Thursday, March 31, 2011


"Never, never, never, give in."

In the archive of my memories are some of Winston Churchill's war-time speeches.

Several were repeated on the B.B.C. His "We will never surrender" speech was a rallying cry for the nation and his "Never, never, never give in" inspired the hearts of every school boy.

Some of that spirit must have transferred to my young and eager heart.

Later in life, even if my head was down the stork's gullet, I was going to strangle the creature no matter what!

Look up today, determine to throttle the beast rather than succumb to the slow digestion of despair, and prove that God is a very present help in time of trouble.

Ian

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

sayings that helped change my life


"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all thy ways and He shall direct they paths."

Back in 1962 in my college days in England I was challenged by these verses from Proverbs ( 3:5-6).

They offered a simple choice to either trust God or to trust my own brains.

There was no third option.

I pondered the point, for I was at a fork in life's highway.

Should I follow the route of intellectual pursuit or take the road less travelled and believe that Someone else would direct my paths?

I couldn't sit in the parking lot of indecision for long, so I revved up and chose the ramp marked "Proverbs 3:5-6".

49 years later I'm still en-route and its been a great adventure.

Honk your horn if you are on the same journey.

Ian



Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Sayings that have helped to change my life.



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"The friends thou hast, their adoption tried , grapple them to thy heart with hooks of steel."

The wee picture is that of Polonius passing on those words of counsel to his son, Laertes in Shakespeare's ' Hamlet'.
 

A few minutes ago it was announced that Liz Taylor's estate amounted to a billion dollars. "Oh really!" She also left it all behind along with a trail of wrecked relationships.

In that regard she has a lesson to teach us.

Count your friendships most precious before all other assets in your life. "Grapple them to your heart." says Polonius.

Your spouse, your children, your grandchildren, your proven friends and, above all, your friendship with Jesus.

After all you wouldn't want your bank manager to be giving the eulogy at your funeral!

Ian

Monday, March 28, 2011

This week:Sayings that have helped change my life.


"England expects that every man this day will do his duty."

This famous message, hung in flags from the mizzen mast of H.M.S. Victory, preluded the greatest of England's naval triumphs at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

It was a bloody affair for all involved. The man who sent the message did his 'duty' and lost his life doing it.

Would that all of life's tasks and challenges filled us with euphoria and exhileration. Experience teaches us differently. Most days we rise to face the common call of duty.

Millions of us, house-wives, fathers, mothers, workers, warriors, doctors, ditch-diggers, peasants and preachers without fanfare or fame, just doing our duty.

A pupil in the school where I taught did an essay on "Who is my hero?"  He wrote the following: "On Monday my mother did the washing and hung it out to dry. Our dog knocked down the clothes-prop and the sheets were all muddy. My mother never said a word. She did the sheets all over again and then made my dinner. She's my hero."

Do your God-given duty today and you will be someone else's hero.

Ian

Sunday, March 27, 2011

This week: sayings that have helped change my life.



Travelling along Wavertree Road in Liverpool England in the 1960's I read the inscription over the door of the Public Library. It was by Francis Bacon:

"Reading mayketh a full man, conversation mayketh a ready man and writing mayketh an exact man."

 I thought to myself, 'I'm pretty good at conversation but what of my reading? If I'm not well read what I have to say is just YAK YAK.'

Then I thought to myself  'If I  have not learned clarity through writing it's just BLAH BLAH.'

May God deliver us all from adding more hot air to global warming!

Having a daily breakfast post will assist anyone in the art of brevity.

About 100 words plus picture is not a grand-slam breakfast: it's an egg McMuffin and coffee to go. Nevertheless, if it puts an upward thought in some one's mind at the beginning of the day then the words are not wasted, and it's just possible that the fast food in the wrapper was from God.

Ian.