GRUMBLE OR GRATITUDE (Continuation of Sermon)

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

        GO TO NEIL’S OTHER BLOG ONE A DAY, YOUR SPIRITUAL VITAMINS and read the following brain teasers.  CLICK ON URL BELOW There are over 900 stories and commentaries on this blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to daily.

http://oneadayyourspiritualvitamins.blogspot.com/

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation.”  Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. (Philippians 2:14-16)
       
Two words, twenty words, twenty thousand words…and for some people a tremendous percentage of their words are complaints. 

Sometimes the complaints are legitimate and yet for some people if there is nothing legitimate to complain about…they’ll make something up.

Do you know what a grumble is?  It is a blemish on your character.  It makes people talk about you and what they say is not favorable.   No one likes a complainer.  Even a complainer doesn’t like him or herself.

Let me tell you a story.  Since it is a particularly vivid example of complaining carried to the limit, let’s call it a vinegar vignette.  

It is truly full of sour and devoid of sweet, 

and there is no solution for a better life in it. 

I tell it so that if you find a part of yourself in it, you can stamp on this way of thinking and dig a hole and bury the whole miserable process.

One Tuesday morning a woman looking out her window saw her neighbor and had one of those spur of the moment thoughts. “I think I’ll make her a pie. 

I enjoy baking, and I’ve never really done anything nice for her.” So she baked one of her famous cherry pies and took it over.  The neighbor was indeed quite surprised and thanked her profusely.

Because her neighbor had liked the pie so much, the next week she decided she would bake her another pie. 

This time, as she gave her another pie, the neighbor grimaced and said, “Thank you, but you’re a day late.”

The comment startled her but she decided that her neighbor must have had a bad day, or perhaps even a bad week.

 Therefore, the next week she decided she would brighten her neighbor’s life with yet another pie.

This time, her neighbor didn’t even say thank you.  Instead she commented, “Try using a little more sugar and don’t bake it so long, the crust on that last pie was a little too brown.  And, oh yes, I’d like apple instead of cherry the next time.”

The woman thought…she really does seem to be majoring in bad moods, but I’ll still bake her another pie...just not right now…because I can’t believe how busy a week I have coming up.

The next Tuesday, as she hurried out her front door, she heard her neighbor shouting, “Where’s my pie?”

The selfish and self-centered are good at complaining. 

They bring to the art of finding fault a new kind of competence. 

And if they continue this me-first attitude, they will soon have some real reasons to complain. 

All the enemies they will have made.

Do you have a persecution complex? 

Do you feel everyone is out to get you? 

Every morning as you get out of bed do you remind yourself that someone out there is making a note to say something mean about you to someone else or when they see you, ignore you, or….well, if you do have a persecution complex, this is exactly what you do. 

But beware, the worse is yet to come.  If you complain about how people are treating you …and do it for too long a time, you will have created a self-fulfilling prophesy.  

But would you rather have a thanksgiving complex? 

Would you like to wake up every morning and believe that people really haven’t had even one single thought about hurting you or ignoring you?  

Well, try this, the results will amaze you!  Meet and greet the world in a better, brighter, nicer frame of mind.  You say, impossible! you are grumpy by nature.  That’s doubtful.  I don’t believe you were born that way – it took practice.  So practice smiling…until it no longer feels like a mask.  Then,  people really won’t talk badly about you or ignore you as much as they used to…or move to the other side of the room to avoid you and your bad moods.…because you really won’t have so many of these bad moods any more.

(to be continued) 

++++++++++++++++

GO TO ONE A DAY YOUR SPIRUTAL VITAMINS...Neil's other blog...over 900 stories and comments...

click on the URL below

                        http://oneadayyourspiritualvitamins.blogspot.com/

++++++++++++++++++++

GO TO AMAZON.COM TO BUY NEIL WYRICK'S THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN...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 FOLLOWING

http://www.speakerneil.com/

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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?

