Going Too Fast
A number of years ago, a Navy jet fighter plane shot itself down over the deserts of Nevada while testing a new cannon mounted on its wing. The plane was flying at supersonic speeds, but the cannon shells were subsonic. What happened was crucial. The fighter actually ran into the shells it had fired seconds before. The jet was traveling too fast.
Sometimes we travel too fast for our own spiritual good. God speaks and we are going too fast to hear Him.
Don't be guilty of traveling so fast with your life that you run past the sound of the Word of God. Be in the center of His will.





The Blind Man and the Lantern
A blind man was discovered sitting at the corner of a city street with a lantern beside him. When he was asked why the lantern was there since light and darkness were the same to him, he replied, "I have it so that no one may stumble over me."
What a message for Christians who have the light!





A Good Reason for Politeness
"My boy," said a father to his son, "treat everybody with politeness, even those who are rude to you; remember, you show courtesy to others, not because they are gentlemen, but because you are one."





Sight
"Wouldn't you hate to wear glasses all the time?" asked a small boy of his playmate. "No-o-o," the other boy answered slowly, "not if I had the kind grandma wears. She sees how to fix a lot of things, and she sees lots of nice things to do on rainy days, and she sees when folks are tired and sorry, and what will make them feel better, and she always sees what you meant to do even if you haven't got things just right. I asked her one day how she could see that way all the time, and she said it was the way she learned to look at things as she grew older. So it must be her glasses."




Getting Along Without It
A nurse was showing a patient to his room. "Now," she said, "we want you to be happy and enjoy yourself while here, so if there is anything you want that we haven't got, let me know and I'll show you how to get along without it."



Look Over the Wall
Two men were discussing worry; one was blaming God because He didn't let us know what was going to happen. As they walked along, they came to a pasture where a cow was gazing dreamily over a stone wall. "Do you know why this cow has her head stretched over the wall?" asked one man. "No," said his friend. "I'll tell you. It's because she's not able to see through the stone wall. Imitate her. Quit banging the wall with your head. You won't break the wall down, but you will break your head. Stand tall, look over, and you'll be able to see farther on." It's the same lesson the Lord taught when He told people to look at the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, and consider who cares for them (Mat_6:28). They have less cares than we who can think and reason, but God provides for them, and He will for us, too, if we trust Him.





Two Parts to the Gospel
An old country preacher used to say: "There are two parts to the Gospel. The first part is believing it, and the second part is behaving it." The hearer only is the one who is satisfied with just believing without behaving. That is what James describes as dead faith (Jam_2:17).

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The Mind Has No Garbage Disposal
In describing one of the new movies of the day, a critic wrote, "The plot moves rapidly down the sewer." It would not be so damaging to those who watch such trash if the mind could be equipped, like your kitchen sink, with a garbage disposal. Then you could flush away all the filth and be done with it, but the mind does not work that way. It stores up impressions for a lifetime. The only way to protect the mind is to expose it to only the best!





Nine Mistakes to Avoid
Remorse over yesterday's failure.
Anxiety over today's problems.
Worry over tomorrow's uncertainty.
Procrastination with one's present duty.
Resentment of another's success.
Criticism of a neighbor's imperfections.
Impatience with youth's imperfection.
Skepticism of our nation's future.
Unbelief in God's providence.





Building a Noble Character
In a great cathedral in Europe, there is a window made by an apprentice out of the bits of stained glass that were thrown away as worthless refuse when the other windows were made; this is the most beautiful window of all. You can build a noble character for yourself, in spite of all the hurts and injuries done consciously or unconsciously by others, with the fragments of the broken hopes, joys and the lost opportunities that lie strewn about your feet. No matter how badly others have hurt and marred you, they cannot prevent you from building a beautiful character for yourself; conversely, others by their best work cannot cause you to build a beautiful character. The fine character of your father or mother is not yours; you've got to build your own.





Fruit Needs Light
Some time ago we noticed that a tree planted at the sunny end of a house had large and beautiful blossoms. It was a feast to the eyes; but what an amazing difference in some of the branches trained round the corner of the house where they got much less sun. The blossoms were starved and drooping, and there was little promise of fruit. They had the same root and stem in common, but while one part of the tree was in the full glorious light, the other branches were in the shade.
Our character is affected in the same way by insufficient enlightenment. The dark places produce unfruitful branches: strange weaknesses, distortions, immaturities, indirection, failures in practical life and conduct. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Gal_5:22-23). If we are to bear all manner of precious fruit, each in its rightful season, we must trustfully and joyfully lay open our whole soul to the full expanse of God's light shining in the face of Jesus Christ.





