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 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.
I was at a conference earlier this year near Rochester, NY, and during one of the morning sessions we felt the room start moving. It took a minute for it to register, but we had just felt the effects of an earthquake. There was no damage, but the moving and rolling feelings were unmistakable and quite startling.
In Psalm 114, the Psalmist recounts the parting of the Red Sea and Jordan river for the Israelites. These were real live physical events. Don’t you love the wonderful imagery used? “The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.”
Skeptics have come along and proposed various physical phenomenon that would account for these “miracles.” Let’s say we give them their non-miracle explanation for a moment. In that case they will then have to explain how their “non-miracle” event miraculously happened at precisely the time it did and that the duration was precisely the amount of time required to accomplish its purpose.
The Psalmist wants us to understand that the Great Creator can do as he wills with his creation. He can stop the flow of water, make the earth tremble, or turn the “hard rock into springs of water.”
If the earth trembles at the presence of the Lord, we should too. If God can move mountains, He can move us too. For these remembrances we should be filled with praise that God accomplishes His purpose for His people.
Dear Lord, When the earth moves, the wind blows, the rain falls or snow blankets the ground, let my mind be drawn to the Great Creator, our Savior and our God. Amen.
Look below for a musical treat! The Sons of Korah have put Psalm 114 to music. Listen and be blessed!
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 114 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 114 to music. Listen to a sample below and purchase your own copy at the iTunes store by clicking on the button.
| Psalm 114 – Rain Album |  |
Never has temptation and sin been so near as in this internet age. It’s only a click away! After the first click, another click, and another, and another. Sin makes us feel dirty. So how do we get clean?
Psalm 119 gives us some answers. The KJV says, “By taking heed according to your word.” By letting the Word of God begin to guide our lives. It can cleanse us, just like the pure clean water flowing in the image on the left.
Begin to seek God with your whole heart. But you might say: “That’s impossible, it’s too difficult!” Indeed it is, but you’re not alone – the Lord can help you if you ask him. The Psalmist prays: “Oh, let me not wander from your commandments!”
The other thing I noticed about this passage is praise: “Blessed art thou, O Lord!” As we ask God to help us, we should praise him. Consider the many blessing you already have, and praise God for them.
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.
We’ve had some close calls financially, but there has always been food on the table for our family. My wife can stretch the food budget, a friend gave us some grocery money, a neighbor brought us a meal, another neighbor shared garden vegetables with us are some of the ways God has provided for us in the past.
This is a short verse, but it carries lots of meaning. The Lord asks two things of us: trust Him and do good. In return he allows us to dwell in the land and promises we shall be fed. Mr. Squirrel seems to be quite satisfied in the picture, doesn’t he?
Dear Lord, help me to trust in you, and to do good from a grateful heart. Thank you for your gracious provision, Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 37 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 RogersConfidence just seems to flow naturally from the lips of politicians! For example, the former speaker of the house said that “We need to pass this [health care] bill to find out what’s in it!”
Opponents of the bill were criticized for voting against the bill, that they were not given the opportunity to read. They predicted huge problems for the economy. In the end, confidence in the bill won, and beat prediction, just like Will Rogers says in this quote. Now we have to hire 81 IRS workers to enforce compliance of the excise tax on tanning salons.†
After spending hundreds of billions of dollars of stimulus money, the Vice President remains confident of success. He recently said: “Just becaust the Recovery Act was a monumental failure, does not mean that it is not working.” Detractors of the stimulus predicted dire economic consequences, and now we have high unemployment, plus rising energy and food prices.
Hope and confidence are abundant with the current administration, but they just don’t seem to have a clue about the future. Will Rogers sure got that right, didn’t he?
Well, I’ve got to go and apply for an IRS job downtown this afternoon. I’m confident I can land my dream job of checking up on tanning salons.
†Healthcare Reform Law Requires New IRS Army Of 1,054 – Washington Whispers (usnews.com)
The image was taken directly from images 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.
All my information about quicksand comes from watching old western movies years ago, but if I remember, the more you struggle to get out, the faster you will sink.
Imagine the patience and fortitude it would take to remain completely still while waiting for a friend to fetch a rope or tree limb to pull you to safety. Any struggle whatsoever would send you deeper into the sand.
There is one thing you can do, however. You can call out to your friend and tell him your troubles. You can tell him your fears and urge him to quickly bring relief.
Suddenly, you feel the rope in your hand, and the steady pull to safety. The only feeling better than that is the placing of your feet back on solid ground. Next is the gasp of relief and a shout of thanks to your friend!
How many times have I struggled through a situation, and emerged bruised and battered. I might even say: “Boy that was a lucky break!”
But wait. Have I been patient? Have I cried out to the Lord for rescue? Have I praised him with a song of praise? Have I encouraged others to put their trust in the Lord as Psalm 40 admonishes us?
Dear Lord, I’ve failed to be patient and pray for help so many times. In your mercy, teach me to trust you more, that you might be glorified. Put a new song in my mouth, that I might sing your praises. 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.
Will RogersCongress wants to START down the same old worn out and ineffective path again. During Rogers day, in the aftermath of WWI, diplomats had numerous conferences on disarmament. Funny thing was that they could never agree on what battleships to scrap, or weapons to destroy. Rogers attended a number of these conferences for the humor value, and sent his dispatches back to the U.S. newspapers.
If you are a nation intent on peaceful coexistence, you would like to at least have a good defense. If you are an aggressor, you’re not going to give up anything, so what good does it do to try to define what weapons can be used, or not used?
