Will RogersAfter WWI numerous peace [disarmament] conferences were held. Will Rogers attended for the humor value and sent dispatches back to the U.S. newspapers. He saw the futility in such agreements that tried to limit arms, as if that would bring world peace.
In this Will Rogers quote, he points out that even if we try to limit arms, it still won’t keep nations from coming up with new ways to kill people. Little did Rogers know in 1929 that within 15 years civilization would advance into the atomic age with weapons so powerful, entire cities could be wiped off the map.
Yet this quote still rings true today. Treaties, hailed as advances toward world peace might reduce some aging weapons, but new ones are always being developed to take their place.
But it’s worse than that. The U.S. seems to be willing to lay down arms and even limit vital defensive capabilities, even if the other side doesn’t abide by the terms of the treaty. That doesn’t even take into account rogue nations whose stated intent is to use nuclear weapons to destroy their enemies, including the U.S.
This is real simple. A strong defense is the best offense. Oceans don’t protect us like they used to. If we don’t develop the best defensive and offensive technologies we won’t be able to protect ourselves and our allies from future threats. Nobody wants to find out that we have no defense against an enemy that has a better way to kill us in the next war. But that would also assume we had leaders that possessed common sense.
The image was taken directly from pictures at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum archive. I apologize for the quality of the image, but this is exactly what the 1920s photo looked like when I scanned it. In the hundreds of images contained in this iPhone application, I wanted to share as many different Will Rogers photos as possible from as wide a variety of times and situations – movies, cowboy, vaudeville, with famous people, and family scenes.
Will Rogers is a man worth remembering, and quoting. His wit, humor and insight into life will amaze and astonish you. His life will inspire you. Watch for new blog posts from my Will Rogers quotes collection.
I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
Will Rogers
Some people are under the impression that it is possible to be fully sanctified this side of heaven. Is it really possible to be without sin in our daily lives here on earth?
Perhaps when I am older I could isolate myself from the cares of this world. I could live without sin and temptation and simply commune with Jesus until he returns or I die. In the past, monks and nuns separated themselves from the world in order to live a more perfect life before God.
Experience, common sense, the Scriptures, and Spurgeon tell us that in this life there will always be temptation and sin. There will always be a struggle with the flesh for the christian, even after a lifetime of serving God.
Spurgeon’s imagery in this quote drives home the point! “The great dog of hell will bark at you still.” The christian cannot avoid temptation, even through seclusion. Spurgeon points out that Jesus was tempted in the wilderness while alone.
What can we do? We can pray “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” We can trust God to not let us be tempted above our ability to endure it. (I Corinthians 10:13) If we do fall, we can repent and ask for forgiveness: “forgive us our debts.” (Matthew 6:12)
Dear Lord, Help me to draw closer to you each day, so that when the “great dog of hell” barks, I may resist temptation, and if I do sin that I may find forgiveness through Jesus. Amen.
If you are struggling with sin, and don’t have a relationship with Jesus as your savior, take a moment and pray for his forgiveness and help. Begin reading the Bible. I suggest starting with the gospel of John in the New Testament. Also, ask God to lead you to other christians for fellowship.
I hope you have been blessed by this quote and the accompanying image taken from the Spurgeon Daily Quotes iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
Every day, in so many ways, God displays His wonders and power. They are all about us, in nature, in relationships, in events, protection, blessings, etc.
The wonders of nature are always stunning, if we take a moment to ponder them. From atomic structure to distant stars, as pictured in this beautiful NASA photograph. We can touch, smell, see, taste and hear these wonders of God. All our senses can be used to observe and delight in God’s glory.
Scientists spend entire careers examining just one tiny facet of creation. Collecting all the brilliant scientific minds in the world doesn’t even begin to answer all the questions, or explain natural phenomena. Like a drop in the ocean, compared to the vastness of creation.
Yet as insignificant as we may be, “He heals the brokenhearted” according to the Psalmist in this quote. He binds up our wounds. The great creator cares about His people. He even cares about me.
