The saying: “Mister can you spare a dime?” typified the poverty and despair during the depression years. My Grandmother told me that young, out of work, men would travel from place to place looking for jobs. Many times they would come to her back door to ask for a bite to eat. Those were difficult years for many Americans.
On Jan. 5, 1934, Will Rogers published this quote in his Syndicated Daily Telegraph column. Well, the numbers have gone up by more than 10 this time. The President looked the country in the eye recently and said: “Mister, can you spare $800 billion?” That $10 billion in 1934 looks like 10 cents today!
What in the world are they going to do with all that TAXPAYER money? Why stimulate the economy, of course.
By the time the government hires millions of administrators for all the programs, accounts for inefficiency and waste, plus fraud, some of the money might create a few jobs. But that comes after bank and union bailouts, even foreign banks we now find out.
Here’s a novel common sense idea! How about if the government cuts its bloated spending, and lets me keep more of my own money that would have gone to taxes. That way I can stimulate the economy with my money, without all the government inefficiency, waste, fraud and bailouts!
Image Information: This picture was taken at the Will Rogers Ranch in Oologah, Oklahoma. The farmhouse where Will Rogers lived has been preserved and is administered by the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in nearby Claremore, Oklahoma. The Museum and Ranch are great places to visit if you are ever in the Tulsa area.
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.
As you read the Psalms, it becomes clear that God defends and protects the poor. Psalm 14 indicates that restoration and better days are ahead. In fact, if you are responsible for oppressing the poor, God takes note of it, and is not pleased.
Poor in terms of possessions is not the only thing that the Lord is concerned with. In Matthew 5:3 Jesus says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
I am truly poor however, if I do not follow Christ. If I serve a king, I am rich because the king is rich. I am protected because the king is protected. If I turn my back on the king’s calling I will remain poor and unprotected.
The Bible is where we can learn about God’s salvation and calling. Read the Gospel of John and ask the Lord to become your king.
Dear Lord, I am poor and needy. Become my refuge and salvation. Reveal yourself to me through your Son Jesus. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 14 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.
Below is an extra treat! The Sons of Korah have put Psalm 14 to music. Listen to a sample below and purchase your own copy at the iTunes store by clicking on the button.
| Psalm 14b – Rain Album |  |
Those of you that follow this blog know how special the Psalms are and the blessing they can have on your life. Recently, the Sons of Korah held a concert at our church here in Upland, Indiana. They have put the Psalms to music, which adds a new dimension to the impact they can have on your life. Below are links and samples of cuts from the Rain album.
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| Rain – Sons of Korah |  |
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| Psalm 139 – Rain Album | |
| Psalm 84 – Rain Album | |
| Psalm 99 – Rain Album | |
| Psalm 116b – Rain Album | |
| Psalm 42b – Rain Album | |
| Psalm 103:1-5 – Rain Album | |
| Psalm 42a – Rain Album | |
| Psalm 114 – Rain Album | |
| Psalm 3 – Rain Album | |
| Psalm 14a – Rain Album | |
| Psalm 14b – Rain Album | |
| Essence – Rain Album | |
When I am ill, or under some sort of affliction, it’s not really a time that I would normally think of as a faith-building experience. My instinct is to focus on myself and complain to anyone who will listen.
In Judges 14 we find the story of Samson that Spurgeon mentions in the quote. One day while Samson is walking along the road, a young lion “came toward him roaring.” Then is says that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and, with his bare hands, he tore the lion apart in pieces.
Later Samson returned to the place to find a swarm of bees in the carcass of the lion, and Samson scraped the honey out with his hands and ate it, and gave some to his mother and father.
From the account of Scripture, we know that Samson was a strong guy, but notice that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him as the lion came toward him. God was with Samson during this deadly confrontation. I have trouble carving a turkey with a knife, but Samson tore apart a lion with his bare hands!
From this story, we find out that God was with Samson during the trial, and saved his life, plus sweet honey grew out of the aftermath. So it should be with us if we rightly consider our situation as Spurgeon says.
