Here is a great post from the Lights4God blog. A fascinating look at the life of Cyrus McCormick, which speaks of great faith, perseverance, and charity. Enjoy!
CYRUS McCORMICK | Lights 4 God.
Month: May 2013
Memorial Day Pictures: There Just Aren’t Any Words To Add
Hi All:
For Memorial Day, I’d like to share these pictures with you …
They have been sent to me, personally, over the past few months, and except for the last picture (soldiers praying), I have not shared them …
I have personal names for each of the pictures, such as “soldiermom,” “sonreceivingflag,” etc., and I’d like you to see them. Just like every day, to Christians, should be Christmas and Easter combined, how about Memorial Day … it is every day that we reap the benefits of their sacrifice, and love for us … and their fellow man …
Please, see the pictures for what they represent, to all of us …
There are no captions, no quotes, no comments … Look at the pictures … There just aren’t any words I can add …
To all of our friends, all over the world … the same God watches over us all … and Jesus is still Lord of all …
Blessings,
Ted and Carol
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Of May of ’68: Best of, Worst of Times and Memories: Dickens, Abraham, Martin, John, Bobby … and Jon
If ever a time could indeed be called “The best of times, the worst of times,” perhaps the decade of the 60’s would qualify …
The 1860’s and the 1960’s.
I remember much of the 1960’s, especially from the mid-60’s on.
Of course, we don’t remember April/May of 1865, and I honestly don’t clearly remember the events of November 1963, but I remember, clearly, April/May 1968. I remember being in school the “morning after Memphis,” and on a Saturday morning early the next month, gathering around the black and white television, hearing the news from Los Angeles, about Bobby.
I have spent much time researching the lives of those we’ve lost, and have serious regrets (honestly) that I haven’t learned more about Martin Luther King, for example, and others, until now.
Perhaps the greatest opening to any book written by a single author, and the most remembered, is the way “A Tale of Two Cities,” by Charles Dickens opens. We’ve all heard, even from the pulpit the “best of times, worst of times” quote, but I didn’t realize how powerful the whole paragraph is … and the fact that it even mentions “modern times,” and how accurately the words depict the decade of the 60’s (both) … keep in mind that “A Tale of Two Cities” was published in 1859. Here’s a look at the cover of the first edition:
Date: 1859
Here is the complete opening:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way–in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”
We will end this post with the last lines from the book … equally amazing. Oh … How about a picture of Charles Dickens?
We grew up listening, part of our lives, the song “Abraham, Martin, and John,” originally recorded by Dion. Here’s one: I remember Dion singing this, his current smash hit, on “The Smothers Brothers” show …
I have spent much time looking for what I thought was the best video presentation of this song. So, we share that with you, in recognition of the great vocal, and especially the photos which accompany the song … This was the best video presentation I found … a live recording of “Abraham, Martin, and John” by, yes … Jon Bon Jovi … yes, that is Jon Bon Jovi … enjoy a great vocal with the memories … the 60’s (both), of May, and the men …
And, now, after watching the video, and remembering, here are the last lines from “A Tale of Two Cities:”
“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”
Blessings,
Ted
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Guest Post: 12 Tips For Success In Business, And Life | strong blogs
“I’ve found those who are highly successful have a lot more in common than we may think …”
I came across this list over at Michael Armstrong’s blog, and want to share this list with you.
Blessings,
Ted
12 Tips For Success In Business, And Life | strong blogs.
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Success Notes: Perhaps The Most Important Comma Of All
The other night, I was in the shower, when I received a startling revelation. I can’t be the only one who gets great ideas in the shower.
Maybe because it’s one of the few times, and the few places I can go and be totally alone. And, it is in the shower that I have gotten not only great ideas, but Jesus has spoken to me in profound ways. Allow me to also say that some of the most intense, sincere prayers I’ve ever prayed … was while I was in the shower.
I have pleaded with God, as the water washed my outside, to clean me from the inside. Once, when I was in a quandary over where we were going to find a new supplier, or suppliers, Jesus’ Word came as clearly to me as the words on this page. As I was voicing one of those “I don’t know what to do, what am I going to do” prayers about how or where were we going to find suppliers, His Word came forth, and I remember it as clearly today as when I stepped out of the shower that day:
Jesus simply said, “I’m your supplier.”
