Thursday, January 31, 2013

LOVE

These thoughts are added to each Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday)
(Scroll down to read previous thoughts)
(Use in your personal or church newsletters)

Love? If I love you and you love me as much as we should, it isn’t that we will never have to say, “I’m sorry.” It is rather that each of us will accept the two word apology with a three word reply, “I forgive you,” said either by word or deed or both.

Love? It is a roof over our head that never leaks no matter how hard the rains of sorrow fall.
Love? It is more than a truce. It is a heavenly transaction with the signatures signed at the cross.

Love? It is humanity with a halo. It is flawed man with his psyche rubbed raw from giving the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians his all.

Love? When it happens, it is the miracle your Lord and mine promises it to be.

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Sunday, January 27, 2013

HANDS


 

Starting on my other blog ONE A DAY, YOUR SPIRITUAL VITAMINS on Nov 1...a 3 day series on HOW TO LESSEN ANXIETY.

Click on link below to go to One A Day blog

 


 

A different sermon is begun on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. 

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       The sermons found on this blog are selected sermons preached by Rev. Wyrick during a ministry of over 50 years.  This syndicated columnist/minister thanks you for visiting.

       To Visit neil's other blog One A Day Your Spiritual Vitamins click on the following  


++++++ (Continuation of Hands)

       As legend tells it, many years ago in a certain church, on a very particular day, all the people were asked to bring great gifts to lay upon the altar.  All had been told that the greatest gift would cause a miracle. That at that moment a heavenly choir would burst forth with song.  And so they came, bringing boxes of gold, silver, jewels, and spices.  All kind of wealth.  A long line of hope and yet nothing happened.  Silence.  Unrelenting silence.

       Then, slowly there came walking down the aisle a peasant girl.  Her tattered clothes hung loose.  Her pale fingers almost luminescent as she moved toward the towering piles of magnificent offerings.  Kneeling, she reached forward and put down…. her hands. . . and left them there.  For a long time she moved them not, offering them to God.

        They were all she had, and she gave them.  Then softly, at first no louder than a whisper, came the sound of a celestial chorus, building to a crescendo.  The very walls reverberated with angel voices of acclamation.  For yes, her gift was the greatest, the most wondrous; the gift of self.

       Someone once wrote, “God takes a hand wherever He can find it.  Here, the hand of a mother to guide her child; there, the hand of a neighbor to be a friend.  The hands of those who believe.” 

           Why such emphasis on service?  Because service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

VANITY, A CANCER TO THE SOUL


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       Ecclesiastes 2:11 (King James)

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do:  and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

 

       If ever there was a time when vanity is a sin now is that season.  The manger moment is such an outstanding example of humility. Not that vanity is something new to the 21st century.  Way back in the ancient Garden of Eden where the first woman, Eve, was tempted, Vanity only whispered in her ear.  It didn’t have to shout to get her attention, nor even speak up to be heard – we human beings are like that.  Being King on the Hill or Queen of the Realm sits all too easily in the our psyches.  So Eve, easily tempted, reached up, helped herself to the forbidden fruit and relished the idea of being as wise as God.   

       Almost 2,000 years ago in Cesarea Philipi, the 12 Disciples who sat at the feet of the Master lived under the same bondage. Me better – me best.  After all, they had given up so much to follow Him - wealth, position, time, community and family ties.         They had really given up so much by earthly standards.  And so now vanity made them pompous in their sacrifices. 

       Thinking that at the very least they deserved some reward, they asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  And then they waited.  Each one hopeful that Jesus would give him the praise and recognition he felt he truly deserved.  They all had delusions of grandeur.  It is still an overwhelming fault of most of humanity.

       I can see the disciples now:  Peter fidgeting and hanging on to every word out of the mouth of the Lord - being sure that any minute Jesus would exclaim, “Peter, you know what I like about you?  It is your fire and enthusiasm.  You stand head and shoulder above all the others.”  Well, maybe not say it so blatantly but certainly implying it.  And Peter thinking, How could He do otherwise?