Dear Lord, Help me to acknowledge your presence during trials, so that my faith may grow stronger. I praise you for the honey that grows out of the adversity, the sweet taste after the bitter trial. 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’s a lot of gloom these days. Uncertainty over the future of our country in a dangerous world. We are concerned about crime. Leaders don’t seems to have common sense answers.
Psalm 99 helps us to put things in perspective: “The Lord reigns!” It seems so simple – but it’s true. All through the Scriptures we see God is in control of the nations and He is always glorified.
Recall that the Lord reigns even when it may not seem like it from our point of view. To be honest, people have survived worse times than we are faced with today. Recall Vietnam, the Cold War, WWII, WWI and the Civil War to name a few. Many suffered and some paid with their lives, yet we must understand that the Lord reigns.
The nation of Israel survived the Egyptian captivity, and later exile in Babylon. Even in those dark days God had His purpose and plan. If there was ever a clear picture of this it is in Daniel, chapter 3, where Daniel is given the meaning of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the golden statue. In the dream, God reveals His plan for the course of nations.
In Daniel 4:26 we find out why these things happen. It is so that we may understand that “heaven rules.” As we understand this truth our hearts should turn to praise. As the Psalmist says: “Let them praise your great and awesome name.”
Dear Lord, When the nations are in turmoil, let me understand that you reign over all things. Let me learn to praise your great and awesome name, for you are holy. Amen.
Look below for an extra blessing! The Sons of Korah have put Psalm 99 to music. You can listen to the sample and then purchase your own copy at the iTunes store.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 99 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.
Below is an extra treat! The Sons of Korah have put Psalm 99 to music. Listen to a sample below and purchase your own copy at the iTunes store by clicking on the button.
| Psalm 99 – Rain Album | |
Will Rogers is a genius! In February of 1932 he issued this quote as an observation and warning to Congress. It’s so simple: don’t spend money, until you know where it’s coming from. Even a child can figure out that you can’t spend money you don’t have.
Sad thing is, Congress never got the message. With this blog post, I’ll try and send Will’s message again. Here goes:
Hey Congress! “Every time we appropriate something we got to pass another bill along with it stating where the money is coming from.”
Up until I just resent Will’s message, you would have thought that the brilliant money men in the current administration and Congress were drunken sailors throwing money at anything and everything. They call it “stimulus” spending, but the only thing that got stimulated was the federal printing presses that churn out money.
Well, the former Chairman of the Federal Reserve said the stimulus didn’t help the economy, and the current Chairman said he doesn’t know what’s going on or how to fix it. The (formerly tax avoiding) Treasury Secretary is getting ready to jump ship, and the VP said that “just because the stimulus was a monumental failure, doesn’t mean it’s not working.” The President says we need to get used to a “new normal.”
It’s said that a fool is often parted from his money, but in this case, the fools parted us from OUR money! I hope we are able to some day soon send honest folks to Washington with some good old Will Rogers’ common sense before it’s too late.
This picture of Will Rogers entering the seaplane piloted by famous aviator Wiley Post is among the last photographs taken of Rogers before the fatal crash in Alaska on August 15, 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 Daily Quotes 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.
What could a young lion possibly want. They’re at the top of the food chain! Perhaps it’s the never-ending cycle of want and hunger that the Psalmist mentions – never being satisfied.
I’m a tech guy – always wanting newer and faster computers and gadgets. Can the things of this life cause us to not fear or respect God as we should. They can and they do.
Dear Lord, help me to seek you more each day and to thank you for every good thing that comes from your hand.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 34 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.
I remember a politician who famously proclaimed: “I feel your pain.” Where are the champions of the “little guy” now. Does anybody feel our pain? Oh, I forgot! The administration told us a while back that this higher level of pain and unemployment rate is the “new normal.”
And now that gas and food prices are going through the roof, these “statesman,” according to Will Rogers, want to raise our taxes to pay for the huge deficit they created in the first place.
“Long-sighted” politicians claim that they want to raise taxes only on the rich as if that’s going to help the rest of us. It’s like the government raising the rich man’s feed price, forcing him to sell his cattle and lay off his workers to pay the increased cost. The rich man looses business, and the “little guys” loose their jobs.
