Will RogersAfter being focused “like a laser beam” on jobs, this administration finally gave up and told us that high and rising unemployment was going to be the “new normal.” The “substantial help,” as Will Rogers puts it in his quote, was to keep extending unemployment benefits.
Common sense from Washington has always been in short supply, but do you suppose that injecting uncertainty into the economy might have something to do with many of our problems. Uncertainty over healthcare, drilling, energy, trade relations, manufacturing, insurance, banking, etc. are killing jobs.
If you don’t slop the hogs every day, they start to get cranky, and if businesses can’t depend on reliable and predictable policy coming from Washington, they get cranky too. They have to lay off people to survive.
People are getting cranky too. After so many broken promises, they don’t have much faith in the rhetoric coming from Congress. Perhaps that’s why they voted to throw so many politicians out of office in the last election. They should have known that if you can’t slop a hog right, you don’t know how to treat people right.
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.
There’s just something about the word “duty” that bugs me. It conjures up endless drudgery and work, that takes me away from other things I would rather be doing.
Yet there is something important that comes of duty. John Quincy Adams said: “Duty is ours, results are God’s.” What we do in service to God, be it caring for children, providing for our families, serving others, and many other things, is important. In God’s providence, He has knit all these things together for His purpose and glory.
In Spurgeon’s quote, he sharpens our sense of duty, by using a military example. A soldier endlessly trains and prepares for combat against the enemy. His duty is to train and fight, in order to serve and protect his country against a great evil.
The soldier must take classes on dragon scales, teeth, claws, fire and tails. He must learn how to use the weapons needed to defeat dragons, and when the training is complete, the soldier must face the dragon.
It is the soldier’s duty to train and fight. He understands that if he puts forth any less than all his heart, soul and strength he will not prevail. A soldier also understands that he is not alone. His comrades-in-arms, NCOs, officers, and generals are all working together to fight the battles and win the war.
When the battles are over, there is rejoicing, and when the war is won, there will be a great prize: life eternal. With the end in mind, duty is not so much a burden as a pleasure, because we know it pleases God.
I’ve fought battles with finances, relationships, work situations, anxiety, sinful thoughts and many other challenges. When my heart and soul and strength are not in the battle, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to prevail. If I haven’t done my duty, to train and prepare, I may get singed by the fire, or receive a terrible wound.
Dear Lord, Help me to do my duty, and fight with all my heart, soul and strength against the enemy. 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.
Matching the image and quote adds quite a bit to the meaning of the selected verse. The geese flying against the beautiful sunset conveys the natural beauty of this world and God’s majesty. It should remind us of his protection as a shield. It should also remind us to walk uprightly.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 19 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes ASV iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
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.
Years ago I was giving a professional presentation. It was a proud moment – to have the attention of my industry peers, to be the expert in my field. The room had a mirrored wall in the back, and several people had laptops open in front of them. As I was presenting, I noticed through the reflection of the mirror that one of the attendees was playing solitaire on his computer! I guess what I was saying wasn’t as important as I thought.
Pride creeps into almost everything we do, yet in Psalm 131 the Psalmist gives us a beautiful image of humility starting with “O Lord, my heart is not proud.” The doe and fawn in the picture convey a beautiful and quiet humility.
What could be more content than the weaned child resting against its mother?
Dear Lord, help me to compose and quiet my soul. Let my heart not be proud. Help me to hope in you from this time and forever.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 131 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes NASB iPhone app.Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
Will RogersThere’s a lot of rushing around these days. In Wisconsin, legislators are rushing out and protestors are rushing in where they have no business. Like Will Rogers says, they should have never left the place where they came from.
Normal working folks don’t have time to protest because they are busy earning a living. They do make time to vote, and they elected the Governor to take care of business.
Normal legislators are about the people’s business. Running away from their jobs just doesn’t seem right to most people when there are tough decisions to be made.
It seems kind of odd that the people that don’t pay Wisconsin taxes are coming in to the state to protest, and the people that are responsible for deciding how to best manage the tax money are leaving the state.