Shut the Door
A man went inside a telephone booth and dialed the number of a friend. When the connection was made, the friend kept saying, "I can't hear you; speak louder; I can't hear you." All he cold hear was the roar of traffic in the background. "Shut the door so I can hear," he said to the caller. In order to hear God's voice speaking to you, you've got to shut the door to the outside world so that its enticements won't distract you. Doing this could change your whole life. Then when you go back into the crowd, you'll not only be able to listen to what the world has to say, but you'll have something to say to the world that you've personally heard from God.





Guidance
The Word of God corrects us. That is a particularly interesting word. When flying to Florida, it seemed to me like a pretty straight shot from Chicago to Fort Lauderdale. But in the cockpit of the airplane is a fine-tuned radar mechanism. All during the trip, the plane is flown on automatic pilot, which continually yet imperceptibly corrects the course of the plane to keep it on track. That's what God's Word does for us. It nudges us to keep us on course. It keeps affecting the way we think, the way we draw conclusions, and the way we make our daily life decisions.





Multitude
A Christian traveler was once packing his suitcase when he remarked to a friend, "Well, I still wish to pack a guidebook, a lamp, a mirror, a telescope, a book of poems, a number of biographies, a bundle of letters, a hymn book, a sharp sword, a small library containing 66 volumes...."
"But," his friend interrupted him, "you've only got about six inches left in one side of your suitcase. How are you ever going to manage to get it all in?" The Christian smiled and his eyes twinkled, "That will be very easy," he said. "You see, all I have to do is put my Bible in the suitcase, for it is all the things that I have mentioned."





Out of Tune
Some years ago, musicians noted that errand boys in a certain part of London all whistled out of tune as they went about their work. It was talked about and someone suggested that it was because the bells of Westminster were slightly out of tune. Something had gone wrong with the chimes and they were discordant. The boys did not know there was anything wrong with the peals, and quite unconsciously they had copied their pitch.
So we tend to copy the people with whom we associate; we borrow thoughts from the books we read and the programs to which we listen, almost without knowing it.
God has given us His Word which is the absolute pitch of life and living. If we learn to sing by it, we shall easily detect the false in all of the music of the world.

Barriers
At a coastal aquarium, a savage barracuda quickly tried to attack the mackerel but was stopped by the partition. After bumping his nose repeatedly, he finally quit trying. Later, the partition was removed, but the barracuda would swim only to the point where the barrier had been and stop. He thought it was still there! Many people are like this. They move forward until they reach an imaginary barrier, but then stop because of a self-imposed attitude of limitation.





Thankfulness
When Matthew Henry was robbed, that very night he prayed:
"I thank Thee, first, because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, and not I who robbed."





Adjustment
During World War II General Creighton Abrams and his command were surrounded by the enemy to the east, west, north and south. General Abrams said, "Gentlemen, for the first time in the history of this campaign, we are now in a position to attack the enemy in any direction."
What has you surrounded, tied down, fenced in? All of us have limitations in life. Some we will have to bear with while others the Lord wants us to break through! It will only happen if we give ourselves an attitude adjustment.





Sour Grapes
There is a fable concerning a fox who kept leaping up at some inviting looking grapes. Unable to reach them despite his best efforts, he came to the conclusion that they did look rather sour. He walked away without pangs of covetousness.
Be as smart as a fox if you want to be happy. Consider the things that you cannot obtain as "sour grapes."





The Importance of Attitude
A Scotsman was an extremely hard worker and expected all the men under him to be the same. His men would tease him, "Scotty, don't you know that Rome wasn't built in a day?" "Yes," he would answer. "I know that. But I wasn't foreman on that job."





My Future
Someone said, "My past is gone; my present is passing; my future is arriving."
The best thing about the future is that it comes upon us by degrees, a day at a time. We can manage that! Whatever it holds, my future is mine: if it be fair weather, let me bask in the sun; if it be storms, let me bend with the wind.
The future belongs to those who can make adjustments.
"Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow" (Num_11:18).





