Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
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Vol. 17 – No. 4115 October 10, 2015
Thought for the week: "Our greatest legacy will be those who live eternally in heaven because of our efforts." – Unknown
"Don't fix the blame, fix the problem." – Keith S. Pennington
"The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows; it is what a man or woman is able to do that counts." – Booker T. Washington
"Don't be afraid if things seem difficult in the beginning. That's only the initial impression. The important thing is not to retreat; you have to master yourself." – Olga Korbut, Gymnast, Four Time Olympic Gold Medalist
"You are accountable for what you do, and no one else is accountable." – Edith Martin
"Even the most daring and accomplished people have undergone tremendous difficulty. In fact, the more successful they became, the more they attributed their success to the lessons learned during their most difficult times." – Barbara Rose
"Real power comes by empowering others." – Denis Waitley
Although we were being married in New Hampshire, I wanted to add a touch of my home state, Kansas, to the wedding. My fiancée, explaining this to a friend, said that we were planning to have wheat rather than rice thrown after the ceremony.
Our friend thought for a moment. Then he said solemnly, "It's a good thing she's not from Idaho."*
– Cited on ArcaMax.com
*Non Americans ... Idaho specializes in growing potatoes.
He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much; who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who has left the world better than he found it whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem or a rescued soul; who has never lacked appreciation of earth's beauty or failed to express it; who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had; whose life was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction.
When Leonardo Da Vinci was still a pupil, his elderly, well-known teacher asked him to finish a painting he had begun...
Young da Vinci stood in such awe of his master's skill that at first he respectfully declined. But his teacher would accept no excuse. He simply said, "Do your best." Trembling, da Vinci took his brush and began. With each stroke, his hand grew more steady as the genius within him awoke. Soon he was so caught up in his work that he forgot his timidity. When the painting was finished, the frail and weak master was carried into the studio to see it. Embracing his student, he exclaimed, "My son, I paint no more!"
Thought: Every Christian has unique God-given abilities. Some of us feel inferior, however, because we don't have as much talent as others. But we mustn't think that way. God doesn't hold us accountable for what we don't have. He wants us to discover and develop the skills we do have. Of course, we can't all be a Leonardo da Vinci. But we don't have to be. We're to do our best and leave the results to God.
"My mother taught me very early to believe I could achieve any accomplishment I wanted to. The first was to walk without braces." – Wilma Rudolph
I can vividly recall reading about Wilma Rudolph when I was in grade school. Her life epitomized, "breaking through limitations." Over the last three decades, I have thought about Wilma when so-called, "limitations" presented themselves in my own life. I think of Wilma, and I am passionately reminded of the amazing power of the human will.
Wilma Rudolph was born prematurely and weighed only 4.5 pounds. Most of her childhood was spent in St. Bethlehem, Tennessee. There, she was bedridden as she battled double pneumonia, scarlet fever and polio. At six years old, she lost the use of her left leg. Subsequently, she was fitted with leg braces. Later on in life, she was often quoted as saying: "I spent most of my time trying to get them off. (I had an uncompromising resolve) to be a normal kid."
At the age of 16, when she was only a sophomore in high school, the 5' 11" Wilma Rudolph won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. And, in the 1960 Rome Olympics, Rudolph became "the fastest woman in the world." She also was the first American woman to win three gold medals in one Olympics. She won the 100 and 200 meter races; and also anchored the U.S. team to victory in the 4 X 100 meter relay, breaking records along the way.
Wilma Rudolph is remembered by family and admirers alike, for her incredible calm and graceful demeanor when under pressure. Valiantly and brilliantly, she removed all of her "struggles" during the course of her lifetime.
She once said: "The most important aspect is to be yourself and have confidence in your self...triumph can't be had without a struggle."
In 1994, Wilma Rudolph died of brain cancer at the age of 54. Few would argue that she lived a full, purposeful, and triumphant life. Rudolph expected victory when just about everyone else would have understood if she'd just lay down, sit or even quit. Thank you, Wilma, for being the contrary.1
1. Fran Briggs is an author, peak performance coach and motivational speaker. She is also the President of The Fran Briggs Companies, an organization dedicated to the personal and professional development of individuals and groups around the globe. Visit Fran's web site at: www.franbriggs.com. Sent as a courtesy of: Bob Proctor. http://www.bobproctor.com
"There are different kinds of service in the church, but it is the same Lord we are serving. There are different ways God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church."1
Fascinated by the conduct of flying geese, Dr. Robert McNeish, wrote "Lessons from Geese" for a sermon in his church in 1972. Demonstrating the power of a good idea, his essay spread and has become a classic statement of the importance of teamwork.
Fact: As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an "uplift" for the birds that follow. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.
Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.
Fact: When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into formation and another goose flies to the point position.
Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each other's skills, capabilities and unique arrangements of gifts, talents or resources.
Fact: The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
Lesson: We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement, the production is much greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one's heart or core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek.
Fact: When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.
Fact: When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose, we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others.2
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to know what my God-given gifts are, develop them, and use them to work in harmony with others to help do your work in your church here on earth. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
1. 1 Corinthians 12:5-7 (NTL).
2. "Lessons from the Geese," was written in 1972 by Dr Robert McNeish of Baltimore. Cited on Character Counts, www.charactercounts.org. For verification of the author see research by Sue Widemark at: http://suewidemark.com/lessonsgeese.htm
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