Will RogersLame ducks have been seen waddling down the halls of Congress lately. Unfortunately for these birds, there isn’t any more loot left in the National Treasury. There’s not even enough for a bridge to nowhere or a new post office building with their name on it. All the quacking and flapping around to raise the roof wouldn’t even be enough to bring home funds to widen Polecat Creek these days.
Without any money left, the hope these days is that there is a minimum amount of damage these poor rejected birds can do before they leave the Congressional pond and return to Polecat Creek back home.
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
There are so many things that cause us to be proud, even as Christians – possessions, accomplishments, position in the company, abilities, etc. This recession has been difficult for me. When I’m out of work and can’t find enough money to pay the bills, I get upset at God. I know I could make a good wage if only someone would hire me. In fact, I deserve to be hired!
On the other hand, when I’m doing well, my tendency is to think that it’s all because of my own efforts and abilities. In fact, I deserve to do even better!
Humility before God and man is the better way. If I can acknowledge that all that I have, and all that I am are gifts from God, it will be easier to trust Him for my needs. If I can humble myself and acknowledge that I need God to save me from my sins, He will hear me.
Recently I’ve been reading the first six chapters of the book of Daniel in the Bible. Read the chapters if you will, and consider the deep humility and faith of Daniel. God reveals the king’s dream to Daniel in chapter 2 and Daniel could have taken credit for it before the king, but instead he says “there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.” As a result the king responds to the interpretation by praising God, saying: “Truly, your God is God of gods, and Lord of kings…”
On the other hand, in chapter 4, we find that the king is humiliated for seven years because he didn’t give credit to God. When the king’s mind was restored he lifted his eyes toward heaven and “blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever.”
Dear Lord, Help me to acknowledge my need for you in everything I do. I humbly ask you for salvation through Jesus Chirst, who humbled himself for me on the cross and died for my sins. 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.

There is hardly any place in Scripture that conveys such passion and exuberance for God as Psalm 103.
Words can hardly describe the praise we would give to the Lord from our inmost being, from the depths of our soul. Even Mr. Billy Goat seems to be quite excited in the picture, as if he could shout “Praise the Lord!”
The Psalmist says that we should praise the Lord because of all the benefits we receive from Him. What are the benefits we receive from our God and King? Forgiveness, healing and redemption are available to those who love and serve Him. We are also crowned with love and compassion.
Dear Lord, Help me to not forget all your benefits, especially the forgiveness that Christ bought for us on the cross. Let my passion for you grow stronger each day. Praise the Lord! Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 103 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 103 to music. Listen to a sample below and purchase your own copy at the iTunes store by clicking on the button.
Will RogersWill Rogers attended peace/disarmament conferences during the 1920s and early 1930s, mostly for the humor value. He would telegraph his observations back to U.S. newspapers, such as the January 28, 1930 quote seen here, that ran in his Daily Telegraph syndicated column.
As a keen observer of legislative politics in the U.S., Rogers knew that international politics would hopelessly bog down any “peace” progress with procedures and committees. Rogers also knew that anything approaching common sense would never come out of any conference, therefore dooming any results or treaty to failure in any practical sense.
He was right in 1930, and he is still right today. Starry-eyed dreamers hold up worthless treaties and declare “world peace” while compromising the ability of the U.S. to keep the peace with strong defensive capability backed up with unmatched offensive technology.
Such a display of weakness has encouraged rogue nations to aggressively pursue their own weapons programs that threaten entire regions of the world. Common sense left when the conference met to appoint a commission to appoint a delegation to appoint a subcommittee.
Image Information: Will Rogers loved just about anything that involved horses. He had a polo field built on his property in California and would play matches with his friends, as can be seen in this picture.
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
As I look back across my life, I am continually amazed to see God’s hand in events large and small. God called me out of a life of sin and self-destruction. He has guided my path step-by-step, through dark times and blessings.
In Psalm 78 we understand that God chose David. Had this not happened, David would likely have tended sheep for the rest of his life. There would have been no record of his life because there was nothing remarkable about him. Instead God lifts an unknown and unremarkable young man from obscurity to become one of the major figures in Scripture.
The story of David’s choosing can be found in I Sam 16. From this passage, God makes it clear that the choice of David was His choice alone, and not a choice based on human reasoning, luck or chance. God chose David, David didn’t choose God.
I think the same is true of my life. God chose me, I didn’t choose God. In fact, Had it been up to me, I never would have chosen God. Furthermore, had I made all the choices in my life, it would have been a mess.
Ask God daily for his guidance. Look back and acknowledge God’s day-by-day work in your life. Thank God for the many blessings he has brought your way. It is a great comfort to know God chooses my path and directs my life. If I had to trust in my own choices, I would find no peace, and God would receive no glory.
Dear Lord, Help me to trust in your choosing. Let me earnestly seek your guidance each day, that you might be glorified. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 78 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.