Today, the diplomats have put together another grand masterpiece of useless agreements on weapons restrictions and reductions. The danger today is that we’re the only ones that seem to take it seriously, to the point of dangerously weakening our defensive systems.
Can you imagine one of those diplomats coming face-to-face with some thug on a Washington, DC side-street? The diplomat confidently points out that he has disarmed according to the treaty, and that the thug’s gun is not to spec, and that he is not wearing the proper uniform. The thug then confidently pulls back the trigger and says: “Your money or your life!”
Image Information: Will Rogers was an expert with the lasso. This rope loop is called the big crinoline and the size of the loop, plus the fact that he is on a running horse shows Rogers’ expert skill.
The image was taken directly from photographs 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.
Cindy and I just became grandparents recently. She had the privilege of being with our daughter when the baby was born. The pictures of our newborn grandson are precious.
The closest I can come to the concept of a shining face is that of a new mother gazing upon her baby for the first time. I can see it in the pictures of our daughter and grandson. I remember my wife holding our newborn children. The look of wonder and joy seemed to give her face a certain glow and radiance.
I chose this picture to go with the verse because the sun streaming through the trees dramatically lights up and warms the forest floor. Our desire is that God would grant our lives light and warmth, and that we could pass that on to others.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 67 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.
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.
Nothing to us seems as permanent as a mountain. This verse reminds us that God is everlasting, from before the mountains were born.
This screen shot comes from the Psalm Daily Quotes NIV iPhone app.
Will Rogers quote for today summarized why we need a strong military. Most people can’t explain in in 20 minutes what Rogers expresses in just a few words. Additionally, Rogers’ humor drives the point home.
The debate still rages today over military power. Does cutting back our strength bring peace?
I took this picture at the Will Rogers Ranch in Oolagah, OK. They’ve done a great job restoring the house and furnishing it with period pieces as the picture shows. It’s a wonderful place to visit, right on the lake – very peaceful.
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 try to run on a regular basis. Not that I particularly enjoy being out of breath and exhausted at the end of the run, but because I know it is good for my health. I also know that it takes time to build endurance, and that after time, my body will become more accustomed to the work.
As we grow in the Lord, we begin to become more accustomed to praise and thanksgiving. It seems unnatural at first, but as our faith and endurance grow we become used to it. We understand better that it is he who made us, and as we look around at all the Lord has done for us, we begin to praise God more and more.
I imagine that the lamb in the picture must be saying “thank you God for green grass and a friend at my side.” Even for the simple things we can praise the Lord.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 100 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’m always interested in contests where we are asked to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar. I might make an attempt to count some of them through the glass, but soon give up in frustration. Usually I make a wild guess, which turns out to be nowhere the real number.
I’ve never seen a contest where the challenge was to guess the number of grains of sand in a jar. Somebody has to actually count all the grains, and even a small jar of sand has a huge number of individual grains.
As we read the scripture and listen to God’s word preached we can begin to understand some of God’s precious thoughts toward us.
There’s a lot of sand in this world, and even trying to number the grains of sand in this image is an impossible task, for the number is too great for us to comprehend.
Consider our infinite God who would bend his thoughts toward us in infinite detail. Our only response can be worship and praise!
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 139 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.
When I was young, I was a Navy brat. My father was a career military man and we lived in a number of different places, including abroad. We also travelled across Europe, following his ship from port to port. I’ve seen the beautiful cathedrals, Roman ruins and great works of art. I’ve also observed the …
The concept of eternity is something that we just can’t comprehend as time-bound human beings. Whether the most ignorant or brilliant, everyone must ponder what happened before the ages began and what will happen after the ages to come. Are the mountains pictured in the image eternal? As unchangeable as the mountains might seem, we …
Cindy and I just became grandparents recently. She had the privilege of being with our daughter when the baby was born. The pictures of our newborn grandson are precious. The closest I can come to the concept of a shining face is that of a new mother gazing upon her baby for the first time. …
When asked about the first thing they want to do when they get to heaven, most people say something like “I want to see my mother and father,” or “I want to say hi to Uncle Bushrod – he was my favorite uncle.” Those are nice thoughts, and I’m sure we will have fellowship with …
This is one of Will Rogers’ most famous quotes, and it’s probably just as true today as in 1930. 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 …
For whatever reason we don’t seem to take notice of problems until they become a crisis. Government seems to be especially bad about this, and the news media knows that crisis headlines sell. Will Rogers makes a great observation with this quote. In fact, sometimes it seems that the government prohibits putting out the fire …
I’m always interested in contests where we are asked to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar. I might make an attempt to count some of them through the glass, but soon give up in frustration. Usually I make a wild guess, which turns out to be nowhere the real number. I’ve never …
When I was working on my masters degree at the University of Illinois I built instrumentation for their Aeronomy program. We made rocket payloads that would gather data from the upper atmosphere which would allow us to look at the nature of energetic particles that stream down the earth’s magnetic fields. I love science and …
When I visited Pompeii years ago I was struck by the suddenness and completeness of the destruction of the city by the Vesuvius volcano. People were found frozen in position. Artifacts were preserved by the covering ash. Some volcanoes move more slowly, as in Hawaii. The hot lava spews from vents as in the picture …
I love peaceful scenes like the one in the picture. A glassy lake, the ocean in the morning, fog settling over the mountaintops, a quiet evening at sunset are the times I remember. With the busyness of life we enjoy the peaceful times that God gives us. As I have time to relax and enjoy …