I’ve never worried about “suppliers” since that day.
Often, His spoken Word comes to me “from out of nowhere.” I hope that you can say the say thing. God has spoken to me while I was driving (Isn’t that a favorite place to commune with God?), while I was watching a movie, or in the middle of a ballgame. And, of course, often, when I am reading His Word. There is a simple reason for this, Jesus speaking to me in “odd” places … it’s because I have a relationship with Him, and He is with me all the time, and He is on my mind all the time. How many times do you need to hear that you can’t talk with someone whom you don’t have a relationship with? Especially an intimate relationship with. You can’t really speak, and I mean really speak, with someone you don’t know. Jesus said His sheep will hear, will recognize His voice. And, I can honestly say that Jesus is not particular about where He speaks to us at … He will use any means necessary to reach us.
Anyway, back to the beginning (interesting play on words if you think about it) … I was talking to Jesus, in the shower, and I received a startling revelation. I always say that one of the great prayers ever prayed was Jehoshaphat, when he was surrounded by the enemy, and he prayed that He did not know what to do, “but our eyes are on you.”
So, that was what I was doing, and I stopped short in the middle of a sentence: I said, “I don’t know, Jesus … ” Of course, it was because I was being honest, and I really did not know what to do.
Then, it hit me: I can say “I don’t know, Jesus,” and it can be one of the greatest prayers of all time, the greatest confessions of all time, to be honest enough to bare your heart and admit that you don’t know. That you don’t know what to do. That, in the middle of a conversation (which is what real prayer is), you find yourself saying, “I don’t know, Jesus.” And, let’s face it, how often have we said this after we’ve gotten a clear instruction. We answer, “I don’t know, Jesus.” In other words, we are saying that, even though Jesus has given us the answer, we still question it. What we are doing is questioning our ability … but, really, deep down, we are questioning His ability …
Anyway, back to the profound revelation, which, spiritually brought me to my knees. Here I was praying, in all honestly and sincerity, that I did not really know what to do about this problem I was facing, that “I don’t know, Jesus.”
That’s when it hit me, in mid-stride, if you will: The saddest revelation of all … I thought about those who did not know Jesus … how important that comma was. Maybe, just maybe, in our lives, in the lives of those we know, in the lives of those we don’t know, this is the most important comma of all. Think about the comma:
I know Jesus, and He knows me. Therefore, I can pray, honestly, “I don’t know, Jesus.”
But, what about those who don’t have the comma. Think about it. All they can say is:
“I don’t know Jesus.”
It’s because they “don’t know Jesus.” Think about how important that comma is. I mean, all of eternity rests, depends upon it.
I thank God that I have the comma, and I can use it.
What about those without that comma?
It strikes me how often I’ve heard that “Jesus came for the common man.”
Let’s add that Jesus also came “for the comma, man.”
It all goes back to the five-word phrase that is the real, true reason for success:
“Know Him. Make Him known.”
I think we need to get out of a spiritual coma, and pray that God will lead us, use us, embolden us, to get that comma added to as many lives as possible.
There are just so many people who need that comma. They need us, they are the ones searching for us, to lead them to knowledge of that comma.
They need the comma. They need to know Jesus. And, we need to know Him more.
We need the comma in the middle of life’s greatest sentence.
Blessings,
Ted
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Heroes of the Faith/Success: The Kind Of Guys I Want To Be
These are the kind of guys:
I want praying for me.
I want praying for my country.
I want fighting for me.
I want fighting for my country.
I want representing me.
I want representing my country.
These are the kind of guys:
I want to see.
I want my country to see.
I want the world to see.
I want God to see.
God has already seen them.
I, now, have seen them.
You, now, have seen them.
I look at this picture, and I see:
What they see
Is what I see.
What They know
Is what I know.
These are the kind of guys:
I want to see on the battlefield.
I want to see come home.
These are the kind of guys I want to see:
As neighbors.
As friends.