       Matthew?  He was no less in need of assurance.  Come on, Jesus, he possibly considered, Make sure all these other disciples know how lucky they are to have me as one of them.  What would they do without my logical thinking that so clearly makes me superior to other muddled minds?   I’m so thankful I’m not as dumb as most people.

       Nor was the disciple Thomas any different.  Looking around the room, it is quite likely he reflected, You clods never ask any penetrating questions, as do I.  What’s wrong with you?  Were you born without any curiosity at all?  Don’t you have any blanks you’d like to have filled in?  Oh, ye of too much faith.

       Oh, I have no doubt that each of the 12 suffered from various stages and degrees of vanity.  I have no doubt at all.  And neither did Jesus.  His faithful followers who were willing to be fishers of men had just shown they were also fishers for compliments.   “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And then each one salivating in hopes it would be he.

       Jesus?  Perhaps He sighed a little before He made His point in His own inimitable way.  Hit at the core of the thing, as only He could do.  A little child was standing nearby and the Lord simply called him over.  Called over this comely, dark-eyed youngster still with a heart pure and clear, not yet old enough to be permanently scarred by petty jealousies, hurts and imagined wrongs.  And cradling this little one in His arms, He looked at His disciples and said, “Verily I say unto you, except you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of God.  Therefore, whosoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” 

       In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says in so many words, “If you work only for your reward on earth, don’t look for it the second time around in heaven.”  

       Too much vanity makes fools of men.  It puts a chip on their shoulders, holes in their heads, and becomes a thorn in their sides.  They want praise, and will not accept criticism.  There are those so vain in their faith that even when they pray, they probably remind God of their credentials. “Just remember, Lord, I’ve done Thy will, read Thy book, been a Christian not to be easily overlooked.  Indeed, if You will take the time to look closely You’ll find that my name must be written in gold on Your pages of heaven.”

“No,” you say.  “No one would actually pray like that.”  Probably not, but many when they pray have that kind of attitude, and the tragedy is that sometimes they don’t even know it.

       And we in church leadership have to be especially careful not to become flagrant fools, for the church is full of titles and degrees; preachers with their BD’s, PhD’s, ThD’S and DD’s; Bishops, laymen elected Elders, Chairman's of the Board, Clerks of the Session, Moderators of Presbytery, Deacons, the list goes on and one and on.  What again was it Jesus said? “If you work only for your reward on earth, don’t look for it the second time around in heaven.” 

       I tell you this.  The devil makes Vanity for everyone but he keeps the largest doses for the hardest workers.  In church he takes those who give the most time, share the best talent, sacrifice the greatest dollar, and he tries to make them vain.  He constantly reminds them of what they have done.  He builds vanity on the foundation of their accomplishments, whispering in their ear, “You are the greatest in this church.  This church could not survive without you.”

       You know, and of course this is pure supposition, there are going to be a lot of people in the church, all churches of all denominations, who on that appointed day when they walk through the pearly gates are going to be terribly disappointed.  They will have spent years in the church working – not for God – but for praise.  And at that golden moment Gabriel isn’t going to step forward to blow his horn in a special salute.  No one of official heavenly status, even perhaps from the lower ranks, is going to enthusiastically shake their hands, or offer them a key to special places in the heavenly city. 

       They will have done a host of good deeds, performed a multitude of kindly acts, given energy and sacrifice in copious amounts….all for the praise of men and women.  And since that is what they only worked for, they got it and kept it and embraced it and were burdened by it, and therefore swept the gates free of any welcoming committee because time and time again they asked, “Who is the greatest…”

       All of us like praise.  There is nothing wrong in the liking of it – but there is everything wrong if we cannot be satisfied or happy without it.  To demand praise, to quit if we don’t get it, to give up on a task if we feel unappreciated, is to one day find out that “pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
(to be continued next Thursday)

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·         Spring (May 2012)

·         Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow (April 2012)

·         Wayward and Windy (April 2012)

 

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        "Positive, powerful utterances...skillfully enhancing our understaning and appreciation of Lincoln...(Lt. Colonel C.A.Olsen (Ret.) Asbury College (Professor Ret.)

