm reminded of that great 18th century founder of Methodism, John Wesley. When asked how he drew such large crowds of people to hear him preach, he responded, "I set myself on fire and they come out and watch me burn!" People are drawn to enthusiasm.Where there is no enthusiasm, there is no passion. Where there is no passion, there is no great living. Are we meant simply to be satisfied with mediocre lives? From antiquity to the present, indifference has stolen from too many peoplethe chance to do something important with their lives. Their indifference inspires little energy to pursue something truly worth while. One woman went to the market and asked for two pounds of sausage. The clerk yelled at the butcher, "Two pounds of enthusiasm!""Why do you call it that?" the bewildered customer asked."Because he puts everything he's got into it," the clerk said. In your daily activities; in your relationships with family, friends and colleagues; in anything you think is important -- what would happen if you "put everything you've got" into it?Are you ready to find out?-- Steve Goodier
Monday, January 26, 2009
This Weeks Prayer
This week ask the Lord to make you mindful of those around you and show you where you can be a blessing to them. Ask Him to remind you of someone who needs a loving touch through a note card, telephone call or visit. Continue to pray for our nation as it transitions to a new administration. Pray for the protection of President Obama. Ask God to give him the wisdom and courage to make godly decisions for the nation, especially regarding the sanctity of life and family values. Remember Israel, the situation in the Middle East and our troops. Psalm 91
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
I Always Wanted To
An old prospector wandered into a small town where he was accosted by a loud, obnoxious and quite drunken cowboy. The cowboy pointed his six-shooters in the old miner's direction and asked, "Old man, do you know how to dance?""Nope," the prospector replied."Maybe you'd better learn," said the cowpuncher. Hot lead kicked up dust around the old man's feet and he began to dance. Soon, however, the guns were empty. Now the old prospector reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a sawed-off shotgun."Son," he said, "you ever kissed a mule?"Looking first at the shotgun, then at the spot where the mule's tail is attached to its body, the young cowboy got the message. "Nope," he answered, "I never kissed a mule. But I always wanted to!"Desire is another word for wanting to do something. And in real life,desire is not something that can be given by anyone else. If there is something you want to do, it is probably not because somebody is holding a gun to your head. You just want to do it. Your desire comes from the inside. If you decide you want to improve, if you want a meaningful relationship or more fulfilling work, if you want a rich spiritual life or a healthier body, then the desire must come from your own heart. Nobody can make you want those things. They can support you and even inspire you, but only you can make it happen.There may be a hundred reasons we think we can't be the people we want to be. But there is really only one. We don't want it badly enough. It was George Washington Carver, an African American who probably did have a hundred reasons not to change his circumstances, who a century ago said, "Most people search high and wide for the keys to success.If they only knew, the key to their dreams lies within."And that key is labeled "desire." Steve Gooder
This Weeks Prayer
This week ask the Lord to draw you into a deeper relationship with Him. Turn your focus on Him and not on your current situation. Thank Him that He is teaching you His way for doing things and causing you to have more of Him in your life. Continue to pray for the transition in our government and the protection of President Bush and President-Elect Obama. Pray for Israel and the Middle East as you pray for God's kingdom to expand around the world. Prov. 13:12
Monday, January 12, 2009
Finding Your Note
A short story by William Saroyan is titled "The Man Whose Wife's HairWas Too Long But Whose Understanding of Music Was Too Short." If you think the title strange, listen to this:In the story, a husband plays the cello and never changes notes. He just continues to repeat the same note without variation. His wife is driven to distraction and finally protests: "Why do you play the same note over and over and over again? Other cellists play different notes.""Other cellists play different notes," her husband replies, "because they are trying to find the right one. I've found mine."Ahhh, the beauty of finding your note! I think I could like him.Finding your note is something like finding your purpose in life or landing where you need to be.Philosopher James Allen advised, "Above all be of single aim; have alegitimate and useful purpose, and devote yourself unreservedly to it." He could have said, "Find your note and stay with it."I believe that is an important part of being happy. Like Helen Keller says, true happiness is attained "through fidelity to a worthy purpose."In music, staking your claim on one note will drive everyone around you nuts. But finding the right note in life, and giving yourself to it, can be a source of unending joy.-- Steve Goodier
Monday, January 5, 2009
This Weeks Prayer
This week, repent of past sins and failures and press on to what God has for you in 2009. Ask Him to reveal His goals for you this coming year and direct you toward them. Resolve to follow His directives and step into the year with anticipation. Continue to pray for those in positions of governmental authority, our military and their families, Israel, the Middle East and nations of the world, especially during this time of war. Phil. 3:13-14; James 5:16
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)