Sermon Illustrations on Attitude

Ten Commandments To Make Yourself Miserable.

”Ten Commandments to make yourself miserable.”

1) I must be liked by everybody for everything I do.

2) I cannot be happy unless everything is exactly the way I want it to be.

3) All the unhappiness I suffer is always caused by outside events or other people. I am just a victim.

4) It is wiser for me to avoid life’s difficulties than to face them and deal with them.

5) I must succeed in all situations or I am a failure in life.

6) Because a negative experience happened to me once, I shall forever be defeated by it.

7) I must have certain and complete control over all people and events in my life, or chaos will result.

8) I must put my happiness and comfort at the top of my priority list in order to live a fulfilled life.

9) I must compare and contrast myself with other people in order to know if I’m successful or not.

10) I must have certainty of success before I ever attempt anything.

Grumps Are Infectious

There’s a contagion on the loose, and it doesn’t need body fluid, a sneeze, or even air to jump from one person to another, says Eric Adler in THE KANSAS CITY STAR. It’s called a bad mood. Several recent studies have shown that moods are extremely contagious – with bad moods spreading more easily than good ones.

In one study, Purdue University researchers showed one group of subjects a funny clip from FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF, while another group viewed the wrenching “choice” scene from the movie SOPHIE’S CHOICE. People who viewed the sad scene, the study showed, usually dominated the mood of a group of people who hadn’t seen either film.

Other studies have shown that roommates, spouses, and co-workers can easily “infect” each other with depression and general negativity. “It’s one of the most robust phenomena I’ve ever seen,” says researcher Rich Saavedra.

Since most bad moods are absorbed unconsciously, researchers say that the best way to combat the effect is to be aware when you start to “catch” a sour attitude.

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[Original illustration at this number was deleted for being obsolete]

An Alphabet of Vision

Luke 12:32

A-B-C-D-E: an alphabet of vision.

A. Attitude. When you have vision it affects your attitude. Your

attitude is optimistic rather than pessimistic.

B. Belief. This is nothing more than having a strong belief in the

power of God; having confidence in others around you who

are in similar battles with you; and, yes, having

confidence in yourself, by the grace of God.

C. Capacity. What I have in mind here is a willingness to be stretched.

D. Determination. Determination is hanging tough when the going gets rough.

E. Enthusiasm. Great word. Its Greek origin is entheos, "God in." It is

the ability to see God in a situation, which makes the

event exciting.

He Can't Swim, Can He?

Ezra 4:4

There were two farmers. One was a pessimist, the other was an optimist.

The optimist would say, “Wonderful sunshine.” The pessimist would respond, “Yeah, I’m afraid it’s going to scorch the crops.” The optimist would say, “Fine rain.” The pessimist would respond, “Yeah, I’m afraid we are going to have a flood.”

One day the optimist said to the pessimist, “Have you seen my new bird dog? He’s the finest money can buy.” The pessimist said, “You mean that mutt I saw penned up behind your house? He don’t look like much to me.” The optimist said, “How about going hunting with me tomorrow?” The pessimist agreed.

They went. They shot some ducks. The ducks landed on the pond. The optimist ordered his dog to get the ducks. The dog obediently responded. Instead of swimming in the water after the ducks, the dog walked on top of the water, retrieved the ducks, and walked back on top of the water.

The optimist turned to the pessimist and said, “Now, what do you think of that?” Whereupon the pessimist replied, “Hmmm, he can’t swim, can he?”

________

From John Haggai, “How to Win Over Worry.”

Great Value In Disaster

Luke 18:1

Thomas Edison’s laboratory was virtually destroyed by fire in December, 1914. Although the damage exceeded $2 million, the buildings were only insured for $238,000 because they were made of concrete and thought to be fireproof. Much of Edison’s life’s work went up in spectacular flames that December night.

At the height of the fire, Edison’s 24-year-old son, Charles, frantically searched for his father among the smoke and debris. He finally found him, calmly watching the scene, his face glowing in the reflection, his white hair blowing in the wind.

“My heart ached for him,” said Charles. “He was 67 — no longer a young man — and everything was going up in flames. When he saw me, he shouted, “Charles, where’s your mother?” When I told him I didn’t know, he said, “Find her. Bring her here. She will never see anything like this as long as she lives.”

The next morning, Edison looked at the ruins and said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.”

Three weeks after the fire, Edison managed to deliver his first phonograph.

________

[see also HolwickID #11967]

Joy Is Where You Make It

Job 8:21

If you have ever gone through a toll booth, you know that your relationship to the person in the booth is not the most intimate you’ll ever have. It is one of life’s frequent nonencounters: You hand over some money; you might get change; you drive off.

Late one morning in 1984, headed for lunch in San Francisco, I drove toward a booth. I heard loud music. It sounded like a party. I looked around. No other cars with their windows open. No sound trucks. I looked at the toll booth. Inside it, the man was dancing.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m having a party,” he said.

“What about the rest of the people?” I looked at the other toll booths.

He said, “What do those look like to you?” He pointed down the row of toll booths.

“They look like… toll booths. What do they look like to you?”

He said, “Vertical coffins. At 8:30 every morning, live people get in. Then they die for eight hours. At 4:30, like Lazarus from the dead, they reemerge and go home. For eight hours, brain is on hold, dead on the job. Going through the motions.”

I was amazed. This guy had developed a philosophy, a mythology about his job. Sixteen people dead on the job, and the seventeenth, in precisely the same situation, figures out a way to live. I could not help asking the next question: “Why is it different for you? You’re having a good time.”

He looked at me. “I knew you were going to ask that. I don’t understand why anybody would think my job is boring. I have a corner office, glass on all sides. I can see the Golden Gate, San Francisco, and the Berkeley hills. Half the Western world vacations here… and I just stroll in every day and practice dancing.”

________

I Am the Master of My Fate

Luke 10:19

"I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul."

William Ernest Henley had been in the Edinburgh Infirmary nearly two years, while Dr. Lister tried desperately to save his remaining foot. He had suffered since childhood from an agonizing tubercular infection of the bones, for which the usual Victorian remedy was amputation. One foot had already been removed, and the other was threatened. Dr. Lister had a new method of treating infections which he thought might save young Henley’s foot, and keep him from becoming a complete cripple. Henley had been subjected to so many operations he had lost count – twenty at least, in the last twenty months! But he was not beaten yet.

Out of the pain and suffering of his own personal life, out of the courage, and faith, and fortitude which he accepted the cruel blows of fate, came “Invictus” – one of the most emotionally powerful and uplifting poems ever written:

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

[see also HolwickID #19247]

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Refreshed By Joy

Philippians 4:4

Sermon in 50 Day Adventure series. #4 - Tracking joys. Phil. 4:4-8

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REFRESHED BY JOY

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I. Rejoice, or else!