        "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)

        "THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN is an extremely well written book...it is both scholarly and very readable.  I came away impressed at Mr. Wyrick's portrayal of that President with an altered and enlarged vision of the man. (William Hoffman, Award winning fiction writer, author of Blood and Guile, and Wild Thorn.)                                             

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BELOW...ON... ONE A DAY, YOUR SPIRITUAL VITAMINS BLOG....PAST POSTINGS

WHICH IS BETTER TO BE?  A WINDOW OR A DOOR” ” “BE A RAINBOW SEARCHER AND FINDER” “IS YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION?

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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

THE WHY AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT SUFFERING (Continuation)


Starting on my other blog ONE A DAY, YOUR SPIRITUAL VITAMINS on Nov 1...a 3 day series on HOW TO LESSEN ANXIETY.

                    click on the link below


 

A different sermon is begun on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. 

If you want to share this blog with a friend go to the bottom of these comments and click on TELL A FRIEND

       The sermons found on this blog are selected sermons preached by Rev. Wyrick during a ministry of over 50 years.  This syndicated columnist/minister thanks you for visiting.

TO GO TO NEIL’S OTHER BLOG ONE A DAY, YOUR SPIRITUAL VITAMINS and read inspiring stories and comments to set you thinking. CLICK ON URL BELOW


          +++++++++++++++++
 

       Hebrews 10:31  “fall into the hands of the living God.” (check new translation)

(A CONTINUATION FROM LAST TUESDAY)

       I called someone, to give some solace in her time of sickness.  She ended up uplifting me.  She was quite sick and what lay ahead would not be easy and yet she said to me, “I have learned more of God in my sickness than I ever did in my wellness.

 
His name was Cardinal Mercier and shells had destroyed his cathedral and all his precious library had gone up in smoke.  He stood amidst the ruins and said to someone standing by his side, “Suffering accepted and vanquished...will give you a serenity which may well prove the most exquisite fruit of your life.

 
Accept some of the rules of life even if you do not understand.  Stand before the throne of grace and simply say, “Thy will be done” and mean it and “the peace that passeth understanding” comes.  I do not completely understand how or why, but it comes.
 

In 1982 when my left arm hung limp and useless from my shoulder, paralyzed and futile, I was not a happy camper.  Indeed I could have worn myself weary by berating my foolishness in taking up hang gliding.  Instead I prayed, “Lord, make my arm well, or let me learn a lesson from this accident.  But most of all, thy will be done.  He chose to heal my arm.  But even more he did wonderful things for my psyche.
 

“I walked a mile with Pleasure,

She chattered all the way,

But left me none the wiser

For all she had to say.

 

I walked a mile with Sorrow,

And ne’re a word said she;

But, oh, the things I learned from her

When Sorrow walked with me!”

 

We all know pain.  Piercing, dull, steady.  We all know pain.
 

We all face losses, Death, broken relationships, shattered health, ...the list is endless. We grieve for what has happened and some grieve in advance.
 

And trying to make sense of it is one of the most difficult task any of us undertake. 
 

There are solutions, such as our ability to accept permanent change.  Not what we want, but what is.  Not that life will be worse, it may even be better...but that it will be different.  On the whole, we human beings don’t like change, so this is easier said than done.
 

There are solutions, such as whether we say “Woe is me,” or “What can I do to make this terrible time better?” 

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Recent articles Rev. Wyrick has written for this web site are:  


·         Here Comes Summer (July 2012)

·         Spring (May 2012)

·         Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow (April 2012)

·         Wayward and Windy (April 2012)

       GO TO AMAZON.COM TO PURCHASE Neil's best selling book"THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN" that is still receiving rave reviews 8 years after it's publication.

       "Positive, powerful utterances...skillfully enhancing our understaning and appreciation of Lincoln...(Lt. Colonel C.A.Olsen (Ret.) Asbury College (Professor Ret.)

       "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)

       "THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN is an extremely well written book...it is both scholarly and very readable.  I came away impressed at Mr. Wyrick's portrayal of that President with an altered and enlarged vision of the man. (William Hoffman, Award winning fiction writer, author of Blood and Guile, and Wild Thorn.)  