I think the good people of Wisconsin can take care of their own business without all the rushing around.
Image Info: Once Will Rogers found out he could get places faster by flying he was constantly in the air. From the early days of open cockpit aircraft, like in this picture, Will Rogers was part of the birth of commercial aviation. He knew all the famous pilots including Billy Mitchell, Wiley Post and Charles Lindberg and passionately promoted aviation.
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.
How could Rogers know the consequences of cutting back on our defense in 1933? He had lived through WWI, peace conferences, and disarmament talks, and he had an amazing insight into human nature.
Today we have many of the same issues. We look to the UN for peace talks. We talk about nuclear disarmament. Some administrations cut back on defense technologies, support and strength. Additionally reducing our military strength are social engineering projects among military personnel.
The bad guys are still the bad guys. Weakness is their signal for action and aggression. Laying down our weapons doesn’t mean they will lay down their weapons or like us.
We have a department of defense, not offense. Our weapons protect and defend our citizens and interest. Will Rogers knew what would happen if the US cut back her defense. We should know as well.
Image Information: The image of Rogers is from his 1921 silent film Guile of Women. Rogers plays a Swede named Yal who travels with a friend to America to seek his fortune. After misfortunes in love and business, his girlfriend finally arrives from Sweden.
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 times get tough, it seems natural to ask “Why, O Lord?” It seems natural to wonder “Where is God when I am suffering?” Why isn’t God answering my prayers? Where is God’s comfort?
In Psalm 44, the Psalmist seem to express the deep feelings of our hearts with his words. His pleas echo our prayers. His urgency for help speaks to our needs.
I must remember that these words are from Scripture! They are the very words of God. It means that God knows my heart and my situation. We can put this together with the gospel and the life of Jesus in the New Testament. We can understand that Jesus, the Son of God, experienced human life with all its joy and grief, glory and suffering.
God understands our situation and pain, because of the life of his Son, Jesus. Furthermore, from the example of Jesus’ life, and the teaching of Scripture, we find that everything that happens has purpose and meaning. Even bad things have purpose on God’s plan for our lives. The best example is the cross of Christ. We can also look at the life of Joesph in the Old Testament, and the life and writings of Paul in the New Testament.
The idea of God’s purpose and meaning in the things that happen is called the Doctrine of Providence, and it is a sweet and comforting thought, and guiding principle when times are tough. The Puritans referred to difficult times and severe trials as a “frowning Providence.” Faith is not shaken when we understand the providence of God, even in the darkest of times.
Dear Lord, You understand the darkest of times of my life. You have purpose and meaning in every event, every trial, every grief. Let the knowledge of your providence be boosted by the understanding of your steadfast love for me. As I read your Word, let these truths encourage my heart. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 44 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 mentioned in an earlier post that I had the honor of meeting a former US Navy SEAL, while waiting for a flight at DFW recently. As we looked through the images in the iPhone App, we came across the one pictured here. He showed me a special emblem on his watch band and told me he was a jump master.
All SEALs know how to handle a parachute, but a jump master has even more jumps and skills when it comes to jumping out of airplanes or helicopters. But the jump master doesn’t just keep the skill to himself. All SEALs are tasked with conveying their special skill to other members of their team.
Watching the movie, “Act of Valor”, I began to consider that it’s not just a single act of valor that makes these Navy SEALs who they are. It’s hundreds of acts of valor. These men risk their lives with each dive, jump and mission. They do it for their country, their comrades in arms, their families, and for each of us. For this, we should thank God each day.
I’ll never jump out of an airplane, but I want to know that God has “set me secure on the heights,” as it says in Psalm 18:33. I need the confidence of a jump master. I need to know that God is my rock, and he has equipped me with strength. The confidence won’t come through one “act of faith.” With God’s help, will come through hundreds of individual acts of faith.
