Will Rogers on “Let the Kids Pay for it!”

Will RogersIn 1932 Will Rogers predicted that it would take taxpayers 50 years to pay for all the massive appropriations of his day. How could he have been so wrong? It’s 75 years later now and we are still paying for massive social programs put into place during the Roosevelt years.

Not only that, but new programs and mandates have been put into place since then. We’re still fighting the “War on Poverty,” and it doesn’t appear that, after all the money invested, that we are winning.

Year after year, the programs grow bigger and bigger, the benefits grow more numerous, more participants qualify, and the scale of related fraudulent activity is staggering.

Nobody ever questions if the programs are successful in meeting their stated goals and reform is regularly voted down. The only measurement seems to be the amount of new money appropriated each year and the good intentions of the supporting sponsors.

Well, we’re the kids that are paying for the “great ideas” and good intentions of the 1930’s and it looks like our kids will be paying for the good intentions of the current administration. Seems like Will Rogers was right. The votes are getting more and more expensive.

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

Spurgeon on “Daily Strength” ~ 2 Minute Devotional

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 I remember the thrill of looking at data from a rocket launch. Before my eyes was a glimpse of a tiny piece of God’s creation in motion. Scientists would puzzle over the interpretation of the data and debate its meaning.

In Spurgeon’s wonderful way, he describes God’s control and care of the heavenly bodies. Men of science spend a lifetime trying to explain how the sun operates. Each new scientific discovery brings more questions, yet God cares for it all, and places each planet in its place.

Not only does God care for the planets and their vast scale of operation, he also cares for each of us individually. The God who “feeds the burning furnace of the sun” has power enough to supply us with the daily strength we need!

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.

Navy Psalm 108:12 on “Help Against the Foe” ESV 2 Minute Devotional

Devotional

I had the honor of meeting a former Navy SEAL while waiting for a flight at DFW. He was 70 years old and looked every bit as fit as men half his age. Last year he was invited back to temporary active duty to assist training today’s Navy SEAL candidates, and compare it with his experience from years ago. The attrition rate for SEAL training has been and is still over 70% for First Phase training. It’s still the toughest military training in the world!

As we looked at pictures from the Navy Psalm Daily Quotes ESV iPhone app, such as the one in this blog post, he could tell me exactly what was going on when we came to pictures of SEAL training.

One thing Navy SEALs have to learn is teamwork. Nobody makes it through training by relying only on themselves. You are responsible for your teammates, and they are responsible for you. For SEALs, it can be a matter of life and death.

This thought brings us to Psalm 108:12. While our natural tendency is to do things on our own, we must understand that we cannot save ourselves. We have to trust God for salvation, and with God, “we shall do valiantly.”

Dear Lord, Help me to put my trust in you. I can do nothing without your help. Amen.

Entire Quote and Image Information

Psalm 108:12 Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! 13 With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.

Image info: SAN DIEGO (Feb. 25, 2010) First phase Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL students navigate small inflatable boats through the surf during a navigation training exercise. First phase is an eight-week course that trains, prepares and selects SEAL candidates based on physical conditioning; water competency; mental tenacity and teamwork. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Shauntae Hinkle-Lymas/Released)

I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 108:12 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.

Spurgeon on “Thy Faith Hath Saved Thee” ~ 2 Minute Devotional

Are we timid about our relationship to the Lord, or do we dare approach him as a close trusted friend? This Spurgeon quote refers to two passages from the Bible.

The first passage is from John 13:25, John’s account of the “last supper.” Meals during those ancient days were an intimate family affair. Without modern furniture, it was common to comfortably recline upon the floor around the prepared meal. The participants would be physically close as they reach for the food in front of them, engaging in casual conversation.

The closest I can come to imagining such closeness and conversation today, would be to picture two young children laying comfortably together in a field of grass, gazing up at the clouds or stars. As close friends, they are free to speak their minds without fear of criticism.

The second passage is from Mark 5:27. The passage talks about a woman with a long-term health problem who approaches Jesus by making her way through a large crowd of people (“press” of people as Spurgeon says). She manages to get close enough to touch Jesus’ clothes, and is healed. Even with all the people crowded around him, Jesus knew she had touched him. He individually called her out of the crowd and said to her: “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace…”

According to Spurgeon, whether we are an intimate friend of the Savior, or timidly approach him in fear and trembling, he knows us! He loves us! He saves us from our sins!

Dear Lord, Even if I come to you with timid trembling hesitation, help me grow in confidence as you turn and look at me, and encourage me with the words: “Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.” 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.

NIV Psalm Screen with “Bambi”

I really like the “Bambi” images because they fit well with a number of Psalms. The iPhone screen shot below shows the fawn with Psalm 18:35 (NIV). I thought this fit well with the contrast between humility and greatness mentioned in the Psalm. The screen shot comes from the Daily Psalms NIV product.

Will Rogers on “Income Tax, Golf & Liars”

This Will Rogers quote is from 1929, and we are still trying to figure out today if we are crooks or martyrs when it comes to the income tax form. It’s kind of humorous that today we have a Treasury Secretary, in charge of the IRS, that goofed up (in his favor) on his own income tax forms.

If you think that’s funny, try calling the IRS for help on your tax forms. Depending on who you get on the phone, phase of the moon, sunspot cycles and ozone levels, you can get a variety of different answers to the same question.

I have to hire an accountant to do my taxes. I can’t imagine how he keeps up with the tax code. It’s got more patches than a quilt and more loopholes than a handmade rug.

I don’t want to be rich, because then I could’t afford to die. But if I do die, I’ll never know for sure if income tax forms made me a crook or martyr. I just hope the IRS can’t repossess a used casket. (I had to dig deep for that one!)