In Will Rogers’ day, they had organized crime problems. Today, we have domestic terrorism threats. Perhaps there’s not much difference when you have people wanting to kill each other.
The quote from Will Rogers indicates that the killing and hate don’t end at the prison door. Inside the prison, the hatred and struggle for power continue. We should be thankful that there are people who risk their lives daily to be guards in our prison system.
So, how did we get into this mess, where our prisons are overflowing and become a breeding ground for hate? Here’s a case where it’s impossible to deny that there’s not a moral component that is lacking in our society.
Has our society made it easier to become a criminal, than to abide by the law? Unemployment due to high taxes on businesses and individuals who run them is a problem. Young people entering the workforce aren’t hired because of high minimum wage rates. The welfare system makes it easier not to work and be a productive member of society.
What can we do? With God’s help, we must live a moral life, and teach these principles and morals to our children. By our example, and by helping others through civic and church programs perhaps we can make a difference, one life at a time.
And what do we do with politicians that regulate and tax jobs out of existence and perpetuate the welfare state? Vote them out of office!
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.

I forget lots of things, people’s names, phone numbers, where I left the keys, important papers, etc. I didn’t mention family birthdays, because some things you don’t dare forget!
Things that are close to me, aren’t forgotten as easily, like family relationships. When others become a part of my circle of friends, it takes a while before I remember names and details. If I value the relationship, I make the effort to be with friends more often so I won’t forget them.
Can you remember when you first turned to God? Can you remember when you first read some of the great stories from the Bible? Can you remember a particularly meaningful sermon you heard? Can you remember an event where God did a significant work in your life? Do you remember when a friend brought you encouragement from the Lord, when you needed it?
As we walk with the Lord, we gather memories, from Scripture, from preaching, from people and from experience. Spurgeon’s quote encourages us to put these memories in perspective, and to never forget that God is able to “fulfil his own promises.”
Dear Lord, Help me remember that you “uphold the universe,” and that you fulfill your promises. If I have strayed, receive me back as I remember your goodness and grace to me. Let the memories from today increase my faith, and love for you tomorrow. 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.

If you were to walk into a throne room in ancient days, the person occupying the highest place in the room was the king. There might be steps leading up to the throne on a high platform. Everyone looked up to the king. It was the ultimate expression of authority and power.
Nobody dared approach the king without permission, and even close advisors had to observe strict protocol when approaching the throne, or suffer severe punishment.
The only ones that could share the high place with the king were his queen and his children. They didn’t have to make an appointment, and could come and go as they pleased. Not only that but the king was proud to receive them, and his children rejoiced in the kings presence.
“Come up and sit with me,” the king might say, as he sees one of his children in the throne room. With no fear, the child climbs the stairs and is received into the king’s arms.
The rest of the king’s court looks on. They know that this special relationship is only between the king and his children. Only the king and his children may share such terms of endearment as “Abba, Father.”
Do you have this special relationship with King Jesus? Do you know him as a child of God? Have you been adopted into the family of believers?
Dear Lord, If I have never drawn near to your throne as one of your children, work in my heart that I might come to know your great salvation and forgiveness of sins. Then bid me “come up higher” that I might rejoice in You and draw near in holy confidence, saying “Abba, Father.” 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.

