Thought for the Day
Robert E. Chatfield
"The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up." Paul Valery
"Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true." Leon Suenens
"If you want to achieve your dreams, you must follow them, and the best way to follow them is not to think about wanting to be very rich, but to think about doing something that you really want to do." Jackie Collins
"When you dare to dream, dare to follow that dream; dare to suffer through the pain, sacrifice, self-doubts and friction from the world." Laura Schlessinger
When do you stop dreaming? You don't. Only when you turn them into reality.
"Why can't dreams..."
By Bob Perks
His face was like a road map. Every line was clearly marked as well traveled. Every wrinkle earned and proven.
If gray hairs are paid for in advance then he is paid in full.
His eyes were like two pools of egg white and steel rivets that cut through you even after all these years.
As he reached to tuck his long hair behind his ears, his hands trembled.
The glasses he wore could use a cleaning as the lenses were smeared and cloudy.
He blinked nervously just before speaking to me and only looked at me once he finished what he had to say.
"Why can't dreams just come true?" he asked.
"Dreams are not meant for the faint hearted. Dreams are nothing more than fantasy if the dreamer doesn't work for them," I said.
His head slowly lowered and then swayed side to side.
"What dreams do you speak of today, my friend?" I asked.
"Nothing of any great importance to the world. I do not dream of wealth or things of any value to anyone but me," he said.
"Then they are the only dreams that matter," I told him.
He lifted his head and turned slowly toward me.
"If they matter to you then you must never give up on them," I said. "You must never stop believing that they can indeed come true."
"But I am old," he said softly. "Dreams are for the young."
"Harland Sanders, 65. Duncan Hines, 73. Ray Kroc, 50. Nelson Mandela, 72. Grandma Moses, 76. Golda Meir, 71," I said without hesitation.
"I'm 68," he said.
"Do you know where the most valuable real estate in the world is?" I asked.
"The cemeteries. There they have buried some of the greatest ideas, perhaps cures, that the world will never know because those dreamers never worked their dreams. They died with them," I said.
We sat quietly for a few minutes on a bench inside the grocery store.
"Thank you," he said and then stood up.
"Wait, what is your dream?"
He turned toward me and said, "To have someone tell me I wasn't dead yet. You just did."
I have no idea what he was dreaming about. I will never know. Perhaps it was a simple dream. Maybe it was something lofty and magnificent.
I have my own. "To touch the world one person at a time."
I just did.
J
Bob
Robert E. Chatfield
Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that He may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day ALMA 37:37
Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way. And don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines Satchel Paige
A worthy daily prayer is one asking for the power to be faithful under all circumstances. Marvin J. Ashton
More things, we are told, are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. Thomas E. McKay
MORE THAN WE ASK OR IMAGINE
A 60-year-old couple was celebrating their 40th year of marriage. During the celebration, a genie appeared and said, "Because you have been such a loving couple all those years, I would like to give you each one wish."
The wife quickly chimed in,
"I want to travel around the world." The genie waved his arms
and, POOF!, she had the tickets in her hand.
Next, it was the husband's
turn. He paused for a moment, then said shyly, "Well, I'd like to
have a wife 30 years younger than me." The genie waved his
arms and, POOF!, he was 90 years old.
We seem to be fascinated by
stories of magic genies granting wishes (why is it usually three
wishes?). Which of us hasn't sat and wondered at some point in time,
"If a genie granted me three wishes, what would I wish for?"
God is not, as some imagine
Him, a magic genie waiting at our beck and call to give us everything we ask
for (see James 4:3). But there is certainly that level of power and
ability at His disposal. Listen to these words of Paul:
"Now unto him who is
able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to
the power that worketh in. Unto him be
glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without
end. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21,
NIV)
God is able to do more than
I ask of Him. That's pretty amazing, considering that I have some pretty
difficult requests. Furthermore (and this is really mind-boggling), God
is able to do more than I can even imagine! I don't know about you, but I
can imagine quite a bit. Yet, Paul assures us that God is not only able
to do all that we ask or imagine -- he is able to do more, immeasurably more!
When things in life are
beyond my control, I find comfort in knowing that God has such power -- not the
power of an imaginary genie but the power of a living awesome Father.