Jesus stepped across His created stars, He entered the realm of time, to become one of us. To feel the joys and suffering of life on earth, he truly understands our needs. As creator, he can truly bind our wounds.
We can only respond with the Psalmist: “Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!”
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 147 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes NIV iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
My prayers always seem to be most earnest when I’m in the midst of a difficulty, when I’m sinking, or when I’ve gone under. When Peter was distracted by the wind and waves in Matthew 14 he began to sink. At that point Peter cried out for Jesus to save him.
I’m so thankful that even when we get distracted, Jesus is merciful and hears our frantic prayers. May the Lord help us to remain focused on Him!
I chose this picture of the walrus to go with the Spurgeon quote. This strange creature doesn’t look like it should float, yet it is perfectly adapted for the water.
I hope you have been blessed by this quote and the accompanying image taken from the Spurgeon Daily Quotes iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
Foes come in all different forms. For Christians in Egypt, they come with bombs and machine guns. For others, there is physical and mental persecution. The foe for some of us comes in the form of temptation and addictions.
Just like the tiny animal in the picture, we feel small in the face of our foe. The Psalmist reminds us our own efforts are vain and the we need to look to God for help.
Dear Lord, Help me to trust you in the struggle against my foe. Grant me strength to endure, and let me praise you when they are “tread down.” Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 60 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes ESV iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
In this quote, Spurgeon compares us, the “jewel in the rough,” with Jesus, “the polished gem.” Looking to the example of Christ, and applying it to any situation we might face, is the best type of encouragement we can ever find.
Spurgeon mentions hoping that worldly people (worldlings [I love how Spurgeon uses these arcane words]) will admire us, will bring us no comfort. Beyond that we will find no comfort in our own strength, thoughts or things of this world.
Whenever I am confronted with a troubling situation or relationship, I ponder the life of Christ, because I know he experienced my feelings and pain. Christ’s experience was both physical and emotional, just like my experience or trial. He was fully man, and we shouldn’t forget, fully God.
When something bad happens to us, our natural instinct is to ask: ” Why is this happening to me?” The real question we should learn to ask is: “Why did this type of thing happen to Jesus?”
Do you think that your situation, as bad or difficult as it may be, was not experienced by Jesus? Honestly search the New Testament to find the answer. In Isaiah 53:3 Scripture tells us: “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief…”
Are you acquainted with grief? Have you suffered betrayal by a close friend? Have your friends abandoned you? Are you poor? Have you suffered from hunger, or great physical pain. On the other side of things, Jesus was acquainted with happiness and joy that that came from sharing God’s love with his disciples and all he met.
Only if Christ experienced the full range of the human condition, my human condition, can he claim to be a savior, my savior. Worldlings won’t admire you. They won’t understand you, a jewel in the rough, just like they didn’t understand Jesus, the polished gem.
Dear Lord, Help me to look to you in any situation. Let me develop confidence that you understand, and that you can save, deliver and forgive me. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by this quote and the accompanying image taken from the Spurgeon Daily Quotes iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
Is God a personal God, or is He only concerned with the big picture as an impersonal force? In Psalm 40 we see that God is very personal! His wondrous deeds and thoughts are multiplied toward us.
Simply pondering the physical world around us would lead us toward God. The wondrous complexity and beauty of the flowers in the picture speak of a creator. Scientists study diligently in the field of botany and continue to discover mysteries beyond comprehension. Pick any field of science and we quickly find there are wondrous features so complex that only a creator God can explain such things.
But there is more! God gives us a book, the Bible, that reveals who He is, and what He has done for us. We find out in the Gospels that Jesus became human, so that He understands us in all our physical and spiritual weaknesses. Where we fail and sin, Jesus provided a wondrous deed. He died on the cross and through his resurrection provides salvation for us, personally, and individually. His thoughts are directed toward us in every circumstance. For this I can only return humble praise and proclaim His wondrous deeds toward me.
Dear Lord, The complexities of this world are beyond comprehension, yet you have revealed your salvation to us through your son Jesus. By pondering your wondrous deeds in the physical world and in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, grant me faith to receive your salvation. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 40 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes ESV iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
The Psalmist must have found great comfort in God’s house. He delighted being there among others who were offering their praises up to the Lord.