To examine one’s faith is a most difficult, but most necessary exercise, for both young and old, as Spurgeon points out in this quote. It is something that you must do on your own, in a quiet moment, like the penguin in the picture.
What state am I in? Do I have forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ? Am I a Christian? Am I growing in Christ? Am I struggling with sin? How can I know these things. Should I trust someone else’s opinion of my faith in God?
The only way to truly examine one’s faith is by God’s Word, the Bible. According to Ephesians 2:8-9 we are saved by grace, not by works. If you think good works such as helping the poor or going to Church are going to get you to heaven, ask God for grace and forgiveness of your sins.
Are you a Christian, but are lacking in assurance and growth as a believer. Look to and study the Scriptures, and seek fellowship with other believers for help. Lack of assurance does not necessarily mean lack of salvation. Be patient, assurance will come with growth.
Dear Lord, As I examine my faith, as I look into your Scriptures, work in my heart and life. Help my faith to grow so that I may come, at last, to your promised rest. 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.

Will RogersIf politics was expensive in the 1930s, what would Will Rogers think about today’s elections? Word is, that over $4 billion was spent this election cycle!
What’s amazing is that all that money was spent, and the unemployment rate didn’t change – except that half of the people running are now unemployed.
Some candidates still can’t figure out how they got beat. In many cases, unemployed workers didn’t have anything better to do than to vote the bums out. In Chicago, dead people generally decide elections. Also, polls can never predict what’s going to happen in Chicago, because dead people never answer the phone. They still can’t figure out what happened in Alaska, because nobody could spell the candidate’s name correctly on the write-in ballot. In some places, TV stations simply forgot to run opponent’s ads, and some states forgot to send out absentee ballots.
I guess some things never change. Elections will continue to be expensive. I have a question though: “How can $4 billion of election “stimulus” money be injected into the economy without any sign of benefit to the country?
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
If ever a Will Rogers quote was relevant today, it is this one. When I send my hard-earned money off to Washington, I hope that they would spend it wisely. Is that too much to ask?
Apparently so! When I hear about the pork barrel spending and waste, it just burns my grits. We’re talking about huge amounts of money here folks. When a government accountant sneezes, a million dollars goes up in smoke. When a politician blinks, a billion dollars vanishes and when the president gives a speech, wealth disappears.
The President is a rich guy. His tax bill this past year was over $400,000. He talks about the rich people needing to pay their fair share, but if I sent that kind of money to the government, I would expect a “thanks,” and a little accountability.
Instead, my money is spent on failed programs, by the billions. We have a Federal Education department that hasn’t improved education by any measurable result. The War on Poverty has had more negative results than positive. Yet we hear how important these programs are, and that more money is needed to fix the problems they created in the first place.
Any belief that elected officials in this administration posses any special wisdom and common sense went out the window when the Vice President said: “Just becaust the Recovery Act was a monumental failure, does not mean that it is not working.”
My only hope is that candidates in the next election come up with something better to offer than empty promises. Is that too much to ask?
Image Info: Wiley Post is pictured with Will Rogers in this colorized image. Post was one of the most famous aviators of the 1930s, and set records for high-altitude and round-the-world flights. Rogers and Post were killed in a plane crash in Alaska in August of 1935.
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.

The mules were hee-hawing the other day in the lower chamber – I mean lower stall. They were kicking and bucking something terrible. There was so much commotion and noise that there wasn’t even a need for microphones – you could hear ’em clear across town. They was all bunched up in groups, trading oats back and forth until enough mules joined the group with the most oats.
The leader was a stubborn old mule, with a hee-haw so terrible loud, it would scare the hair off your ears. Listening in on all the noise, I couldn’t understand a thing they were braying, but there wasn’t any need to. Everyone knew that new leader was going to be the old leader. The only reason I was there was for the entertainment!
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 RogersIt was 10 degrees F (-12C) this morning and I had to do some work on my car. After a few minutes it was becoming more and more difficult to do even the simplest manipulation with my fingers. Not only that, it was painful.
Can you imagine how difficult it must be for crap shooters when it’s that cold. Will Rogers noticed that in February of 1934. Those poor crap shooters at the NYSE had to wait until they could warm up their hands and fingers before they could roll the dice and place their bets.
Image Information: This picture is from the entrance to Will Rogers’ Dog Iron Ranch in Oologah, OK. It is a working ranch and features Will Roger’ Oklahoma home and historical artifacts. It is maintained by the Will Rogers Memorial Museum which is just a few miles away in Claremore, OK.
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
Gentle Reader,
I have a special treat for you today. Below is an article from the Will Rogers Memorial Museum website about Will Rogers and his passion for Christmas.
Here is the original link for the article: Will Rogers Christmas. Enjoy!
Will Never Outgrew Passion for Christmas