II. Make a choice: Joy is inward-looking. 4:4

A. Joy is a choice made by those who discipline their attitudes.

B. Have a grateful heart (and mind). 4:8-9

C. Learn contentment for the here-and-now. 4:11

III. Work for others: Joy is outward-looking.

A. Joy is best experienced in relationships.

B. Fellowship produces joy. 1:25-26

C. We can find joy through service. 1:18

IV. Pray: Joy is upward-looking.

A. Letter's first mention of joy is linked with prayer. 1:4

B. Pray about everything. 4:6

C. Find joy through worship.

V. Focus on future hope: Joy is future-looking. 1:21; 3:20

#3584

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ABC News Presents Profound Happy Talk

Job 8:21

Don't fall off the sofa, couch potatoes, but happiness could be as easy as turning off your television set. Or at least that might be a start. "People who are passive, who are vegetative, dare I say watching television, are less likely to report themselves happy than people who are actively doing things," says psychologist Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania. Dennis Heathey, a paralyzed teacher of the homeless, dismisses television as a source of joy. "There's no human interaction there," he says. "It's the relational activity that makes me happy. Sharing in somebody else's happiness is GREAT." These observations come, quite surprisingly, from television. And the source of this biting-the-hand-that-feeds-you? ABC News, in a refreshing - and reassuring - special called "The Mystery of Happiness: Who has It & How to Get It." John Stossel starts off by reminding viewers how difficult life has been through most of history. People struggled in poverty. Food was scarce. Disease killed off many children. Earthly happiness was unimaginable.

Thomas Jefferson changed that in the Declaration of Independence, and Americans have been thinking about the pursuit of happiness ever since. People in other parts of the world don't have as much time to think about happiness. In this age of anxiety, most Americans say they're happy. Yet that hasn't stopped Stossel from debunking some of misconceptions about what leads to happiness. Money can't guarantee joy, several lottery winners acknowledge. A woman won $26 million watched her marriage fall apart.

Beyond the anecdotal, the ABC special explores new scientific theories about happiness. An X-ray style test indicates that a happy person has increased activity in the brains left frontal area. Good-sport Stossel takes the test at the University of Wisconsin, and the results confirm he's not predisposed to happiness. "What a whiner I am!" he confesses. Other tests bolster the view that happy people are born that way. Identical twins, even those who grow apart, share a similar outlook, according to a University of Minnesota study. The University of Maryland has found that children are born with biological predispositions. Yet that shouldn't deter anyone from working toward happiness.

To stress points about optimism, faith and the importance of control, the special talks to such diverse subjects as Olympic swimmer Matt Biondi; U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz; a symphony conductor; an Amish woman and a couple married 54 years. McCain endured 5 years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam because he had a "a fundamental belief that things in the end were going to be OK." And if people don't feel that way, they can change. Stossel gives a few pointers: Laughter helps. Putting on a happy face can make a difference. The approach could be called the Nike philosophy: Just do it.

To Illustrate: Expectations

Luke 2:38

Craig Randall drives a garbage truck in Peabody, Massachusetts. In a garbage container one day, he noticed a Wendy’s soft drink cup bearing a contest sticker. Having won a chicken sandwich the week before, Randall checked it, hoping for some french fries or a soft drink.

Instead, he peeled a sticker worth $200,000 toward the construction of a new home, reports U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT (11/6/95).

What we get out of life depends a lot on what we look for. Are we more likely to see each experience as trash or a potential treasure?

________

Bob Weniger; Ft. Collins, Colorado

A Rigged Coin Toss

Job 7:11

Mental attitude is a factor in 90% of illness. Negative, bitter people get sick more often and severely.

Extreme example in Gloucester, Massachusetts, hospital. Celeste Holwick had her as a patient. This woman was so bitter her digestive track wouldn't work.

She cursed at every nurse and orderly who came within shouting distance. She didn't mumble, either. Every curse was carefully articulated so that the entire hospital wing could benefit from her bile. In the whole time she was there, she never said a kind word to anyone. Not even once.

Her attitude did more than make her sick. It ended up alienating her from the ones who could help her the most. The nurses flipped coins to see who would be stuck with her. (Usually it was my wife Celeste - they had it rigged.)

Things We Can Learn From A Dog

John 10:10

Things We Can Learn from a Dog:

1. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.

2. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure

ecstasy.

3. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

4. When it's in your best interest, always practice obedience.

5. Let others know when they've invaded your territory.

6. Take naps and always stretch before rising.

7. Run, romp, and play daily.

8. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.

9. Be loyal.

10. Never pretend to be something you're not.

11. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

12. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them

gently.

13. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

14. Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

15. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

16. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

17. When you are happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

18. No matter how often you are criticized, don't buy into the guilt thing

and pout. Run right back and make friends.

#4404

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Happiness and Attitude

”A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes. — Hugh Downs, Television Newsperson

Questions to Ponder

• Is my happiness based on events or an inner choice?

• Do my attitudes support my happiness the large majority of the time?

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[original illustation at this number was added to HolwickID #5044]

Positive Attitude. How Are You?

When someone asks, How are you?, what do you say? Your answer to this question is usually no more than a few words. And yet, that short response says a lot about you — and your attitude.

I’ve observed that the responses to How are you? can be classified into three categories: negative, mediocre and positive. The negative replies include phrases such as lousy, terrible and it’s not my day. Those in the mediocre group will typically respond with okay (in a listless, uninterested voice), not too bad or could be worse.

Then, there’s the positive approach. These are the enthusiastic people who respond: Excellent!, Terrific!, Super! or Fantastic! They have a bounce in their step and you feel a little better just by being around them. (NOTE: the phrase fine straddles the fence between mediocre and positive — it all depends on the energy and enthusiasm of the speaker.)

Into which category do you fall? If you are in the negative or mediocre group, I suggest that you immediately consider revising your response and joining the ranks of the positive. Here’s why. When you are asked How are you? and you say horrible or not too bad, your physiology is adversely affected. You tend to slump your shoulders and head and take on a depressed posture.

And what about your emotions? After stating that you are lousy, do you feel better? Of course not. You feel even more down in the dumps because negative words and thoughts generate negative feelings, and eventually, negative results. It’s a vicious cycle!

And it’s up to you to break it. Even if real circumstances in your life persuaded you to state that you are lousy — perhaps a promising business deal fell through, or your child received poor grades in school — your gloomy attitude does nothing to improve the situation. And, to make matters worse, your mediocre or negative reply turns others off; they are dragged down just being around you and hearing your pessimism.

If all of these negative consequences flow from your words, why do you continue to say them? More than likely, it’s because you haven’t recognized that you have a CHOICE in the matter. Instead, you’re following a habit that you developed many years ago … a habit that no longer serves you.

You see, your own words are a self?fulfilling prophesy — if you say everything is terrible, your mind is attracted to those people and circumstances that will cause that statement to be true. If, on the other hand, you repeatedly state that your life is Wonderful! your mind will begin to move you in a positive direction.

For instance, just consider what happens when you respond that you are Excellent! or Terrific! As you say these words, your physiology begins to correspond with your optimistic language. Your posture is more upright. Other people are attracted to your energy and vitality. Your business and personal relationships improve. Will all of your life’s problems magically disappear? No, but you’ve set in motion a very important principle: we get what we expect in life.

Even if you presently use positive words when someone asks How are you?, you can further improve your situation by raising your reply by a notch or two. For instance, if you usually say fine, begin to say that you’re Excellent! or Great! You’ll be amazed at how different you feel, and how people respond even more positively to you.