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

TO WATCH NEIL WYRICK IN HIS ONE MAN DRAMAS (Presented to millions all around the world) (Ben Franiklin, Martin Luther, Charles Wesley and Abraham Lincoln (this Lincoln film takes 11 seconds to download but is worth the wait)

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING

http://www.speakerneil.com/

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

MAGNUS PRESS

          AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM’S Kindle

            http://www.magnuspress.com/OurProducts2.html 

25% Phone Orders:  800-463-7818

TIME IS WONDERFUL! Determinted Discipline

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

        GO TO NEIL’S OTHER BLOG ONE A DAY, YOUR SPIRITUAL VITAMINS and read the following brain teasers.  CLICK ON URL BELOW There are over 900 stories and commentaries on this blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to daily.

http://oneadayyourspiritualvitamins.blogspot.com/

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A young man wanted, with all his heart, to follow in his father’s footsteps and have a military career, so he applied to West Point Military Academy.  But his first application came back, Denied.  He tried again.  He was rejected again.

The secret to success is learning how to fail, so, filled with determination, he tried a third time.  Finally, he was accepted.

And what was that determined young man’s name?  Douglas McArthur.

And young Douglas, actually ended up outranking his father, Lt. General Arthur MacArthur by becoming a five star general. 

     Another young man loved to work on automobiles.  They were in their infancy but he was good at it and decided he would form his own automobile manufacturing corporation.  He had a dream and he gave it his all, and he failed.  Went bankrupt.  Found himself back at ground zero.

So what did he do?  What anyone who has determination and discipline does, he didn’t waste his time.  He stuck out his jaw, warmed up his dream and went for a second try.  And succeeded, rather well, I think you will agree, for this man was Henry Ford.

Twenty-three publishers looked at the efforts of this writer and suggested he try something else for a living.  You see, he wrote strange stories and drew strange pictures.  So what did he do?  What any determined writer does, he kept on writing.  And one day the twenty-fourth publisher took a chance on Theodor Geisel and over 6 million copies of that first book have been sold over the years, not counting all his other wonderful, imaginative books the world has come to love.  You see his pen name was Dr. Seuss.
     But it is not required that we climb the tallest mountain, or take the most difficult course of study, or a set a record of any sort. 

It is required that we set some goals; small, large or in between, and that we turn some good and godly dreams into deeds.  That we take at least some of the time God has given us, and trim it with silver actions that shine.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish,” speaks Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

A TIME OF BLOOMING

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

          There are over 900 stories and commentaries on this blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to daily.

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

 http://oneadayyourspiritualvitamins.blogspot.com/

++++++++

                                                      Luke 10:27

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 

This is the first and greater commandment. 

And the second is like unto it;

love your neighbor as yourself.

                A woman at a worship service in Uganda kept singing praises and saying prayers of thanks for the shoes upon her feet.  She went on and on and on.  She didn’t give thanks because they were of the latest fashion, or because she particularly liked the color.  No, she felt very blessed to simply have shoes – any shoes - for many at the service had no shoes at all. And a tear began to trickle down the cheek of the missionary’s face, for he realized that while he had given God thanks for many things, he had never thanked Him for shoes.  He realized that he had always taken it for granted that he would have shoes.  But now he understood that even things we take for granted are blessings we sometimes do not allow ourselves to be aware of.   

A wise and ancient guru had a disciple who had come so far in wisdom and understanding that he decided to leave him on his own.  His disciple lived quite simply in a tiny hut made of mud; sustained himself each morning after devotions by daily begging for bread and each evening washed his loincloth and hung it out to dry.

One morning, he went out to get his loin cloth and found that overnight rats had gnawed on it until only tattered shreds were left.  He therefore begged from those around him for another loin cloth, and they gladly gave him one for this was a holy man.  But remember, he was wise as well as a holy man so he then did what common sense demanded.  He got himself a cat.

But as often happens, one solution only serves up another problem.  Now he needed milk for his cat.   This became increasingly difficult to obtain so naturally he now acquired a cow.  Ah, complications increased.  Now he needed fodder for the cow, so he decided to till and plant the ground around his hut.  And soon he was so very, very busy tending cat, and cow, and crops that he had no time for contemplation.

Wisdom was soon served again.  He hired servants to tend his farm and give him help in other ways.  He began to wonder at some of his recent decisions but what else could he do?

Daily he was becoming more weary, for now there was so much to care for and worry about that he consulted himself in a question and answer time.  What can I do?  The answer that came was obvious.  Obtain more wealth and let others work and worry for him.  Soon he was the wealthiest man in the village.