Talk of raising taxes in the midst of a recession has got to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of. Common sense would tell you that, but common sense and this administration go together like rednecks and bathwater.
If the administration really did feel our pain, they would understand that we are over taxed, over regulated, over burdened and over governed. Next election, perhaps these “long-sighted” statesmen will feel some pain of their own.
Image Information: This is an image of Will Rogers on the fateful August, 1935 Alaska trip. Within just a few days he would die in a plane crash with famous aviator Wiley Post at Point Barrow, Alaska. The entire nation would mourn his loss.
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.
Here’s a review for the Daily Psalms iPhone applications in The iPhone App Review.
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.
Do you remember, as a child, being taken somewhere by your parents? If it was a place you really wanted to go, like the state fair, you were very excited. Additionally, you were absolutely confident in their choice to take you where they said they would. Not only was it exciting, it was a great comfort as well, that you could trust them at their word.
Now contrast that with being lost in a big city. You never know if the choice you made to turn left or right will be the right choice – the choice that will take you to your destination. There is no comfort, only anxiety as you search for the way home.
Election in the Bible has to do with God choosing us. It’s amazing, that as you read the Scriptures, how many times we come across passages about how God has chosen us.
As Spurgeon says, it is truly humbling to know that we are not chosen because of anything about us, what we have done or even accomplished. For that undeserved grace, gratitude should pour from our hearts. We can take great comfort in that.
Now if my salvation and standing with God is the product of my choice, it would be unsettling, just like being lost in the big city. Did I make the right choice? If I choose God, can I then “unchoose” God? If I ever do find the way, then it would have been done through my effort, my choices.
I’m no theologian, but it just seems that concerning salvation, God choosing me, is much more of a comfort than me choosing God. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Eph 2:8-9 ESV. If we look closely at this passage, we find that even our faith is the gift of God.
Dear Lord, Grant me the gift of faith, that I may believe. Help me to know how perfect your choice is. Help me to take comfort in your election, your choosing of the saints. If there is any uncertainty in me, help me to begin to understand the depth and completeness of your grace, and let my heart bring forth gratitude and praise. 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.
How could Will Rogers have known about the frustration of recounts back in 1932? I don’t know that he ever experienced one, but he certainly knew that the day after the election, he wanted it to be over!
The image is from one of Will’s silent movies, Jubilo. He was one of the few actors that made the transition from silent movies to “talkies.” Not only did he make the transition, he became one of the most famous actors in the early 1930s.
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.
This world is stained with sin. We can’t get away from it, no matter how hard we try, or how far we go. It manifests itself personally in our lives, and in nature.
In our personal lives and relationships, we see pride, envy, lust, hatefulness, and all sorts of sin that manifests itself in our lives each day. We might be able to overcome some sins through the sheer force of will, but sin itself is so deeply embedded in our being that it can never be overcome completely.
In nature we see imperfections and decay everywhere. Our own bodies wear out after a period of time, even though the average lifespan has increased in recent years. Natural phenomena such as tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and many other events indicate that this earth is unstable. Pain and suffering are all around us.
But Spurgeon (and the Bible) talk of beauty and perfection that doesn’t exist on this earth. In a place called heaven we will find it.
When Jesus came to this earth, he showed us that He could reverse the effects of sin in this world. Jesus healed many people reversing the effect of disease in their bodies. He controlled the weather by calming a storm, and he controlled evil spirits by casting them out of the people they tormented. He also preached the gospel, which by faith, can cleanse sin from our lives.
Dear Lord, Only with your grace can we reverse the effect of sin in our life. Only by faith can we prepare for heaven, where sin shall be no more, and we will see your “glory without cloud.” 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 RogersJust like Will Rogers said in 1932, voters seemed to “vote against all of ’em” recently. The funny thing was that the Democrats were the ones that overwhelmingly got voted against. The other funny thing is that the Democrats were the ones that didn’t seem to have a clue what the voters were going to do.
I think it works the other way around as well. No politician is going to do anything a voter thinks he will do. The voters didn’t have a clue what the legislators were going to do as we entered the previous legislative cycle.