On occasions when you feel a little tired or sluggish, simply apply the act?as?if principle. In other words, if you want to be more energetic, act?as?if you already are and, pretty soon, you’ll find that you have, in fact, boosted your energy level!

So, for the next month, try this experiment. When anyone asks How are you? — whether it’s someone at work or a cashier at the store — respond with energy and enthusiasm that you’re Excellent! or Terrific! Say it with a smile and a sparkle in your eye.

Remember, it doesn’t matter whether or not you really feel terrific at that moment. (Now, I’m not talking about those instances when you are, in fact, ill and need medical attention. If this is the case, by all means consult a doctor and take care of yourself!)

At the beginning, you may feel a little uncomfortable with such an enthusiastic response to the common question, How are you? But don’t worry. Stick with it and eventually you’ll grow into it. You’ll quickly notice that you feel better, that others respond to you in a more positive manner and that positive results start to come your way. Now that would really be Great!

[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #13499]

Idealists and Skeptics

"A realist is an idealist who has gone through the fire and been purified. A skeptic is an idealist who has gone through the fire and been burned." (Warren Wiersbe)

Myth of Happy Ever After

”A girl dreams of having a husband, and her fantasy imagines a perfect one: tender & loving & always sensitive. Add to the picture a couple of kids who easily stand out as the cutest kids on the block, the brightest in school, and the best behaved in church. Life with this family will be lived in a beautiful house, the kind featured in Good Housekeeping . Eventually the dreamer falls in love. Passions are intense; he seems so right. The premarital counseling, however useful for other mortals, offers little in her judgment, for she and her fiancé enjoy a relationship obviously made in heaven. By the time she discovers that he gets his undershirt dirty like everyone else, new dreams have emerged to sustain her. She eagerly awaits the arrival of children, she budgets and saves for a new house, she cultivates a circle of friends. But then, usually somewhere in the mid-thirties, an inner change takes place. Depression sets in, and with it comes a vague restlessness, a nameless yearning. She still loves her husband and children. Nevertheless, she seems to have such emptiness within. Her dreams have come true — and that’s part of the problem. Reality never touches the false ideal. The husband has his difficult side, the children fight and fuss, and even a beautiful house can’t cure boredom. An indescribable hunger wells up from the deep recesses of her being, an intense loneliness overwhelms her.”

Donald McCullough, “The Pitfall of Positive Thinking.” Christianity Today 29 [Sept. 6, 1985]:23-24.

Attitude Is 100%

ATTITUDE

Giving each letter of the alphabet a number, a=1, b=2, etc. If you add up the letters of the alphabet in the word "Attitude" this is the result:

A = 1

T = 20

I = 9

T = 20

U = 21

D = 4

E = 5

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100%

Getting Into God's Word - Proverbs

Proverbs 15

A systematic approach to applying the wisdom of Proverbs to daily life.

The book of Proverbs is a 31-chapter catalog of short, pithy statements revealing God's perspective on daily life. You'll find maxims on everything from keeping a lid on your temper to the side effects of drinking too much. Proverbs also comments extensively on relationships, mentioning more than 180 different kinds of people.

The study that follows is a systematic approach to examining Proverbs chapter by chapter. It will prompt you to look for several different kinds of content and spur you to think more deeply about the daily contexts in which they're applied. This study uses nine words to help you to observe the text from different points of view.

These key words serve the same purpose as a metal detector: They enable you to locate treasure that's buried just beneath the surface of the biblical soil. Let's take a look at each word and illustrate the process using Proverbs 15.

COMMUNICATION

Start your devotional time with a moment of communication with the Lord. Ask Him to increase your powers of observation and to show you how the verses in the chapter relate to your life. Make the psalmist's prayer your own: "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law" (Ps. 119:18). When you finish praying, read the proverb that corresponds with the day of the month.

HOME

Home is one of the primary contexts in which we apply biblical truth to our lives. As you read a chapter, try to link its content to situations around the house. Does a verse make you think of your relationship with your spouse, roommate, or one of your children? Many of the passages in Proverbs could be applied to your home life. To keep from getting bogged down, look for one verse that gives insight relevant to your life at the moment.

As I read Proverbs 15, I pondered this question: Which verse speaks loudest to the things I'm currently experiencing at home? God's Spirit directed my attention to verse 1: "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." I recalled a recent incident in which I had reprimanded my two sons for arguing, using harsh words of my own. What an example! I had yelled at them for yelling at each other. I quickly saw a connection between this verse and my experience. It nudged me to confess my outburst to the Lord and to apologize to the boys.

ATTITUDES

An attitude is a feeling or internal reaction we have toward a person or circumstance. Terms such as humble, joyous, teachable, pessimistic, and thankful describe a few attitudes. As you read each chapter of Proverbs, consider these questions:

* What attitudes does the text compliment?

* What attitudes does it censure?

These questions made me sensitive to Prov. 15:31: "He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise." This verse exalts a teachable spirit -- a willingness to learn from others. The Lord reminded me of how valuable feedback can be, even if it seems painful at times. He doesn't ask me to agree with everyone, but He does expect me to listen and consider what has been said.

RELATIONSHIPS

Relationships are one of the most common subjects in Proverbs. What connections do you see between the chapter and your relationships outside your home? Each chapter may speak to the way you relate to friends, neighbors, coworkers, and even your enemies. Does one verse prick your conscience and convict you to make specific changes in the way you're relating to someone?

When I viewed Proverbs 15 with relationships in mind, I stopped at verse 22: "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." I had been wrestling with a decision for days but couldn't sort through the issues to reach a satisfactory conclusion. This verse convicted me about my solo effort to make the decision and prodded me to make an appointment with a close friend to talk about it. His input clarified my alternatives and helped me work through my fuzzy thinking.

ACTIONS

Some proverbs refer to behavior patterns that God either applauds or denounces. In each chapter, try to pinpoint one behavior that God wants you to implement or curb. However, don't compile a long list of action plans from each chapter. When we try to make many changes at once, we'll likely overload our capacity and fail to make meaningful changes, resulting in frustration instead of increased obedience.

Sometimes the action we need to take will be related to one of the other observations we've already made in the study. For example, the Home phase of the study had already convicted me about speaking harshly with my boys. A few minutes later, as I meditated on the chapter in light of my actions, God reminded me again to apologize to my kids later in the day. Two steps in this study worked in tandem to move me toward one concrete action.

CONSEQUENCES

Other passages in Proverbs describe the positive or negative consequences of a particular course of action. They cause us to consider the ramifications of our decisions, motivating us to discard unwise behaviors.

Proverbs 15:25 warned me about the damaging consequences of pride: "The Lord tears down the proud man's house." This verse reminded me of a similar passage I had previously memorized: "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18). After reflecting on these verses, I thanked the Lord once again for the success of a seminar I had just led. These proverbs reminded me of how dangerous it is to accept the credit that the Lord deserves.

TONGUE

Over 100 verses in Proverbs talk about the tongue. Identifying these verses will help you understand God's "philosophy of conversation." These verses describe both conversational sins and ways to minister to others with our words.

When I focused on the subject of speech, verse 23 grabbed my attention: "A man finds joy in giving an apt reply -- and how good is a timely word!" Providing an apt answer or a timely word requires a listening posture. I asked the Lord to help me overcome a tendency to interrupt others during conversation.