At just about this time his guru was traveling in the region again and stopped by to see his disciple.  He was overwhelmed by all the changes that had been made.  The mud hut had been replaced by a well built home surrounded by so much land that the once little plot was now a vast estate.  There were busy servants scurrying about.  Everywhere a kind of buzz about the place.

The guru paused and then asked, “What is the meaning of all of this?”

“You won’t believe this, master,” came back the reply. “It was the only way I could keep my loincloth.”

What am I saying?  Perhaps life as we know it is an Eden we have created, or is it by chance an Eden we have reworked until it is not so much an Eden any more.  It isn’t that simple, but then maybe it is.  Or as Thoreau once said, “We are happy in proportion to what we can learn to live without.”  However, if no matter how much we have, we are never satisfied…now there is a different matter.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

GRUMBLE OR GRATITUDE

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

        GO TO NEIL’S OTHER BLOG ONE A DAY, YOUR SPIRITUAL VITAMINS and read the following brain teasers.  CLICK ON URL BELOW There are over 900 stories and commentaries on this blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to daily.

http://oneadayyourspiritualvitamins.blogspot.com/

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation.”  Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. (Philippians 2:14-16)

     The following was an email that made the rounds just after 9/11. 

It was called, “What a Difference a Day Makes."

On Monday, we e-mailed jokes.

On Tuesday, we did not.

On Monday, we were fussing about praying in school.

On Tuesday, we would have been hard pressed to find a school where someone was not praying.

On Monday, our heroes were athletes.

On Tuesday, we relearned who heroes are.

On Monday, there were people trying to separate us by race, sex, color, and creed.

On Tuesday, we were all holding hands.

On Monday, we were irritated that our rebate checks had not arrived.

On Tuesday, we gave money away gladly to people we had never met.

On Monday, we were upset that we had to wait 5 minutes in a fast food line.

On Tuesday, we stood in line for 3 to 5 hours to give blood for the dying.

On Monday, we argued with our kids to clean up their rooms.

On Tuesday, we couldn’t get home fast enough to hug our kids.

On Monday, we went to work as usual.

On Tuesday, we went to work, but some of us didn’t come home.

On Monday, we had families.

On Tuesday, we had orphans.

On Monday, September 10th, life felt routine.

On Tuesday, September 11th, it did not.

What a difference a day makes.

If we monitored your conversations numbered your moments of giving thanks against your complaining, nagging, grumbling moments which would have the greater number?

We all have had reasons in our life to grumble and complain about something.  The question is… how often do we yield to the temptation?  

     And how much good does the grumbling do?

A single shot complaint is acceptable.  We’re human and it is good to get it out of our system.  But a machinegun affect that goes on and on and on is unacceptable.

Jesus was crucified because grumbling had taken over the conversations of the high priests. 

They grumbled about what He was doing, what he wasn’t doing, where he spent his time and with whom, and what He was saying.  

Finally, grumbling so took over their thinking that compassion went out the window and they were downright nasty when it came to decision time. 

 But then that is the way it always works. 

You won’t find very many nice people who are also grumblers. 

They grimace and they shout and they gossip and they fret and they turn committee meetings into utter disaster meetings, and they upset churches and corporations and homes.

 They are an ongoing pain in the neck that keeps life messy and miserable for themselves and everyone around them.

The Apostle Paul was good at poking holes at human frailties…and what he saw taking place in the church at Philippi displeased him no small amount. 

Complaining and complaining and complaining some more.  Disruptive, disturbing, destructive.  True then…true now. 

He probably knew that churches in the future, even unto the 21^st century, would still be practicing this monstrosity of the soul…and so, seeing the fault he went after it and wrote,    “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Phil 2:14)  

Listen to this little incident.

A man had considered joining a certain monastery for a long time but when he finally looked into the matter he was somewhat taken back when he learned that to join he had to accept their rule that he could only say two words a year; and that at the end of each year. 

But he really wanted to join the monastery, so he acquiesced.

At the end of the first year he appeared before the Head Monk and spoke his two words, “Food’s bad.”

Another year passed and again he stood before the Head Monk.  He spoke his two-word allotment a second time, “Bed’s hard.”

A third year came to an end and as he stood before the Head Monk, he said, “I quit.”