The passion of the Psalmist for God’s house and presence is truly amazing. His flesh cries out for the living God! He desires a place near the alter. He wants to be among those who are praising God, who enjoy God’s blessing.
Such passion for God shames me, but it also inspires me. I am ashamed because I don’t desire God’s house and people as I should. I am inspired because I want to do better, I need to do better.
Dear Lord, Please give me a renewed passion for your church and your people. Let the gathering of the congregation be my desire and my joy. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 84 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes NIV iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
EXTRA!
Below is an extra treat! The Sons of Korah have put Psalm 84 to music. Listen to a sample below and purchase your own copy at the iTunes store by clicking on the button.
Will RogersPoliticians calling each other names isn’t anything new, especially during elections. This season the women were hit pretty hard, being called witch and prostitute.
According to Will Rogers, you can sling mud and call names all day long, but you better beware of slandering wild jackasses.
Can you imagine the Senate chamber full of wild jackasses? Braying, kicking, bucking and being stubborn would be the daily routine. Senator Hoof N. Mouth would be hee-hawing for hours about better oats and mule health. Unfortunately, nobody was listening because lobbyists just delivered sweet hay for lunch.
Actually, there’s not much left to imagine – a Congress full of wild jackasses. A lot of them just got sent away, hee-hawing all the way back to the farm.
Well, perhaps the slandering will stop now, and oat reform will take place. We can only hope.
Image Information: This image is from a Will Rogers’ silent movie called Jubilo, released in 1919. Rogers plays Jubilo, a tramp, who makes himself useful doing odd jobs in a small farming community while he looks for the wife who deserted him while he was off in the war.
The image was taken directly from movie stills at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum archive. I apologize for the quality of the image, but this is exactly what the 1920s photo looked like when I scanned it. In the hundreds of images contained in this iPhone application, I wanted to share as many different Will Rogers photos as possible from as wide a variety of times and situations – movies, cowboy, vaudeville, with famous people, and family scenes.
Will Rogers is a man worth remembering, and quoting. His wit, humor and insight into life will amaze and astonish you. His life will inspire you. Watch for new blog posts from my Will Rogers quotes collection.
I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
Will Rogers
Will RogersYou’ve heard the expression: “He was spending money like a drunken sailor.” As I’ve watched congress over the past few years, I don’t think a drunken sailor can even outspend a seemingly sober Congressman. Both seem to lack any common sense whatsoever when it comes to money, and the Congressman’s recklessness is worse – because it isn’t even his own money!
The next morning the sailor wakes up with a headache and an empty wallet. He might even see the error of his way and vow never to act so stupidly again. Congressmen on the other hand, never suffer any consequences for reckless spending. In fact the more money they can appropriate, the more prestige they seem to gain.
The latest economic theory seems to be that by “stimulating” the economy with an injection of vast sums of money will turn things around. But enough is never enough, when it comes to money! In a December 2010 GQ interview with Vice President Joe Biden we find out: “He [Biden] tells us he believes—and thinks the people believe—that ‘the stimulus did exactly what it was supposed to do, but it wasn’t enough.’”
Wasn’t enough?!!! Will Rogers has a famous quote that says: “Congress wants everybody to go broke just to prove they are right.” Unemployment is at record levels, and we’re going broke alright!
Here’s where Will Rogers quote for today comes in. With the huge burden of debt, old-man interest rears his ugly head. It becomes a monster as it consumes more and more of our resources. Well, if you’re paying so much interest, you can’t demand anything because you don’t have the extra money, and you can’t supply anything because there’s no demand.
Somebody needs to come up with a 10 step program for Congressmen to teach them common sense spending habits. Wait just a minute! Did I put “common sense” and “congressman” in the same sentence? Heaven help us all!
Will Rogers is a man worth remembering, and quoting. His wit, humor and insight into life will amaze and astonish you. His life will inspire you. Watch for new blog posts from my Will Rogers quotes collection.