EXPRESSION

The word expression refers to something we voice or convey to others. We express our faith when we witness to an unbeliever, lead a Bible study, or share a truth that has impacted our lives.

As you probe the proverbs, pick out a truth to express to someone else. Did a verse encourage you? Did the Holy Spirit expose a problem that you need to discuss with a friend? Did something remind you of a wayward friend who needs your loving reproof? Ask the Lord for an appropriate opportunity to express something you learned in the chapter.

REMEMBRANCE

Which maxim from the chapter challenged you the most or left the biggest impression on your conscience? Spend some time meditating on that verse and committing it to memory. Memorization gives the Holy Spirit fuel to work with throughout the day and increases the likelihood of applying biblical truth to your life. The verses you've already identified in your study are strong candidates for memorization.

Since the Lord had used Prov. 15:1 to convict me of my rude tone of voice around the house, I decided to memorize it. Now when I'm tempted to overreact during a clash, I recall that verse's words: "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." These memorized words spur me to whisper an S.O.S. prayer and keep me from a major blowup.

GROWING IN CHARACTER

The first letters of the words in this study form an acronym: CHARACTER. Applying truth from Proverbs to your life daily will stimulate character growth in your walk with God. As you use this study, remember that it is a tool to enhance your vision as you read, not a legalistic straightjacket. Think of it as a kaleidoscopic approach that enables you to see many facets of truth in each chapter. Some days you may discover verses for each word. Other days may not yield as many observations. If necessary, take two or three days to explore a single chapter. Take as much time as you need to soak deeply in the wisdom of this practical book.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TERRY POWELL is a professor at Columbia International University in Columbia, South Carolina. He is the author of "Lord, Give Me Wisdom" (WinePress).

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Making Six Months Seem Like A Lifetime

There is a story of a young man who was told by his doctor that he had only six months to live. In shock, the young man asked if there was anything that could be done. After all, he was still a young man and had many things left to do in life.

The doctor thought about his question for a bit, and then finally gave him a solution. The doctor told the young man to go out and find the ugliest, most cantankerous woman in the county and marry her. He told the young man to insure that he found a woman who would incessantly nag him, and complain about everything he said or did.

Then he had to go out and buy the most beat-up old pickup truck he could find, preferably one that wouldn't run all of the time. Then he needed to buy a run down old apartment right in the middle of downtown Orlando.

Somewhat skeptical the young man looked at the doctor and asked, "Doc, are you sure that this will help me to live longer?" "Not at all," replied the doctor, "but it sure will make six months seem like a lifetime!"

How To Be Perfectly Miserable

If your aim is to be miserable most of the time, the following ten actions will help you reach that state of misery in record time:

1. Think only about yourself. Talk much about yourself. Include "I" as

much as you can in every conversation.

2. Pay close attention to what people think and say about you.

3. Expect to be appreciated.

4. Cultivate suspicion, jealousy and envy.

5. Be sensitive to every slight insult. Never forgive a criticism.

6. Trust nobody but yourself.

7. Insist upon special consideration.

8. Demand that everyone agree with your views and opinions on everything.

9. Shirk your duties and responsibilities if you can.

10. Do as little as possible for other people.

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Quotes On Motivation

Mark 10:27

"Some people will see the light only when they feel the heat."

-- Unknown; cited in More of...The Best of BITS & PIECES

"When people are highly motivated, it's easy to accomplish the impossible. And when they're not, it's impossible to accomplish the easy."

-- Bob Collings, cited in BITS & PIECES (B&P)

"You get the best effort from others not by lighting a fire beneath them, but by building a fire within."

-- Bob Wilson, writer, cited in Even More of...The Best of BITS & PIECES

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily."

-- Zig Ziglar, QFTM 5/15/01

“A mediocre idea that generates enthusiasm will go further than a great idea that inspires no one.”

-- Mary Kay Ash

“Love is a better master than duty.”

-- Albert Einstein

“To succeed, you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you.”

-- Tony Dorsett

“When a goal matters enough to a person, that person will find a way to accomplish what at first seemed impossible.”

-- Nido Qubein

“The clearer you are about the consequences of your actions and the more intensely you desire to enjoy the consequences that your behaviors may lead to, the more motivated you will be.”

-- Brian Tracy

“Inspiration comes of working every day.”

-- Charles Baudelaire

"A man always has two reasons for the things he does -- a good one and the real one."

-- Attributed to J. P. Morgan, business tycoon (B&P)

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Inspirational Quotes - Attitudes

Attitudes are contagious ... is yours worth catching?

If it's to be, it's up to me.

Your attitude, not your aptitude is the chief determinant of your success.

You are where you are and what you are because of the thoughts that dominate your mind.

We are either masters or victims of our attitudes. It's a matter of personal choice ... blessing or curse.

The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel, are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur.

-- Vincent Lombardi

____________________

Today I shall behave as though this day is the one by which I shall be remembered.

-- R.A. Twerski

____________________

You can change your thinking and thereby change your life. You can do this by deliberately imaging into your subconscious good ideas, positive images, instead of negative ones. You are constantly in a state of becoming. And you become what you think.

-- Mary Crowe

=================================================

From "Quotes from the Masters," September 13, 2001:

"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult undertaking which, more than anything else, will determine its successful outcome."

-- William James

"No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit."

-- Helen Keller

"The cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing."

-- Oscar Wilde

"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."

-- Thomas Jefferson

"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

-- Winston Churchill (Quotes from the Masters, 12/11/01)

*

Rules of the Road

Luke 21:34

Though somewhat younger, my wife and I attend a church that caters to senior citizens. We like it because of the traditional service and very friendly elderly people. One in particular is a lady in her early eighties, who cheerfully greets us at the same door every Sunday morning with a smile and kind words. We look forward to seeing Betty and giving her an occasional hug.

On a Sunday when I went to church alone, Betty handed me a small piece of paper and asked me to read it when I had time. On the slip of paper she had written, "Here are some phrases to thing about over an egg enjoyed from an egg cup."

"Stay loose -- learn to watch snails. Make little signs that say

yes. Make friends with freedom and uncertainty. Cry during

movies. Swing as high as you can on a swing by moonlight. Do it

for love. Take lots of naps. Give money away. Do it now. The

money will follow. Believe in magic. Laugh a lot. Celebrate

every gorgeous moment. Read every day. Giggle with children.

Listen to those older than you are. Entertain your inner child.

Get wet. Hug trees. Write more letters. Eat a soft-boiled egg

from an egg cup with a candle on the table. Glory."

One Sunday we got to church and entered without a greeting. During the service it dawned on me that our friend Betty was not at her post on this morning. After the service, we went to the fellowship hall for coffee, and I asked another lady where Betty was. She told me that she had been hit by a car and had been flown by helicopter to the hospital in the south of the county. She was small and frail, but not a bone had been broken. She said that Betty was mad because she had always wanted to ride on a helicopter and she couldn't remember a thing.

I discovered that Betty had been moved to a rehabilitation center near my office, so I stopped in to visit for a few minutes. She was in therapy, but I finally found her sitting at a table alone. I walked over to her and saw that she was horribly bruised on the whole left side of her face and body. She smiled when she saw me walking over to her.