Dear Lord, Help me to acknowledge you in all things, even in the little acts of faith that may seem insignificant. Through the gospels, you performed many miracles that changed peoples lives. It all led to Jesus’ final ultimate act of valor on the cross for all believers. Let it change my life. Amen.
Psalm 18:31 For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?— 32 the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. 33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.
Image info: Soldiers from the First Battalion of First Special Operations Airborne unit on Torii Station, Okinawa, Japan, perform High Altitude, Low Opening (HALO) jumps out of a CH-46E assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron Two Six Two (HMM-262). HMM-262 is assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa, Japan. – Official US Navy photo by PH3 (NAC) Kaitlyn Rae Vargo.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 18 and the accompanying image taken from the Navy 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.
Will RogersSome of the ideas coming out of Washington these days just don’t seem to exhibit any common sense. My first mistake is probably using the words “Washington” and “common sense” in the same sentence.
Folks have been debating disarmament since WWI and Will Rogers has a lot to say about it. I’ll sum up arguments for disarmament in one word: “cuckoo.” The happy version goes like this: Both parties get rid of lots of weapons and the world will be a safer place. The scary version is we disarm, trusting the other party to do the same, even if they lie to us. Even worse is the fact that the current administration wants to compromise our ability to even defend ourselves with treaty concessions.
Here’s a little story for you. Farmer Jones down the road is a nice guy, but he is known to have a mean streak. When he gets drunk, he threatens to blow my farm off the map, but when he’s sober, he says he’s a nice guy and suggests that I get rid of all my guns. He did blow up two of my barns one time, and cut the heads off of some of my chickens when I wasn’t looking.
I’ve found that modern inventions have done wonders in keeping the peace. When he found out that his bullets were no longer effective against my bullet defense system, he could only complain that it wasn’t fair. When he realized that my guns had twice the range of his, he calmed down pretty quick. I told him that if he ever threatened my chickens again, my chicken protection system would fill his hide with buckshot.
Farmer Jones and I get along fine now. We trade chickens, hogs and corn. We have an understanding. You touch my chickens, hogs, barns or junk and I’ll blow you to kingdom come. He knows I can do it, and he knows I mean it.
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.
A group of students from Taylor University were in Egypt for the spring semester, but their stay was cut short by the recent unrest. One of the young ladies is a friend of our family, and we followed the situation closely. We prayed for her safety as Americans were evacuated from Cairo, and the group was finally able to flee to Turkey.
The unrest in Egypt made it dangerous for foreigners and religious groups to stay. Innocent people had been killed at their place of worship. In an instant, you could become an enemy of an angry crowd because of your race or religion. You could be harmless and helpless, as the fawn in the picture, but still become the object of hatred and violence.
I’m sure that Psalm 18 becomes relevant to these students, with the possibility that violence could erupt around them at any moment. They were rescued from violent men and saved from their enemies.
The Psalmists response is praise. Exuberant praise! “O Lord; I will sing praises to your name.” I’m sure these students and their parents are praising God for their deliverance from possible harm.
Our deliverance might not be quite so dramatic, but should our praise be any less? If God can deliver us from small things, then He can deliver us from any thing. We can especially praise God each day for delivering us from our sins through Jesus.
Dear Lord, I praise you for my deliverance and protection. I praise you especially for your great salvation through Jesus Christ your son. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 18 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.
Don’t you wish you could be as happy and carefree as the sea otter in this picture? God seems to have given these playful creatures an energy and happiness above their fellow creatures. You don’t normally associate happiness with a bear, elk, tiger or walrus, do you?
So it is with us. Some people just seem to be happier. Could it be that people who love righteousness might generally be happier than those who don’t? The Psalmist indicates that the righteous person is favored with gladness from God.
In this fallen world, it is amazing that happiness exists at all. Natural disasters, wars, strife, accidents, and so many other events in our lives seem designed to rob us of any happiness at all. The pursuit of happiness seems a fruitless exercise, sadness a certain curse. Is there any hope?