CLAREMORE — Will Rogers never outgrew the child’s passion for the Christmas holiday. Traveling the world as an actor or cowboy or at home in California with his children, the season took on a special sense, one of joy and sharing with family and friends.
It’s been 80 years, but one Christmas remains vivid for Coke Meyer of Bartlesville, Will’s great-niece. One of Coke’s earliest memories of Christmas was made special by her Uncle Will. She was six and living with her ailing grandmother Maude Rogers Lane in Chelsea.
“I’ll never forget he sent electric lights from New York … No one in Chelsea had ever even heard of lights on trees, except candles and then with care,” she said.
Her father, Chelsea pharmacist Cap Lane, and Monday, a preacher for a black church and the man “who helped Granny in her dairy,” decorated a tree at the end of the lane at the gracious Lane home on Chelsea’s east side.
Coke remembers spending two days moving the mechanical hospital bed Will had sent for Mrs. Lane, relocating her to the “tower room” where she could see the tree. The grandchildren helped fill sacks with and an orange and candy to be distributed to those who stood beneath the window and sang Christmas carols. Mrs. Lane died five months later.
While Will never came home for the holiday after she was born, Coke and her cousin Tim Milam remember his generous Christmas checks. Checks were made personally to the older ones. “He could never remember the last name of cousin Lasca, so he just wrote Lasca on a check and sent it to Dad, who would forward it,” Coke reminisced.
“We always took our money and bought a new pair of shoes, then pooled the rest for a summer vacation.”
Like many men, Will was a last minute shopper. In a book written by his wife, Betty, she tells how he did his own shopping, “usually the day before Christmas.” Remembering everyone who worked for or with him, he would come home with “mountains of toys and clothing” and spend Christmas Eve wrapping gifts.
Often on Christmas Day, the family would retreat to a little log cabin on their property, where they could spend the day in seclusion. The children took turns at being Santa. Once when it was Mary’s turn, she fixed her pony with Christmas trappings, packed a sack and rode the pony into the house.
Only once after his marriage was Will away from home. He sent gifts home in 1931, then spent a lonely Christmas in Shanghai.
His first Christmas gift to Betty was a “little lace handkerchief” sent the winter after he had taken her to Chelsea to meet his family. He was away from home, but sent her the gift he had carried with him since purchasing it in Africa years before while buying lace and needlework for his sisters.
He had been saving it for a special time. The old Indian lady he bought the lace from gave him the handkerchief and asked if he was married. When he said no, she told him to give it to his wife when he married.
He carried it with him through Africa, through Australia, and then home, always intending to do as the old woman said. That year, just a few years before he and Betty were married in 1908, he decided it was for her.
I hope you have enjoyed this article from the Will Rogers Memorial Museum website. Please visit the Systems of Merritt 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 RogersThere’s a lot of “Oinking” going on in the halls of Congress. It takes a big hog waller to handle all the pork, so big in fact, that it’s impossible to manage all the hogs. They’re running here and there, squealing and oinking, as Congressmen and aids try to gather them up and ship them back to the home district. Some crooks have been caught stealing hogs by the trainload, but nobody knows how many trainloads are unaccounted for.
Many Congressmen are in the middle of the hog waller, covered in mud, yelling “More Pork! I demand more Pork!” Even the Vice President surfaced from under the mud saying “The first porkulus wasn’t enough! We need more pork to finish the job!”
A massive protest is forming called the “Wild Hog Party.” Folks are concerned that so many hogs have been taken in taxes, that in a few years there won’t be any hogs left at all on the farms. Protest signs are saying: “I gave my hog to the government, and all I got back was two lousy pieces of bacon!”
Someone asked the “Boss Hog” what was in upcoming hog-care legislation. She said: “We need to pass the bill before we can find out what’s in the bill.” “But what if we run out of hogs and go broke trying to pay for everything?” The Boss Hog said, “It’s no problem, we can always print more hogs! Oink, Oink!”
Image Information: The image is of Will Rogers, his wife Betty and their three children.
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