I said, "Betty, do you remember that list you gave me about how to enjoy life?"

She smiled again and said, "Yes I do."

I said, "Well, I have another thing to add to the list."

She said, "What is it?"

I said, "Look both ways."

She broke out laughing and reached out to give me a hug.

________________________

*

A Working Attitude

The noted English architect Sir Christopher Wren [designer of St. Paul’s Cathedral] was supervising the construction of a magnificent cathedral in London. A journalist thought it would be interesting to interview some of the workers, so he chose three and asked them this question, “What are you doing?”

The first replied, “I’m cutting stone for 10 shillings a day.”

The next answered, “I’m putting in 10 hours a day on this job.”

But the third said, “I’m helping Sir Christopher Wren construct one of London’s greatest cathedrals.”

What a difference attitude makes! Perhaps you are employed in a menial occupation, one in which the monotony of the work makes you weary.

(untitled)

"It Shows In Your Face"

You don't have to tell how you live each day;

You don't have to say if you work or play;

A tried true barometer serves in its place.

However you live, it will show in your face.

If your life is unselfish, if for others you live,

For not what you get, but how much you can give,

If you live close to God, in His infinite grace,

You don't have to tell it-- it shows in your face.

--Church of Christ, Lee's Summit, MO

Illustration

Luke 7:36

The visitor dropped in on the church service in less-than-formal attire. I felt pity for him when I saw his destitute appearance. By the end of the service, however, I realized I was the destitute one.

Spending over an hour getting ready, I primped and prepared, making sure my outfit and accessories were flawlessly put together. Yet what I neglected was far more evident than what I had spent time on - I had neglected to prepare myself spritually for worship. I had been so consumed with my outward appearance that I had no time for reflection on my inward attitude.

As I heard him singing and watched his rapt attention to the preacher’s words, I sensed it was his singleness of purpose - his deep love of God - which brought him into the house of the Lord. I was upgraided at my own lack of love.

The visitor embodied the very essence of God’s grace. Grace which looks beyond the rough exteriors and sees straight to the heart -- to who we are on the inside.

The Pharisee invited Jesus into his home, but not into his heart. (Luke 7:36-50). The visitor, by his presence, was enough to convince me that I would do well to spend less time on my clothes and more time on my knees.

(untitled)

There is a very touching story told of a poor woman with two children who had not had a bed for them to lie upon and scarcely any clothes to cover them. In the depth of winter they were nearly frozen, and the mother took the door of a cellar off the hinges and set it up before 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 mother, when she complained of how bad off they were, “Mother, what do those children do who have no cellar door to put up in front of them?”

#8621

*

(untitled)

In the cartoon strip “Arlo and Janice” we find Arlo waking up, looking in the mirror, and doing his best to practice all he knows about having a positive mental attitude. As he glances into the mirror, he says to himself, beaming,

“A new day, ripe for the picking!” He straightens his tie, and says,

“Opportunity unlimited, pleasures untold.!” Then his smile turns to his frown and his hands drop to his side. “Ha” he says dejectedly, and walks away.

Arlo’s ability to see through the empty promises of merely thinking yourself to better living is not only fodder for a good laugh, but serves as a reminder of a biblical truth: Christ is the key to “opportunity unlimited and pleasures untold” — not the powers of the naked mind.

#8622

*

The Bald Knight

A bald knight, who wore a wig, went out to hunt. A sudden puff of wind blew off his hat and wig, at which a loud laugh rang forth from his companions. He pulled up his horse, and with great glee joined in the joke by saying, “What a marvel it is that hairs which are not mine should fly from me, when they have forsaken even the man on whose head they grew.”

Like the knight in this fable, Christians always need to keep an optimistic view of life. Indeed, there’s always a bright side in any given situation; we just have to look for it (and keeping a little sense of humor wouldn’t hurt either).

Comparing Goliath's Size To God

The nine-foot 400-pound Goliath challenged the children of Israel and blasphemed Almighty God. David, a 17-year-old fuzzy-checked lad who came to visit his brothers demanded to know why they weren’t accepting the challenge. The brothers explained that you could easily get hurt by fighting fellows like Goliath. They felt certain Goliath was just to big to hit. David knew that Goliath was too big to miss with God’s help. Next David wanted to know where the king was and his brothers explained that the King didn’t feel so good. When David told the brothers he would fight Goliath they figured he was crazy. Obviously, the brothers were comparing their size to Goliath’s, and that made nine foot Goliath petty big. David was comparing Goliath’s size to God, and that quite obviously made Goliath petty small.

– Zig Ziglar

Living Above

Over the door of a little cabinet maker’s shop in London there hangs this sign: “Living Above.” It is a notification to his customers that he can be found above his shop if the door is locked. It is a great thing for a worker to be able to say he is living above his work; that his dreams and hopes and real life are above the level of his day’s toil. He may have to work amid the clods and clutter, but at least he can live above. No matter how lowly a man’s work, his life can be above. – Moody Monthly

#10800

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Why He Climbed Higher

Frank W. Boreham passes on a story told by Handley Page, the airman. When Page landed at Kobar, in Arabia, a large rat managed to get into his airplane. When Page was in mid-air he discovered the rat's presence by the sound of gnawing behind him. Alarmed at the thought of the damage which those pitiless teeth might do, the aviator remembered that a rat is unable to survive in high altitudes. He determined to soar, and rose until he found difficulty in breathing. At length he ventured to descend to a lower level and upon landing he discovered that the rat was dead.

We must climb higher spiritually, lest those things which gnaw at the vitals of our relationship with Christ bring about our fall into the abyss of eternal death. -- The Y. C. Companion

#10801

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One Who Had the Right Attitude About Adversity

Job 2:11

Early in my ministry I met a seriously handicapped man. Worral had been stricken with rheumatoid arthritis at age 15, and when I met him 30 years later, he was totally paralyzed except for one finger, could barely speak and was totally blind. But he had a string tied to that one mobile finger that could turn on a recorder. He wrote for national magazines, authored books and led a happy and influential life from his bed.

This was possible because after initial prayers brought no healing, he accepted his lot graciously and said, “Well Lord! If this is the size plot in life you've staked out for me, let's you and me together show the world what we can grow on it.”

Down the path of humble acceptance, Worral achieved a happier and more useful life within the limitations of a very restricted circumstance than most people ever will manage with excellent abilities.

What Makes Life 100%?

We have all been to those meetings where someone wants over 100%. Here's a little maths that might prove helpful in the future.

What makes life 100%??

Well, if: A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, D = 4 etc to Z = 26.

THEN:

H A R D W O R K

8 1 18 4 23 15 18 11 = 98 % Only

K N O W L E D G E

11 14 15 23 12 5 4 7 5 = 96 % Only

BUT:

A T T I T U D E

1 20 20 9 20 21 4 5 = 100 %

*

Just Look at Him

There was once an old man who would remain for hours before the

altar. Without moving his lips, he still seemed to be speaking with

God.

"And what do you say to him?" the cure' asked.

"Oh," replied the old peasant, "he looks at me, and I look at him."