Seeing the Beautiful
A lady, paying an early morning visit to a neighbor, was ushered into a rather untidy room for which her hostess profusely apologized, but her visitor smilingly replied, "I had eyes for nothing but these lovely roses," pointing to a vase of beauties which occupied a prominent place on the table. Just as the eye sees what it looks for, so the soul that is itself beautiful finds all that is best and noblest and most worthy of praise in the men and women.





Drive or Drought
When you lose hope of doing better, you lose everything that makes life worth living. A great artist was once asked, "What's the best picture you've ever painted?" "The next one," he replied confidently. But another artist was heard to lament, "Too bad I failed," though he was at the very height of his glory. "Why do you say that?" asked a friend of his in astonishment. "Because I've lost any hope of improvement," he said. He was right; the person who has stopped hoping has truly failed.





Never Alone

As I sit at the table
Drinking my morning coffee
Only one chair is being used
But, I am not alone

I decide to go for an early walk
Everyone else seems to still be asleep
No one around, the park is all mine
But, I am not alone

Now I am sitting in my car
Taking a morning drive into the city
Only one seat belt needed to ensure safety
But, I am not alone

Later in the day I am sitting back on the couch
May take a little nap, a daily activity
No one around to make noise or disturb me
But, I am not alone

I decide to work in the flowerbed
In front of the house, pulling some weeds
No one is helping me as I work
But, I am not alone

I sit on the patio out back, just relaxing
It is the beginning of the night, and darkness begins
Just me looking at the moon as I enjoy the solitude
But, I am not alone

The day is gone; its time to go to bed
I fold back the covers and fluff my one pillow
Plenty of room with only me in the bed
But, I am not alone

And as I sleep soundly throughout the night
Rolling all over the bed, just me
No noise and no distractions from anyone
But, I am not alone

I remind myself daily of the message in the above words. At no point in my life, am I alone. God is always with me, and there is no stronger comfort I can imagine. That should be a blessing to all of us. Knowing that the strongest, most influential, most caring entity in existence is always right by our side. That is my strength. I am never alone.

Vic Damico 2011

Please Pray Daily


Dear God,

I come to you as a man who is in need. My needs in question are not of a personal level, but for our nation and even the world, as a whole. We are at a point in our lives where we find ourselves being confronted from all sides by an evil entity that is within our own borders. That entity has created an illusion of being representative of doing good for the people and what is in our best interest. This entity is working against you, and is interfering with your Words and your chosen path, and it is moving at an alarming rate of speed.

I can only speak for myself, as for the level of my faith, and my willingness to fight this evil entity with all that is within me, along with my support from you each day. I ask of you, on behalf of all of us who place our lives in your hands, that you give us strength, direction, and the endurance to fight those who are working against your very will. I ask that you stay with us every step of the way and guide us with your love as we uphold your goals for us as individuals, and as a people.

Please help our numbers, our intentions, and our resilience to be seen by the enemy with the actual strength and power that it truly represents. Help us to show the true power of this world, as we place our trust in you to show us the way, as we fight to conquer this evil entity. Our government is not our source of power, our source of leadership, and our basis for our daily existence. You are our light in these dark times, and we turn to you, and place all we have, and all we are to be, into your hands. Please hold us tightly as we move forward in your name. Amen





“In an unstable Middle-East, Israel is the anchor of stability. In a region of shifting alliances, Israel is America’s unwavering ally. Israel has always been pro-American; Israel will always be pro-American. My friends, you don’t need to do nation building in Israel; we’re already built. You don’t need to export democracy to Israel; we’ve already got it. And you don’t need to send American troops to Israel; we defend ourselves.” Benjamin Netanyahu






A Christian Mandate
Do all the good you can
By all the means you can
In all the ways you can
In all the places you can
To all the people you can
As long as ever you can.






Longfellow's Prescription for a Long, Happy Life
The famous poet H. W. Longfellow was once asked how he managed a long and a happy life.
Pointing to an apple tree, the writer remarked: "The secret of the apple tree is that it grows a little new wood each year. That's what I try to do."
No matter what age you are, it is important to continue to grow spiritually each day, each month, each year. Such spiritual growth requires constant Bible study.
Why not start growing a little new wood now, by reading at least one chapter from the Bible each day? You will be blessed for it (Psa. 119).