God has “anointed you with the oil of gladness,” says the Psalmist. Deep happiness, gladness, joy, comes from God. God is the one who can turn back the fallenness and give us hope. This is something that we cannot do on our own.
Consider the life of Jesus. Jesus broke though the fallenness of this world with his healings, teachings and miracles, and most important, his death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit continues the work of redemption today in the lives of believers. Seek the living God today and ask Jesus for the joy and happiness that comes from forgiveness of your sins. With the help of the Holy Spirit you can “love righteousness” too.
Dear Lord, Save me from this fallen world. Help me to find true happiness, no matter what comes my way. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 45 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 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.
Will RogersI don’t know much about banking, bailouts and loans, but when I read that a country is repaying a loan to the U.S. it does seem mighty strange. It was strange in Will Rogers’ day too. We had loaned vast sums of money to European countries after WWI for rebuilding, and we never saw most of it again.
We’re still giving away money – taxpayer money. We learned that money went to bail out foreign banks recently by the billions. Will we ever see any of it again? Will it produce jobs here in the U.S.? Will it help the U.S. get out of debt?
Will Rogers was a guy that believed in common sense. We can only hope (and vote) for some common sense to return back to Washington.
Wait a minute! Did I just put “common sense” and “Washington” in the same sentence? Folks, we’ve got a lot of work to do!
Image Information: Will Rogers was a frequent flyer. When he discovered that air transportation was the fastest way to get places he was constantly in the air. He started in open cockpit airplanes and became a part of the birth of commercial aviation.
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.
Systems of Merritt, Inc. has added some great new features to its line of iPhone applications.
The help and tips options give the user lots of information on how to use the program. The splash screen option simply shows the splash screen.
Staying in touch with customers is important to Systems of Merritt, and the contact Frank option allows the user to easily compose and send an email directly to the developer.
The information section has some additional useful options. If you want to know were the images came from touch the credit option. The share option is a great way to share the quote and image to a friend. If you enjoy the application, please use the rate this app option so that others will know. The option takes you to the iTunes store where you can add your ratings and comments to the app page.
Finally, there is a products option that will list all of the Systems of Merritt products. If you enjoy this product, you might also enjoy on of our other fine products.
Are there some more features you would really like to see? Let us know with a quick note from the email the developer option. We love to hear from our users!
As with so many of Rogers’ quotes, nothing has changed in politics after all these years. Congress is still counting mythical beans. There is a slight problem though. Taxpayers, their children and grandchildren will have to pay for the mythical beans! I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image …
When we see a beautiful sunset it can trigger a moment of thanksgiving and praise to God. It speaks of the order and wonder of the universe put into place by the Lord for our well being and pleasure. This simple event that happens each day also speaks of eternity as we consider its vast …
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 …
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 …
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One of the most famous passages of literature is Psalm 23. It truly captures our soul’s desire, that we would be led by the Great Shepherd to the quiet waters. This verse can certainly be applied to many areas of life. Our brave combat soldiers might take “walk through the valley of the shadow of …
There are scientists that dedicate their entire lives to the study of the stars. The complexity is so vast that we routinely see news articles about new discoveries that baffle scientists. Some of these scientists that are baffled by the wonders of the heavens hold to a belief that all of these wonders are somehow …
This Will Rogers quote was written in 1933, and it’s still true today! One big difference is that their predictions can be broadcast live over TV and the internet, so we can get the information faster. The picture is from Will Rogers’ film The Ropin’ Fool. If you look closely you can see that Will’s …
It makes you feel good when someone remembers you. My wife is great about that! She remembers what foods I like and don’t like. She knows the right words to say to encourage me. It’s a great blessing and I try to remember to say “thank you” often. Spurgeon reminds us that if God remembers …
Why do we thank people? Normally it’s because they have done something for us and we feel some debt of gratitude. We should say “thank you” much more often – to our spouse, children, friends, pastor and others for what they do for us. It is especially true that we should thank God more often. …