Mop Bucket Attitude

Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s Restaurants, who died a few years ago, became a familiar sight to millions in his company’s television commercials. Dave also appeared in a lot of in store training films. In those, as in many of the more familiar commercials, he would dress as his workers. One year he appeared on the cover of one of the company’s annual reports dressed in a knee-length work apron holding a mop and a plastic bucket. For many years, a framed copy of that picture graced the back rooms and manager’s office of most Wendy’s. That picture was built on the fact Dave was a self-made millionaire. He didn’t finish high school. He worked his way up through the ranks of Colonel Sanders’ Kentucky Fried Chicken chain long before he went off on his own and started Wendy’s. Here’s how Dave explained that picture: “I got my M.B.A. long before my G.E.D. At Wendy’s, M.B.A. does not mean Master of Business Administration. It means Mop Bucket Attitude.” Dave Thomas taught all of his employees that service comes before success.

________

Dr. Roger W. Thomas, Preaching Minister First Christian Church, Vandalia, Missouri

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #2379]

Seeing What Isn't Working

Nehemiah 8:10

Last Christmas, our youngest grandson was visiting at our son's house - and he was fascinated with the extensive Christmas lights his uncle had strung around the outside of his house. Now I should tell you that one of our grandson's first words was “light” - and lights are the first thing he will point out in any room. He's almost obsessed with them! As night fell and our son's Christmas lights came on, our grandson surprisingly was not very happy. We thought he would be amazed by all those lights, but instead he just kept pointing out this one short stretch of lights that wasn't working - and repeating, “Light off. Lights off.” Forget the hundreds of lights that were on!

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about “Seeing what isn't Working.”

Our grandson basically ignored the lights that were working - all he could see were the ones that weren't working. Sadly, there are grownup people who live most of their lives that way - they look right past the things that are working and choose to focus on the things that aren't working. So they're often frustrated, discontent, unhappy, critical. And when we're like that, I guess we become “negatologists” - people who major on the negative.

Which robs us of what the Bible identifies as a major source of strength for everyday living. Nehemiah actually announced it Nehemiah 8:10, our word for today from the Word of God. He simply said, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” That joy is a stubborn positiveness about life that's rooted in the Lord you belong to rather than the circumstances you're experiencing.

Earlier in the Book of Nehemiah, we see a somewhat inverted example of how he must have lived this out in his everyday life. Now, Nehemiah is a Jewish captive who works as a trusted servant of the King of Persia. For some time now, Nehemiah has been grieving over the reports the condition of his people and his city back in Israel. One morning he comes in to serve the king, and the king asks, “Why is your face so sad when your are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” Nehemiah uses this as an opportunity to share the burden of this heart. And God uses this as an opportunity to enlist the king in the rebuilding of Jerusalem, His holy city.

Notice - it was a big deal that Nehemiah looked sad at work. For some of us, it would be a big deal if we looked happy at work! “Why are you so happy today?” For this “joy of the Lord” man, being down was a major exception to the way he was most of the time. Nehemiah must have been a man with heaven's perspective, who could see what lights were on any given day, rather than the lights that weren't working.

How about you? Could it be that you've allowed yourself to start dwelling most of the time on what's wrong - what's wrong with your situation, what's wrong with your church, what's wrong with the people around you, what's wrong with your family members? Without realizing it, you've allowed yourself to become what the world already has plenty of - a negatologist - a role totally unfitting for a follower of Jesus Christ. When you belong to Him, there is are always so many more lights on than off. But it all has to do with what you choose to dwell on. You can't choose your circumstances, but you can choose what you dwell on. Don't let the things that aren't working make you miss the beauty of the lights that are on all around you.

________________

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickId #16289]

Good For Evil

A good story is told of the magnanimous William McKinley, which shows his kindness to a political enemy. During one of his congressional campaigns he was followed from place to place by a reporter for a paper of opposite political opinion, who is described as being one of those "shrewd, persistent fellows who are always at work, quick to see an opportunity, and skilled in making the most of it."

While Mr. McKinley was annoyed by the misrepresentations to which he was almost daily subjected, he could not help admiring the skill and persistence with which he was assailed. His admiration, too, was not unmixed with compassion, for the reporter was ill, poorly clad, and had an annoying cough. One night Mr. McKinley took a closed carriage for a nearby town, at which he was billed to speak. The weather was wretchedly raw and cold, and what followed is thus described: He had not gone far when he heard that cough, and knew that the reporter was riding with the driver in the exposed seat. McKinley called the driver to stop, and alighted. "Get down off that seat, young man," he said. The reporter obeyed, thinking the time for the politician's vengeance had come. "Here," said Mr. McKinley, taking off his overcoat, "you put on this overcoat and get into that carriage."

"But, Mr. McKinley," said the reporter, "I guess you don't know who I am. I have been with you through the whole campaign, giving it to you every time you spoke, and I am going over tonight to rip you to pieces if I can."

"I know," said Mr. McKinley, "but you put on this coat and get inside and get warm so you can do a good job."

Paganini and One String

The colorful, nineteenth-century showman and gifted violinist Niccolò Paganini was standing before a packed house, playing through a difficult piece of music. A full orchestra surrounded him with magnificent support. Suddenly one string on his violin snapped and hung gloriously down from his instrument. Beads of perspiration popped out on his forehead. He frowned but continued to play, imprivising beautifully.

To the conductor's surprise, a second string broke. And shortly thereafter, a third. Now there were three limp strings dangling from Paganini's violin as the master performer completed the difficult composition on the one remaining string. The audience jumped to its feet and in good Italian fashion filled the hall with shouts and screams, “Bravo! Bravo!” As the applause died down, the violinist asked the people to sit back down. Even though they knew there was no way they could expect an encore, they quietly sank back into their seats.

He held the violin high for everyone to see. He nodded at the conductor to begin the encore and then he turned back to the crowd. With a twinkle in his eye, he smiled and shouted, “Paganini ... and one string!” After that he placed the single-stringed Stradivarius beneath his chin and played the final piece on one string as the audience (and the conductor) shook their heads in silent amazement. “Paganini ... and one string!” And, I might add, an attitude of fortitude.

________

Charles R. Swindoll, {Man to Man }(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996) 62-63

Choose Your Own Attitude

Dr. Victor Frankl, the bold, courageous Jew who became a prisoner during the Holocaust, endured years of indignity and humiliation by the Nazis before he was finally liberated. At the beginning of his ordeal, he was marched into a Gestapo courtroom. His captors had taken away his home and family, his cherished freedom, his possessions, even his watch and wedding ring. They had shaved his head and stripped his clothing off his body. There he stood before the German high command, under the glaring lights being interrogated and falsely accused. He was destitute, a helpless pawn in the hands of jbrutal, prejudiced, sadistic men. He had nothing. No, that isn't true. He suddenly realized there was one thing no one could ever take from him - just one. Do you know what is was?

Dr. Frankl realized he still had the power to choose his own attitude. No matter what anyone would ever do to him, regardless of what the future held for him, the attitude choice was his to make. Bitterness or forgiveness. To give up or to go on. Hatred or hope. Determination to endure or the paralysis of self-pity. It boiled down to "Frankl . . . one string!"