                          

GO TO SPEAKER.NEIL TO SEE NEIL'S ONE MAN AWARD WINNING DRAMATIZATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN

                  &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

       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

       CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING


       V. Neil Wyrick’s ninth book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN and is available at

MAGNUS PRESS

       AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM’S Kindle


       25% off all books, buy 4 get 1 free and free shipping

       Phone Orders:  800-463-7818

Sunday, January 20, 2013

HANDS


 

Starting on my other blog ONE A DAY, YOUR SPIRITUAL VITAMINS on Nov 1...a 3 day series on HOW TO LESSEN ANXIETY.

Click on link below to go to One A Day blog

 


 

A different sermon is begun on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. 

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

       The sermons found on this blog are selected sermons preached by Rev. Wyrick during a ministry of over 50 years.  This syndicated columnist/minister thanks you for visiting.

       To Visit neil's other blog One A Day Your Spiritual Vitamins click on the following  


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The lesson from this story told by Jesus is crystal clear.  Faith is not an academic exercise.  Which is why at this point I would ask of you what I call congregational participation. 

Look down at your hands.  Now raise them up.  Now ball them in a fist and we all know what fists can do.  Now put them together in prayer.  Now extend one of your hands to your neighbor in an act of fellowship.  Now hold your hands in your lap as if you reading a book.

Eight fingers and two thumbs: so describes your hands, which are really history books on review.  Look at them and let them remind you of all that they have done in your lifetime or left undone.  For yes, they have been servants of your thoughts and beliefs translated into action.

            Now, still looking, ask yourself, how many have they helped? How many have they hurt?  When, and where and why?  When you have extended them in acts of fellowship they were a blessing.  When they have been extended in acts of major or minor violence they have been a curse.

       Have they been giving hands?  Or stealing hands?  Hands that have held books of inspiration or books of filth?  Have they written notes of thanksgiving to give joy or poison pen letters to destroy?  A surgeon’s hand holds a knife to heal.  A murderer’s hand holding a knife to kill. 

Hands tell us so much about a person. Clasping and unclasping, not at ease.  Lying quietly, at peace with the world and God.  Blasting a horn, giving a finger, sometimes much too angry.

       There is a tinge of paint on the hands – an artist and the world is seen as a place of beauty.

       He washes his hands over and over and over again.  His name is Pilate and he cannot seem to ever wash them enough.  For him, the world is a place of overwhelming guilt.

       His hands are steady, persistent, patient, as he holds the sextant.  Look closely for these are the hands of Christopher Columbus.

This hand pens a large, bold signature; large enough for fat King Charles to read without his glasses on.  It is John Hancock’s hand signing the Declaration of Independence, and then passing on this great document for other hands to sign.

       During World War II, Sir Winston Churchill raised two fingers to form a V for victory.  And on the battlefields of that war, as done by countless generations before, so many hands were placed together in the sacred act of prayer.

       Hands, they are our gift from God.  We must make them a gift to God.
 
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To "tell a friend" about this blog...click on tell a friend at bottom of blog.
       ANOTHER WAY TO SHARE THESE ONE A DAYS WITH FREIENDS...CLICK ON "MORE" AT TOP LEFT OF THIS BLOG PAGE AND  FROM THERE IT SHOULD BE EASY
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CLICK ON  www.go60.us   IT WILL TAKE YOU A NEW WEBSITE FOR SENIORS....click on "Voice" on the home page and then on the list of authors click on Neil Wyrick 
       Recent articles Rev. Wyrick has written for this web site are:  REFLECTIONS
       Here Comes Summer (July 2012)
       Spring (May 2012)
       Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow (April 2012)
       Wayward and Windy (April 2012)
       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
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OTHER BOOKS BY REV. WYRICK
Poor Richard's Almanack for the 20th Century
Sixty Plus and Not Holding
Boundaries Unlimited
I Am
The ABC"s of Parenting and Grandparenting
Letters to America
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