These are the kind of guys
I want to see.
These are the kind of guys
Who represent me.
These are the kind of guys
I want to be.
These are the kind of guys
I want the world to see.
These are the kind of guys
I want to be.
These are the kind of guys
I want to see.
These are the kind of guys
Who know about liberty.
And freedom.
And, from where it comes.
These are the kind of guys
We need more of.
These are the kind of guys
Who bow to look above.
These are the kind of guys
I want to see.
These are the kind of guys
I want to be.
Blessings to you all,
Ted
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Success: Notes and Quotes
God doesn’t need our help. I think He is more than capable of handling things on His own.
He doesn’t ask us to do things for His benefit, but for our benefit.
Often, it’s not to help Him.
It’s to help us.
God will never call us to do a job, without supplying everything needed to do that job.
I put it this way:
Where God guides,
God provides.
And, oh, by the way, God doesn’t really need our money. He already owns everything. Giving is just that: Giving. Is it really more blessed to give than receive?
A question for another time, but if you really think about why it is more blessed to give than receive, then you are well on the way to the answer. It’s not a question of what’s in your wallet, but what’s in your heart. Your giving will follow your heart. And, God doesn’t need a paper trail. He knows who gives. And, who doesn’t. He also knows who can’t, but wants to. And, He knows who can, but doesn’t want to.
And, oh, by the way, more often than not … what we need to “give to the Lord” has nothing to do with money.
Obedience is still better than sacrifice.
Wait … I’m just checking the list of shared principles we jotted down and shared in a previous post, which the great Bible heroes shared: Let’s see: Faith, humility, courage, obedience, perseverance, patience, they spoke boldly, they listened. Let’s see. I’m trying to see if any of these had anything to do with how much money they had. Let’s see: God used all of these great heroes in a mighty way, and it had nothing to do with how much money they had. Does this mean that God can use me, in a mighty way, even if I don’t have a lot of money? It seems that God is more interested in what’s in our heart, than in what’s in our wallet.
Too many times, we are more interested in what is in God’s hand, than in what is in His heart.
There is a phrase I’ve heard many times “Out in the world.” I remember the first time that I heard this phrase, I think it was in reference to a particular church, and how much “money they had.”
Then, the last time I heard this phrase, I was in a Hardware store, and there was a discussion about, of all things, professional wrestling, and in particular, the owner of a particular wrestling organization. The exact same phrase was used to describe how much money this man has.
I wanted to, on both occasions, just yell out, how wrong these people were … that one of the great lies is just that … a lie … that it’s not true … here it is … I’d like to dispel this rumor right now:
“No one has more money than God!”
The question is never, “What can you do for me?”
It should always be, “What can I do for you?”
Which reveals a servant’s heart-Jesus’ heart.
If you want to be like Jesus, then be like Jesus.
Not to be served, but to serve.
I put it this way:
Serve To Soar
To Soar, Serve
I understand the thinking behind the phrase, “What Would Jesus Do?” One day, we’ll share the story behind how that all originated.
I think, however, and this may not sell as many bracelets, or bumper stickers, or become such a catch-phrase “out in the world” as WWJD, but I think, that many times WWJD is not the real question:
The real question is: WWJWMTD
We know what Jesus did.
How great a prayer it is when we pray, “Jesus, what do you want me to do?”
“What Would Jesus Want Me To Do?”
Did we just “come up with another one?”
(Please note post/publication date of 5/6/13)
Blessings,
Ted
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Guest Post: “Winsome to Win Some” | THE CRUNCHY CHRISTIAN
We continue to be blessed by the “hearts” behind this blog. Please enjoy this post, and allow it to both encourage, and strengthen you.
“… how much of our discipleship will be spent interacting with others, both unbelievers and brothers or sisters in Christ. Christianity is certainly not a calling to solitude, but to go into the world as Christ did and shine His light and proclaim His message. Christianity also means being knit into a new spiritual family, the church, which serves so many purposes – including the purpose of strengthening, teaching, confronting and sharpening its members spiritually …”
via “Winsome to Win Some” | THE CRUNCHY CHRISTIAN.