- Dale E. Galloway, {Dream a New Dream} (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1975) 59

[see also HolwickID #11503]

Your Attitude and Your Altitude

Joshua 1

I knew this guy who, several times a week, would suddenly make this announcement: “Attitude check!” That never meant much to me until I began to have some friends who are private pilots. Up to that point, the only pilot I knew was Pontius. But that word “attitude” can be a life-or-death word for a pilot. One of my friends described a plane's attitude to me as its position relative to the ground, to the horizon - or, as he says, your angle of attack. After decades of flying, including landing on aircraft carriers, he summarized the importance of a plane's attitude this way - “Right attitude, you keep flying. Wrong attitude, you stop flying.”

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Your Attitude and your Altitude.”

Every pilot knows if your attitude is incorrect, there will be tragic results. Every person knows that - or at least we should. If your attitude is right, you can make it through almost anything. If your attitude is wrong, you're going to start losing altitude, tumbling, and eventually crashing. In life, we usually don't get to choose our circumstances, the kind of stuff we have to fly through. A lot of that is determined by forces or people beyond our control. But we can choose our attitude. And it will be our attitude, not our circumstances, that determine whether we stay up or go down.

Pilots tell me that when you're flying by your instruments - in those times when conditions won't let you fly visually - you adjust your attitude based on an instrument called your artificial horizon. It actually shows you where the real horizon is. But when you can't see any points of reference, your senses start playing tricks on you. One veteran pilot friend of mine said that even he has to sometimes fight his instincts and feelings that are telling him lies about whether he's going up or down. The only thing that's telling him the truth is his artificial horizon.

For us, the horizon is the Word of God. After the loss of the Shuttle Columbia and its crew, I heard an interview in which it was reported that Commander Rick Husband read a Scripture passage to his crew on the night before their launch. It's our word for today from the Word of God. Joshua 1, beginning with verse 7, says, “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left ... Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Every new day, we've got to set our attitude based on quality time in God's Book - not just where we read the Bible, but where we let the Bible read us. For me, that means setting my attitude on “horizons” like these: “Jesus is Lord” - over everything that's going to come up today. “Love covers a multitude of sins.” If I love people, I'll overlook their mistakes today, not record them. That's a right attitude for the day. Then, there's those Biblical words, “Whatever you do, do it with all your heart.” (Colossians 3:23) Whatever I have to do today, whether I particularly like it or not, do it with all my heart. When you're setting your attitude, set it on this, as well: “The battle is the Lord's” (2 Chronicles 20:14) - every battle you'll face today. And finally, “Fix your eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2) - don't let anything or anyone distract you from Jesus as your focus.

Set your attitude by the “horizon” of God's unchanging Word - even when your feelings and your surroundings are screaming to go another way. If your attitude is right, you'll hold your course, fly steady as she goes, and complete your mission. So choose your attitude.

________________

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #15296]

Chosen To Clap and Cheer

Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in my life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott. Jamie was trying out for a part in a school play. His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen. On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement. “Guess what Mum,” he shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me: “I've been chosen to clap and cheer!”

-- unknown

Live In the Sunshine

John 9:5

Even when we don’t understand our present circumstances, we can walk in the light. As the song says, “Farther along we’ll know all about it. Farther along we’ll understand why. Cheer up my brother, live in the sunshine. We’ll understand it all by and by.” That’s the whole lesson of the Book of Job -- trust Him!

SUNSHINE IN YOUR MIND

In times of suffering, choose to walk in the light, to “cheer up” and “live in the sunshine.” We mind our attitude by minding our thoughts, for as a person thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7). “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You” (Isaiah 26:3). Jeremiah faced cruel days, but deliberately turned his thoughts to God’s unfailing compassion and great faithfulness. “This I recall to mind,” he wrote, “therefore I have hope” (Lamentations 3:21-24).

One of the greatest discoveries of psychology is that it’s our thoughts which determine our emotions -- not feelings which control thoughts. Suppose you found out a friend was treating you to a two-week vacation. Would that influence your emotions? Or you learned a loved one was rushed to the hospital, would that affect your feelings?

Suppose you learned that Jesus Christ is the Light, and that in Him is no darkness. Suppose you wrapped your mind around that. It would bring sunshine into the darkest corners of your world.

John quoted Jesus as saying, “I am the light of the world.... I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness” (John 9:5, 12:46). John later told us to walk in the light (1 John 1:7). That knowledge in our minds brings hope and joy to our souls.

SUNSHINE IN YOUR SOUL

When our minds dwell on Jesus as the light, heavenly sunshine can pour into our souls. Our joy doesn’t depend on the events that surround us, but on the hope that’s within us. Our real life is with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). It isn’t our external situation, but our internal Savior that determines our attitude in life. “But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head” (Psalm 3:3).

Praise and thanksgiving are not emotions that we fall into, but attitudes we choose to exhibit. Some say praise happens when a certain level of emotional intensity is reached, resulting in an explosion in our spirit. But what do we do when everything’s going wrong?

We offer the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord as an act of obedience. We make a decision amidst difficulty that no matter what happens, we’ll praise God and walk in the sunshine. That allows attitudes of peace and joy (we could never have engendered in our own strength) to come to our spirits in response to our obedience.

I’ve had people who have gone through difficult times say to me, “Pastor, I’ve never loved God more than I do now. God allowed this to happen, and I don’t know why. But there is such peace in trusting Him with the unexplained. I don’t understand it, but I sense God’s presence in my life more than ever.”

When we trust God with the unexplained, sunshine floods our minds and souls -- and our faces, too.

SUNSHINE ON YOUR FACE

The Psalmist said, “They looked to Him and were radiant” (Psalm 34:5). The Bible recommends a sunny countenance. Solomon wrote, “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance” and “A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the sternness of his face is changed” (Proverbs 15:13; Ecclesiastes 8:1).

D.A. Benton talks about the importance of the countenance in communicating confidence and leadership. She says women who smiled in their college yearbook photos went on to live happier lives with happier marriages and fewer personal setbacks than those who didn’t.

If you’re confused by life, trust God anyway. Read His promises, and remember:

Farther along we’ll know all about it.

Farther along we’ll understand why;

Cheer up my brother, live in the sunshine

We’ll understand it all by and by.

*

[Original illustration at this number was added to HolwickID #17352]

Fundamental Principles For Overcoming Worry

Luke 12:22

The following Principles are reprinted from Dale Carnegie's best-seller "HOW to STOP WORRYING and START LIVING" and are also available in the "Golden Book." His wisdom is as important today as it was when it was first published in 1948. The following summarizes many of his recommendations

for controlling worry.

1. Live in "day-tight compartments."

2. How to face trouble:

a. Ask yourself, "What is the worst that can possibly happen?"

b. Prepare to accept the worst.

c. Try to improve on the worst.

3. Remind yourself of the exorbitant price you can pay for worry in terms

of your health.

Basic Techniques in Analyzing Worry

1. Get all the facts.

2. Weigh all the facts ? then come to a decision.

3. Once a decision is reached, act!

4. Write out and answer the following questions:

a. What is the problem?

b. What are the causes of the problem?

c. What are the possible solutions?

d. What is the best possible solution?

Break the Worry Habit Before It Breaks You

1. Keep busy.

2. Don't fuss about trifles.

3. Use the law of averages to outlaw your worries.

4. Cooperate with the inevitable.

5. Decide just how much anxiety a thing may be worth and refuse to give

it more.