Sometimes we offer to pray for others saying, "It's the least I can
do." How wrong we are. Considering the power of God, it's the
most we can do!
Have a great day!
Alan Smith
Robert E. Chatfield
“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” Abraham Lincoln
“If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.” Mark Twain
“I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.”
“Things come apart so easily when they have been held together with lies.”
Are Cynics Right? Is Lying Really Necessary?
What do you think? In today’s society, does a person have to lie or cheat at least occasionally to succeed?
The question isn’t whether occasional liars and cheats sometimes get away with dishonesty; we all have to agree with this. The question is whether you believe people can succeed if they are not willing to lie or cheat.
Those who believe lying and cheating have become necessities are cynics. A recent study of more than 10,000 people by the Josephson Institute of Ethics shows that the younger you are, the more likely you are to be cynical. This is important because cynics, regardless of their age, are far more likely to lie and cheat in both their personal and work lives.
The correlation between cynicism and age is striking. Only 11% of people over 40 are cynics compared to 47% of youngsters 17 and under and 35% of those 18-24 (19% of those 25-40 are cynics).
This turns out to be a big deal because cynicism is a powerful predictor of conduct.
People who believe lying and cheating are a necessary part of success are nearly four times as likely to deceive their boss (31% v. 8%), three times more likely to inflate an insurance (6% vs. 2%) or expense claim (13% v. 4%), or lie to a customer (22% vs. 7%). They are also one-and-a half-times more likely to cheat on their taxes (20% vs. 13%).
Cynicism is a toxic condition, but the antidote isn’t just hopeful optimism; it’s hard truth.
Sometimes cheaters do prosper and sometimes it’s harder to succeed with integrity, but the latter is always possible.
In fact, lots of honest people are highly successful. I’ll bet if you try you can name a few.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
Robert E. Chatfield
Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my Gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do. 3 Nephi 27:21
My life is my message.
We definitely will confuse our children and others for that matter when we have one hand on the Temple and the other on the dance floor.
“Example moves the world more than doctrine.” Henry Miller
The deeds you do today may be the only sermon some people will hear today.
St Francis of Assisi
Show Me. Don't Tell Me
On a poster on a wall at Wheaton College are the following words:
The Living Truth is what I long to see,
I cannot live on what used to be,
So close your Bible and show me how,
The Christ you talk about is living now!
12 October 2014
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
"Mirror, mirror on the wall … lie to me!" Don't we sometimes wish?
Either fortunately or unfortunately, mirrors don't lie, unless, of course, the mirror is distorted. If so, its reflection will also be distorted. And if I am not true to my word and do what I say I am going to do, there is something distorted within me. As the old saying goes, "Talk is cheap." Keeping one's word and promises is a character trait to be highly valued. It is being authentic and maintaining integrity.
Unfortunately, it seems that keeping one's word for many anymore doesn't amount to too much. Like a worker I used some time ago who claimed to be involved in Promise Keepers. It was a joke. He rarely kept either his word or his promises. Sadly, a person who doesn't keep his word or his promises can't be relied upon. Neither can he be trusted. And a person who claims to be a Christian and doesn't genuinely and consistently seek to keep and obey God's Word can't be relied on either. Perhaps not trusted either?
As James said, ""But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgettheth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect la of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."1
If we are mature, we will act in a mature fashion. If we are responsible, we will act in a responsible manner. And if we are sincere and genuine, we will act accordingly and be known as men and women whose word is their bond.
For after all –
It's what we do
Not what we say –
That says the most of all.
1. James 1:22–25
Robert E. Chatfield
"All the
water in the world
However hard it tried,
Could never, never sink a ship
Unless it got inside.
"All the hardships of this world,
Might wear you pretty thin,
But they won't hurt you, one least bit
Unless you let them in."
"Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records." William A. Ward
"The brook would lose its song if the rocks were removed."
By trying we can easily endure adversity. Another man's, I mean. Mark Twain
How Does Your Garden Grow?
"My Brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptation; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."1
Charles H. Spurgeon said, "Stars may be seen from the bottom of a deep well when they cannot be seen from the top of the mountain. So many things are learned in adversity which the prosperous man dreams not of."