I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
Will Rogers
Will RogersAs usual, Will nails it with a quote from 1933! It’s not just that people look to government, but government entitlement programs draw people in. The government creates dependents who don’t need to do much of anything but draw their government check each month.
It seems that the bigger government grows, the more people expect. Unfortunately, failed programs and broken lives litter the landscape. Perhaps smaller government and more independent people are the better way.
The picture is from the 1935 Will Rogers movie The County Chairman. Will plays Jim Hackler, a local party-boss in a Wyoming county, who has to decide to do what’s right and lose the election, or what’s wrong and win.
I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
Will Rogers
Will Rogers delivers another zinger with this quote. He had a genius for teasing politicians without offending. We also find Rogers’ quotes as relevant today as they were in the 1930s. I don’t like to fish myself, but I’m sure that if I did it would keep me out of trouble!
I took this picture at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore, OK this spring. It was a beautiful sunrise behind the statue of Will Rogers.
The museum is a great family destination. The exhibits are great. I couldn’t walk by one of the video exhibits without stopping to watch for a few minutes. It featured a movie showing some of Will Rogers’ roping tricks. Some of his tricks have never been duplicated.
I spent three days in the archives collecting images for the iPhone app. The staff was great and without their help the project wouldn’t have been possible.
I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
When my children were little, they would come to me for protection and help. “Daddy, he wouldn’t share his crayons, and he hit me!” I would comfort my child by holding them in my arms and try to correct the crayon sharing problem. When all was resolved, they would climb down and go about their business.
Just as my children knew where their “hiding place” was, God provides us with a hiding place where we can go for comfort. Just as the bird in the picture has a safe place among the rocks, God provides us a safe place when we need protection.
As I share these Psalms with you day-by-day, I have noticed that God’s word is always a necessary part of the Psalmist’s message. In this Psalm, in order to enter God’s hiding place, we must hope in his word.
Dear Lord, help us to know your word better, that we may find a hiding place and that we may be upheld according to your word. Amen
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 119 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes KJV iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
Will RogersWill RogersHow come we’re in such an economic mess with a “sea of [government] economists” and a Treasury Secretary who runs the IRS, but can’t get his own taxes right? These guys just stimulated the economy into oblivion, and now are printing money and raising taxes to make up the difference. Every market that comes to their attention, they have managed to throw into chaos – oil, health care, auto, private aircraft, travel, airline, and the list goes on. It’s like pulling legs off a crawdad! Each missing leg slows it down, until finally it can’t move at all.
Now, Will Rogers was a man of common sense, and I think most of us regular people are as well. We know that you can’t continually spend more than you make and have a stable economy. We know that you shouldn’t overburden industry with regulations that are ineffective and useless. We know that you can’t overtax people and expect economic growth.
And by the way, don’t try to push the class envy, “tax the rich” argument. Can you argue that their money does more good taken by the government in taxes, or spent in the economy? Let them spend! Let them spend extravagantly if they want. That money goes directly into jobs, services and possessions that benefit the economy. Or perhaps you argue that it is better that a bloated government “invest” that money in bureaucrats and bailouts.
So here’s the message to the ivory tower economists, arrogant administration officials and elitist legislators: “Keep your fingers out of my grits [oatmeal for northerners], or you’ll get a fork in the back of your hand!” I think they felt a “poke” in the last election, but they seem to keep coming back for more.
It gets personal when they mess with MY grits. Mess with my job, mess with my salary, mess with my company, mess with my industry, or touch my junk, and suffer the consequences in the next election.
What can we do? For now, just laugh at them, keep spirits up, hope they don’t do much more damage, and vote them out in the next election. Meanwhile, watch your grits!
Image Information: The picture is a movie still from the 1935 Will Rogers movie The County Chairman. Will plays Jim Hackler, a local party-boss in a Wyoming county, who has to decide to do what’s right and lose the election, or what’s wrong and win.
Will Rogers is a man worth remembering, and quoting. His wit, humor and insight into life will amaze and astonish you. His life will inspire you. Watch for new blog posts from my Will Rogers quotes collection.
I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
Will Rogers