The Big and the Small Souls
The great soul prays, "Lord, make me as big as my problem." The little soul prays, "Lord, let me off easy."
The giant soul asks, "Lord, give me strength sufficient for a hard day," while the small soul begs, "Lord, let me have a lighter load."
The busy soul prays, "Lord, stand with me until I finish my task," while the weak soul says, "I got tired and quit."






A Worm in an Apple
How does a worm get inside an apple? Perhaps you think the worm burrows in from the outside. No, scientists have discovered that the worm comes from the inside. But, how does he get in there? Simple. An insect lays an egg in the apple blossom. Sometime later the worm hatches in the heart of the apple, then eats his way out.
Sin, like the worm, begins in the heart and works out through the person's thoughts, word and actions. For this reason, David once wrote, "Create in me a clean heart, O God."






The Force of Habit
How easy it is to tear a piece of paper along the line in which it has originally been folded! How easy it is for a second temptation to overcome when the first has been yielded to! A sin that has once gained the victory over our moral nature has put a fold, as it were, in that nature, and destroyed its straightness and smoothness, so that when the same temptation comes a second time, it seeks the weak point which it had formerly made, and along that line of least resistance we are turned from our righteous principles and strong resolution.






The Cost of Compromise
Winter was coming on and a hunter went out into the forest to shoot a bear out of which he planned to make a warm coat.
By and by he saw a big bear coming toward him and raised his gun and took aim.
"Wait," said the bear, "why do you want to shoot me?"
"Because I am cold," said the hunter, "and I need a coat."
"But I am hungry," the bear replied, "so maybe if we just talk this over a little, we could come to a compromise."
So the hunter sat down beside the bear and began to talk over the pros and cons. In the end, the hunter was well enveloped with the bear's fur, and the bear had eaten his dinner.
We always lose out when we try to compromise with sin. It will consume us in the end.






The Greatest Compliment
One wet, foggy day a little girl was standing on a street corner in a large city waiting for an opportunity to cross the street. She walked up and down and looked into the faces of those who passed by. Some looked careless, some harsh, some in a hurry; she did not see anyone who made her feel confident. At length an elderly man, tall and erect, yet with a kindly expression, came walking down the street. Looking up into his face she seemed to see the one for whom she had been waiting. She went up to him and asked timidly, "Please, sir, will you help me over?" The old man saw the little girl safely across the street, and when he afterward told the story he said, "That little child's trust was the greatest compliment I ever had in my life."





Wise Advice from Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln once said, "You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.





Motivation behind Choices
There are a great many actions which, in and of themselves, are neither right nor wrong. They are made right when we act in love. They become wrong if we act in selfishness.
It's like playing the piano. There are no right or wrong notes. There are only right or wrong notes in the context of the musical score. We many not like G or F, or be very favorable to middle C, but the note is only wrong in the context of what is being played. Likewise, choices become right or wrong based on the motivation behind them.






A Psychiatrist's Confession
I am a psychiatrist, but I can attest to the fact that all truth-including psychological truth-is already written in the Bible. All of the "findings" of the social scientists and psychologists have their basis first of all in the Bible. A person could visit three different psychiatrists and get three different approaches to his problem! He could visit them again a few years later and discover they have shifted their views even more. Those of us who believe the Bible have an unchanging foundation on which to build.






Tell the Truth Every Time
A small boy was on the witness stand in an important lawsuit. The prosecuting attorney cross-examined him, then delivered, he thought, a crushing blow to the testimony. "Your father has been telling you how to testify, has he not?" "Yes," the lad replied and did not hesitate with the answer. "Now," said the lawyer triumphantly, "just tell us how your father told you to testify." "Well," the boy said modestly, "Father told me the lawyers would try to tangle me in my testimony, but if I would just be careful to tell the truth, I could repeat the same thing every time."






Think of Those Who Have Less Than You
A mother and her two little children were destitute. In the depth of winter they were nearly frozen, and the mother took the cellar door off the hinges and set it up in front of the corner where they crouched down to sleep so that some of the draft and cold might be kept from them. One of the children whispered to her, "Mother, what do those poor children do who have no cellar door to put up in front of them?"

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