6. Don't worry about the past.

Cultivate a Mental Attitude that will Bring You Peace and Happiness

1. Fill your mind with thoughts of peace, courage, health and hope.

2. Never try to get even with your enemies.

3. Expect ingratitude.

4. Count your blessings ? not your troubles.

5. Do not imitate others.

6. Try to profit from your losses.

7. Create happiness for others.

The Perfect Way to Conquer Worry

1. Pray.

Don't Worry about Criticism

1. Remember that unjust criticism is often a disguised compliment.

2. Do the very best you can.

3. Analyze your own mistakes and criticize yourself.

Prevent Fatigue and Worry and Keep Your Energy and Spirits High

1. Rest before you get tired.

2. Learn to relax at your work.

3. Protect your health and appearance by relaxing at home.

4. Apply these four good working habits:

a. Clear your desk of all papers except those relating to the

immediate problem at hand.

b. Do things in the order of their importance.

c. When you face a problem, solve it then and there if you have the

facts necessary to make a decision.

d. Learn to organize, deputize and supervise.

5. Put enthusiasm into your work.

6. Don't worry about insomnia.

*

[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #4553]

Quotes On Attitude

John 14:27

"Everything can be taken from a man but...the last of human freedoms -- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

-- Viktor E. Frankl (1905-1997), psychiatrist and Auschwitz survivor, B&P

"This may shock you, but I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude is that "single string" that keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there's no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me."

-- Charles R. Swindoll, writer and theologian, cited in BITS & PIECES

Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.

-- Lou Holtz

"Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure."

-- Norman Vincent Peale

"Whether you think you can or not, you are right."

-- Henry Ford

"Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will."

-- Zig Ziglar

Don't say, "If I could, I would." Say, "If I can, I will"

-- Jim Rohn

"Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody is watching."

-- Mark Twain

"Make a game of finding something positive in every situation -- 95 percent of your emotions are determined by how you interpret events to yourself."

-- Brian Tracy

"Optimists are right. So are pessimists. It's up to you to choose which you will be."

-- Harvey Mackay

"'I can't do it' never yet accomplished anything. 'I will try' has accomplished wonders."

-- George P. Burnham

"All the technology in the world will never replace a positive attitude."

-- Harvey Mackay

"When I hear somebody sigh, 'Life is hard,' I am always tempted to ask, 'Compared to what?'"

-- Sydney Harris

"The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions, and not on our circumstances."

-- Martha Washington

"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

-- Albert Einstein

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. It's what sunflowers do."

-- Helen Keller

"It is not your aptitude, but your attitude, that determines your altitude."

-- Zig Ziglar

"Positive attitudes come in unlimited quantities. Everybody can have one free!"

-- Harvey Mackay

"Always look at what you have left. Never look at what you have lost."

-- Robert H. Schuller

"A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties."

-- Harry Truman

"To the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass is half-empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be."

-- unknown

"Hardening of the attitudes is the most deadly disease on the face of the earth."

-- Zig Ziglar, motivational speaker and writer, Best of BITS & PIECES

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing."

-- Abraham Lincoln, QFTM 9/20/03

"If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment."

-- Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor, QFTM 11/22/03

“If you keep on saying that things are going to be bad, you have a good chance of being a prophet.”

-- Isaac Singer

Quotes On Belief

Luke 17:6

[see also "Quotes on Faith"]

"Whatever you believe with emotion becomes reality. You always act in a manner consistent with your innermost beliefs and convictions."

-- Brian Tracy

"Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret - curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable."

-- Walt Disney

"One person with a belief is equal to a force of ninety-nine with only interests."

-- John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)

"It is always easier to believe than to deny. Our minds are naturally affirmative."

-- John Burroughs (1837-1921), naturalist and writer

"Some things have to be believed to be seen."

-- Ralph Hodgson (1871-1962), poet, B&P

"Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is."

-- 'Bhagavad-Gita,' Mahabharata, B&P

"Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact."

-- William James

"We are born believing. A man bears beliefs, as a tree bears apples."

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Man can believe the impossible, but can never believe the improbable."

-- Oscar Wilde

"Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know."

-- Michel de Montaigne

"Every time a child says "I don't believe in fairies" there is a little fairy somewhere that falls down dead."

-- James Matthew Barrie

"The practical effect of a belief is the real test of its soundness."

-- James A. Froude

"Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for--because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything."

-- Peter Marshall

“If you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won’t, you most assuredly won’t. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad.”

-- Denis Waitley

“One person with a belief is equal to a force of ninety-nine with only interests.”

-- John Stuart Mill

"The height of your accomplishments will equal the depth of your convictions."

-- William F. Scolavino

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble, it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

__________________

For those of you who do not believe that Max Ehrmann is the author of this work, please look at the information on this website:

http://www.mnsi.net/~jvidler/des-author.html

Subject: Desiderata authorship

Date sent: Thu, 11 Jun 98 21:02:13 -0500

From: mchb

As I was searching the net to find out about Desederata, I came across several web pages with the poem. There seemed to be much confusion about the authorship and copyright. I thought I sould share what I have found (although you may already have knowledge of this information).

"Desiderata" was written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann (1872-1945). In 1956, the rector of Baltimore's St. Paul's Church anthologized the poem in a mimeographed pamphlet of inspirational writings for his congregation. Someone reprinting it later, separated from its original credit, erroneously described it as having been found in old St. Paul's Church dated 1692, misinterpreting the church letterhead. The year 1692 is in fact the founding date of St. Paul's Church and has nothing to do with the poem.

*

Heart Cannot Be Measured

Some things cannot be measured, and the heart is one of them. I think of three current and former NFL football stars. Mike Singletary, according to the experts, was too short and his 40-yard speed was not that great. However, they could not measure his heart and they did not measure his speed for the first five to fifteen yards, and at that distance he was exceptionally fast.

As a result, when a running back broke through the line of scrimmage Singletary was able to stop him in the first couple of yards. That made quite a difference.

Emmitt Smith's 40-yard speed was not earth shattering...(but) again, the experts could not measure his heart nor the burst of speed he was able to generate the instant he touched the ball. As a result, he was able to break through the hole at the line and pick up five to eight yards on a consistent basis and frequently break for much longer runs.

Jerry Rice is the other classic example. His 40-yard speed also was not record-breaking, but his commitment to excellence (was) not measurable. Videotape of Jerry Rice shows him running stride for stride downfield with a defensive back until the pass is thrown to him. At that point, Jerry turns on the afterburners and frequently leaves the defensive back well behind.

There's something here for all of us to learn. We can measure I.Q., speed, strength and a host of other things, but the will to win and the commitment to excellence will enable a person of average ability to excel.

(untitled)

Many times the Christian wishes for death in the face of difficulties and trials. He is like the poor man carrying a load of sticks who, when he became tired, sat down on a bank, and laying his sticks on the ground said, "I am sick and tired of this. I wish death would come to relieve me." Instantly, Death slipped up and said, "Here am I; what do you want of me?" "I want you to help me put this bundle of sticks on my back again," said the astonished pilgrim. We are all prone to think that our load of sticks is heavier-that our road more difficult and our enemies more daring than any other Christian's.

(untitled)

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."

112 Sermon Illustrations on Attitude