Ovid wrote, "The road to triumph is built by adversity."
Walt Disney stated: "All the adversity I've had in my life, all my
troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me…. You may not realize it when it
happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for
you."
John Adams agreed. He said, "People and nations are forged in the fires of
adversity."
Patrick Henry believed that "adversity toughens manhood, and the
characteristic of the good or the great man, is not that he has been exempted
from the evils of life, but that he has surmounted them."2
It is true, as God's Word teaches: adversity
is one of our greatest teachers.
And as Stan Mitchell said, "The child of God cannot attain spiritual
completeness without facing trials. The Africans have a saying: 'After the
rain, come the flowers.'" And then Mitchell asks, "So how does your garden
grow?"
1. James 1:2-4 (NIV).
2. The above quotes were from www.SermonCentral.com
Robert E. Chatfield
This speaks for itself.
GREATER THAN GOD
There's a popular riddle
that you may have already seen, but if you haven't, I think you'll enjoy
it. It is said that when asked this riddle, 80% of kindergarten students
got the answer, compared to 17% of Stanford university seniors. Here's
the riddle:
What is greater than God,
more evil than the devil, the poor have it, the rich want it, and if you eat it,
you'll die?
What is it??
Think about it and then
scroll down for the answer.
The answer is
"nothing". Nothing is greater than God, nothing is more evil
than the devil, the poor have nothing, the rich want nothing (I would disagree,
but we'll move on), and if you eat nothing you will die!
It seems so obvious.
Maybe that's why younger children have an easier time answering it than
educated adults. As we get more educated and more sophisticated, we look
for deeper answers. But no matter how much we learn, the question,
"What is greater than God?" (and anything else attached to it) will
always have the same answer -- "Nothing!"
"I will remember the
works of the LORD; Surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will
meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy deeds. Thy way, O God, is in the
sanctuary; Who is so great a God as our God? Thou art the God who doest
wonders..." Psalm 77:11-14
bobchat1
This is Boston
Robert E. Chatfield
Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.
"No blessing that is sealed upon us will do us any good unless we live for it
If you don't get everything you want, think of the things you don't get that you don't want.
"If you can't be content with what you have received, be thankful for what you have escaped."
The Lord's blessings are the fruits of obedience to the laws on which they are predicated. Angel Abrea
Count Your Blessings
"It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night."1
According to
Michael Shannon, "In Reed, North Carolina, you will find the Reed gold
mine. It was first excavated in 1799 when Conrad Reed discovered a strange rock
on the Reed farm. In 1802, a jeweler in Fayetteville offered Reed $3.50 for the
rock. It turns out the rock was gold and was actually worth $3,600 dollars.
What did Reed do with the rock for three years? He used it as a doorstop at his
house. How often are we oblivious to the true value of things?"2
I don't know about
you but I find it all too easy to be blind to the endless blessings daily at my
door step and take these for granted. I am afraid that this is especially so in
much of the free world where most of us have never suffered real persecution,
experienced terrorism first hand, gone hungry, been homeless, and pretty much
have all of our personal needs and many of our wants—often extravagant
wants—met.
And, tragically, here in the West so many feel that the world owes them a
living. Too soon we forget that the freedoms we enjoy were paid dearly for us
by previous generations—many of whom gave their lives to purchase our freedom.
How soon we forget that "eternal vigilance is still the price of liberty
[freedom]," and that "blessed is the nation whose God is the
Lord."3
Every day I make
an effort to thank God for all the incredible blessings that I experience
daily. As the chorus of the old time hymn we used to sing with great enthusiasm
in years gone by encourages:
Count your
blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.4
1. Psalm 92:1-2
2. J. Michael Shannon, Source: Preaching.comhttp://tinyurl.com/2cxgrg
3. Psalm 33:12
4. Johnson Oatman, Jr.
Robert E. Chatfield
Let's take a little breather and have a little fun with the English Language.
THE ENGLISH LESSON
We'll begin with box, and the plural is boxes;
But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes.
Then one fowl is goose, but two are called geese
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a whole lot of mice,
But the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
When couldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
The cow in the plural may be cows or kine,
But the plural of vow is vows, not vine.