Can I deduct underwear donated to the Salvation Army? Three out of five IRS representatives said yes. In golf, at least you know if you are a liar or not.

Image Information: This image shows Will Rogers riding with two of his children. Will loved horses and taught his children that same love and respect.

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 on “Losing Sleep & Taxes”

Will RogersFinancial uncertainty is unsettling not only for financial markets, but for taxpayers as well. Tension seems to be highest whenever congress is in session because it seems you never know what they are going to do. Actually, we do know one thing, whatever they do will be bad for the taxpayer!

The same bunch that can’t control their own spending, wants to control our spending by taking more of our money in taxes. The same brilliant minds that mandated banks lend to people that couldn’t pay back the loans think they should be able to regulate any industry they want. I could go on…

How can congress sleep at night knowing all the pain and suffering they have unleashed on the country? Easy! They had good intentions.

Well folks, it looks like the only way a person can get a good nights sleep is to get elected to congress.

Image Information: The lovely young lady in the picture is Lucille Mulhall. Her father ran the Mulhall Cowboy Carnival and Will worked for him for several years. There’s no indication that Will’s relationship with Lucille was serious, and a few years later, in 1908, Will married Betty Blake.

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 RogersiPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.

Will Rogers

Will Rogers on “Rush, Hurry or Stay Put”

Will RogersWill Rogers’ published this quote and made the observation in 1929. We might think of those days as a bit slower and relaxed, but can you imagine what Will Rogers would think if he could see us today?

Cars, trains and airplanes are faster now. We are all still rushing to get somewhere, but we can “get somewhere we have no business” 10 times faster today.

This is such an interesting quote coming from Will Rogers because he was constantly going somewhere. When Will discovered he could get places faster by flying, he was constantly in the air.

In the picture, Will is in the back seat of an airplane carrying U.S. mail. He was one of the few people that was allowed to ride in mail planes.

The next time we get ready to rush out the door, perhaps we should take Will’s advice. Do we really need to hurry to a place we have no business?

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

I Cried Out to God for Help – Psalm 77 NIV 2 Minute Devotional

As I read through the Psalms, it always amazes me how instinctive it is for the Psalmist to passionately set his thoughts and prayers upon God, no matter what the circumstances. My instinct is to try to figure out how to deal with the situation first, then ask God for help.

The Psalmist says: “I remembered you, O God.” Remembering comes from several places. The most important is God’s word. As we read, study and meditate on God’s word, it becomes part of us, part of our memories. This helps us to respond to situations from God’s perspective.

Remembering also comes from recalling how God has worked in our life, and the lives of others. For that we can continually praise Him, especially for salvation through Jesus, God’s son!

Dear Lord, Help me to grow in grace each day. Let my instinct be to turn to you for help in every situation, and let your praise be on my lips for all you have done for me. Amen.

I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 77 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.

Strengthen Me – Psalm 119 KJV 2 Minute Devotional

I’ve been so sick on occasion that I didn’t feel like doing anything. I didn’t even want to sit up and read because my eyes were sore. Sickness, grief, depression and other afflictions can get us down to where it feels like our soul clings to the dust, and our soul melts from heaviness, as the Psalmist says in Psalm 119:25. We feel like a desert wasteland, as shown in the image. Nothing is growing, nothing is green.

It’s amazing what a little medication can do for the body. A friend can come alongside to share the grief, or offer an encouraging word to help lift the heaviness of our heart. Rain in the desert can bring out beautiful blossoms and colors.

The Psalmist also asks for God’s help.  “Quicken me” he says, “Make me understand the way of Your precepts” he prays. Once we start thinking about it we can begin to meditate on his wondrous works and offer the Lord praise for his grace and kindness toward us.

The passage continues: “Remove from me the way of lying, and grant me thy law graciously.” God’s word or law is our help and comfort.

Dear Lord, when our body is sick or our soul is heavy, please help us to turn to your word. Let it revive us, strengthen us and comfort us. Amen.

I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 119 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes KJV iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.

The Hills Skip like Lambs – Psalm 114 NIV 2 Minute Devotional

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.

EXTRA!

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

Spurgeon on “Giant Walls” ~ 2 Minute Devotional

The image matched with this quote certainly shows what look like “giant walls” which fits nicely with Spurgeon’s quote. The word munitions normally implies materials used in war, but a second more general meaning is “material or equipment for carrying on any undertaking.” Lord, help us to be secure in whatever task you have planned for us.

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.

Spurgeon on “Remember Who Upholds the Universe” ~ 2 Minute Devotional

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.

Spurgeon on “Bear Fruit” ~ 2 Minute Devotional

These past years have been a financial struggle for us, as it has for many of you. Financial struggles, however, seem to teach us how to depend on God to meet our needs.

One of the things we did was to drop the cable TV expense. Interestingly, my wife and I, and three kids don’t seem to miss it much. We are finding more time to play games, read and be with friends. Let me mention here guys, that we aren’t sports fans, so the withdrawal wasn’t as painful as it could have been.

As we learn to depend on God for our needs, many times there are side blessings and benefits. A little humility or sacrifice isn’t a bad thing in terms of growing in Christ.

Dear Lord, help us to understand that your grace is sufficient for all our needs. Let deeper dependence on you bring forth fruit that will glorify you. Amen.

Charles H. Spurgeon, 1834-1892, was the foremost preacher of the 19th century. His many sermons, devotions, and books bring a unique, inspiring, and spiritual significance to biblical truth. What is most surprising is that Spurgeon had no formal theological training. Even so, he became widely recognized for his insight and prowess in biblical teaching.

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.