“Doesn’t surprise me at all,” said the Head Monk, “All you’ve done since you got here is complain.”

TO BE CONTINUED

++++++++++++++++

GO TO ONE A DAY YOUR SPIRUTAL VITAMINS...Neil's other blog...over 900 stories and comments...

click on the URL below

                        http://oneadayyourspiritualvitamins.blogspot.com/

++++++++++++++++++++

GO TO AMAZON.COM TO BUY NEIL WYRICK'S THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN...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 FOLLOWING

http://www.speakerneil.com/

 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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?

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

TO WATCH NEIL WYRICK IN HIS ONE MAN DRAMAS (Presented to millions all around the world) (Ben Franiklin, Martin Luther, Charles Wesley and Abraham Lincoln (this Lincoln film takes 11 seconds to download but is worth the wait)

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING

http://www.speakerneil.com/

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

MAGNUS PRESS

          AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM’S Kindle

            http://www.magnuspress.com/OurProducts2.html 

25% Phone Orders:  800-463-7818

DETERMINED DISCIPLINE

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

        GO TO NEIL’S OTHER BLOG ONE A DAY, YOUR SPIRITUAL VITAMINS and read the following brain teasers.  CLICK ON URL BELOW There are over 900 stories and commentaries on this blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to daily.

http://oneadayyourspiritualvitamins.blogspot.com/

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

When I was first beginning to learn how to play the piano, I practiced scales, which basically is fingers running up and down the keys to promote dexterity.  And though I never liked them, I kept on practicing scales all the years I seriously played piano. 

     It wasn’t as much fun as playing boogie woogie or some of my favorite classical pieces of music, but the discipline made me a far better player.

     Just remember that “the pain of discipline will cost you pennies, whereas the pain of regret will cost you millions.”

     Determination.  If you can wed discipline with determination then you will be a winner in this great opportunity called life.  Let discipline walk with determination and dreams become deeds. 

And so it is as we grow closer and closer to a very basic truth.  A belief is what you hold; a conviction is what holds you.

     People with convictions don’t waste much time.  Who they want to be and how they want to spend their time getting there is often an obsession with them.

They are not ruled by mushy thinking - they get things done.   They move the world rather than let the world move them. 

+++++++++++++++++

            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

       http://www.speakerneil.com/

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

MAGNUS PRESS

        AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM’S Kindle

http://www.magnuspress.com/OurProducts2.html 

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

        Phone Orders:  800-463-7818

BELIEVE YOUR BELIEFS GIVE THEM SPIRITUAL MUSCLES (A Continuation)

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

          There are over 900 stories and commentaries on this blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to daily.

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

 http://oneadayyourspiritualvitamins.blogspot.com/

++++++++

Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

            Back in the old days when you got a soda at one of those long marble soda fountain counters a soda didn’t have ice cream in it…just flavoring.  Chocolate soda, vanilla, sarsaparilla soda, strawberry soda and then way over at the end of the all the lovely options (there should have been)was a knob that was labeled “Don’t Care.”  When anyone would come in and couldn’t make up their mind, they’d say, “Don’t care” and that’s what they (would have received.) get.

            Which, as you daily approach the Lord daily in your prayers, you need to ask yourself “What are my intentions?”  “What do I want?”  “What do I want to be?”

How does that scripture read, “Whatever you shall truly seek, that you shall surely find.” 

            A surgeon was speaking with a badly wounded soldier.  “Son, we have to operate but I think I ought to tell you.  You have one chance in a hundred of surviving.”

            The young soldier replied quite simply and calmly.  “Doc, all is well with my soul.  Whichever way I come out, there will be a welcome waiting for me.  If I survive, mom and dad will be there to greet me.  If I don’t, Jesus will welcome me.  So get on with the operation.”

           +++++++++++++

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

       http://www.speakerneil.com/

        DO YOU HAVE A HISTORY BUFF IN YOUR FAMILY?...Why not give THIS HIGHLY ACCLAIMED  BOOK

        To buy Neil's 9th book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN or other of his books click on the following

http://www.magnuspress.com/

OR GO TO AMAZON.COM

       AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM and amazon.com Kindle

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

http://www.magnuspress.com/OurProducts2.html 

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

       Phone Orders:  800-463-7818