And I speak of a foot, and you show me your feet,
But I give a boot - would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?
If the singular is this and plural is these,
Why shouldn't the plural of kiss be nicknamed kese?
Then one may be that, and three may be those,
Yet the plural of hat would never be hose;
We speak of a brother, and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
The masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine she, shis, and shim!
So our English, I think you will all agree,
Is the trickiest language you ever did see.
I take it you already know
Of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Others may stumble, but not you
On hiccough, thorough, slough, and through?
Well done! And now you wish, perhaps
To learn of less familiar traps?
Beware of heard, a dreadful word
That looks like beard and sounds like bird.
And dead; it's said like bed, not bead;
For goodness sake, don't call it deed!
Watch out for meat and great and threat,
(they rhyme with suite and straight and debt)
A moth is not a moth in mother.
Nor both in bother, broth in brother.
And here is not a match for there.
And dear and fear for bear and pear.
And then there's dose and rose and lose --
Just look them up -- and goose and choose.
And cork and work and card and ward,
And font and front and word and sword.
And do and go, then thwart and cart.
Come, come, I've hardly made a start.
A dreadful language? Why, man alive,
I'd learned to talk it when I was five,
And yet to write it, the more I tried,
I hadn't learned it at fifty-five!
Ode to Plurals
by Eugenie A. Nidia*
Mind Alertness
NOTE: The following is primarily for those for whom ENGLISH is their primary language. It is another trick of "Doctor Dementia" to test your skills.
The writer who sent this said: I've seen this
with the letters out of order, but this is the first time I've seen it with
numbers. It is a good example of a Brain Study: If you can read this OUT LOUD,
you have a strong mind. And better than that: Alzheimer's is a long, long way
down the road before it ever gets anywhere near you.
7H15 M3554G3
53RV35 7O PR0V3
H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N
D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5!
1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5!
1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG
17 WA5 H4RD BU7
N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3
Y0UR M1ND 1S
R34D1NG 17
4U70M471C4LLY
W17H 0U7 3V3N
7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17,
B3 PROUD! 0NLY
C3R741N P30PL3 C4N
R3AD 7H15.
If you can also read the following, you have a
strong mind, too.
I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty
uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid,
aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what
oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit nd
last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can
still raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed
ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe. Azanmig, huh? Yaeh and I
awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!
Robert E. Chatfield
The more I try to unravel the mysteries of the world in which we live, the more I come to the conception of a single overruling power - God. Henry B. Eyring
"God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs." Spencer W. Kimball
"How foolish it is for men...to lay aside God, and think that they can progress, and be smart and intelligent without him...Franklin possessed great information relating to natural laws. He drew the lightning from the clouds but he could not have done that if there had not been lightning in the clouds." John Taylor
Hiding in the Shadows
Dick Innis
"For in the time of trouble he [God] shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.”1
"In the movie, 'The Bear,' a bear cub whose mother died took up with a male bear. They traveled together. One of my favorite parts happened when they got separated and the little bear came upon a mountain lion. When the mountain lion came at the cub he stood up trying to scare it away. The mountain lion all of a sudden started backing away. The little bear cub thought he had scared him away, but what had really happened was that the big bear came up behind the little bear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4xueqvdb-8
It wasn't the cub, but the big bear that frightened the lion away. We may not look very frightening [to our enemy, the devil], but we have a Father that is all powerful [standing behind us]"2
For example: in the following poem, "Hide-and-Seek," I have written:
"Sometimes it seems that life
makes little or no sense
as we wander blind
searching for a ray of light
to lead us to the truth
or to a God who isn't there.
But if we will stand still and
listen with our heart we will
hear a rustling in the leaves,
feel the brush of angel's wings,
and sense the presence of a loving
Father playing hide-and-seek,
waiting patiently
wanting us to find him."3
1. Psalm 27:5
2. Sharon Stonestreet on www.SermonCentral.com.
3. Dick Innes © Copyright.
Coincidence is when God remains anonymous.
Here is an example sent by Doug Corb showing how dramatic God’s help can be when He is hiding in the shadows.