Healthcare? We didn’t know congress was going to take over one sixth of the economy. Bailouts? Who ever thought GM would become Government Motors. Stimulus and deficit spending? Congress seems to be fine with the idea that our children will pay for it.
Well, the voters voted against ’em all right. They cleaned house. Next time, politicians might want to take note of how the voters feel when they veer off the road of common sense.
This picture was taken during the Will Rogers-Wiley Post ill-fated Alaska trip in August of 1935. Famous Aviator Wiley Post is pictured standing on the pontoon of the aircraft.
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.
We lavish praise on many things, children, pets, coworkers, spouse and others. Sometimes the praise is quite lavish, such as awards for national or community service. Perhaps the praise is for great sacrifice, such as an award of the Medal of Honor.
Yet, even the most heroic sacrifice or deed of man deserving of praise, cannot compare to the praise due to our God. Consider what he has done!
In Psalm 148, the Psalmist focuses on creation. NASA photographs show us wonders in the heavens displayed in unimagined beauty. Scientists spend entire lifetimes studying the stars, and rather than coming close to unlocking the mysteries of the universe, they discover complexities even more mysterious.
Praise the Lord, for such wonders as the heavens. But for all the praise to God for the heavens, there are even more wondrous things right here on earth.
Beyond all created things, consider salvation from Christ. Consider Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection. Consider what it means to mankind. Consider what it means to me, individually, personally.
Dear Lord, I praise you for your great creation, but most of all, I praise you for your great salvation through Jesus Christ. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 148 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.
There have been a few times in my life where I’ve been really thirsty. You know how it feels – throat parched, tongue thick, mouth feels like cotton. Fortunately in our modern world, water is usually nearby at a fountain or faucet. I’ve seen movies and read books about people who have suffered from severe …
I’m trying to think of times when I was excited about going somewhere. Perhaps a graduation ceremony for one of my kids. I enjoy going to ball games and concerts. A weekend campout is lots of fun. The anticipation of going somewhere special is a great feeling, isn’t it? When you get there, you are …
In 1933 the country was in crisis as the Great Depression took its toll. The elections were over and FDR was waiting to take office when Will Rogers wrote this Daily Telegram on January 19, 1933. From this Will Rogers quote, it seems that nobody was in charge, and nobody wanted to tackle the problems …
Have you ever wondered why fancy restaurants are so dimly lit? For me, at least, it has to be so that I won’t be embarrassed by food stains down the front of my shirt. When leaving the restaurant, however, and walking out into the light, the problem becomes visible. It’s interesting that the Psalmist, in …
I love this picture! Mr. Beaver seems to be talking directly to me, reminding me to “give thanks to the Lord.” Actually, I do need reminding, because I often forget to give thanks. As in many Psalms, the Psalmist speaks of “the needy one” and of God’s protection and salvation. Normally I think of the …
Earlier this year, we were in a financial crunch. We cut back all we could, but the cash had run out. It’s a situation that weighs on you. As the Psalmist says: “…my heart is stricken within me.” A friend of mine and I regularly go on walks, and I shared some of our needs. …
Day to day, I tend to think of myself as eternal. When I go to sleep, I believe that I will wake to another day, and another, and another. When I look around, I expect the buildings and landscape to be the same day to day, year to year. Certainly, the stars in this beautiful …
It’s a struggle, isn’t it – loving righteousness? As the hymn says, I am “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love.” Yet the Psalmist indicates there is great reward. When I am caught in sin, my tendency is to draw away from God and from his chastening. Have …
Sometimes is doesn’t happen right away – turning mourning into dancing. A deep grief, difficult situations, or failure can take a while to work through. An encouraging word from my precious wife, kids or friends helps a great deal. After time, the sackcloth is loosed and I can begin to dance, like the sea otters …
Will RogersIn Rogers’ day, disarmament was a leading issue. In the period after WWI, there were numerous peace conferences. Rogers would attend and report on the proceedings with his characteristic wit and humor. Rogers saw the futility in nations trying to regulate how many battleships and weapons a country should have, and that it was …
