Will Rogers and “All I know”

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 a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.

iPhone quotes app – new features in v1.1

A user made the following request in an App Store review:

I love the quoted but I wish u could fwd them to start off someone else day as well

WISH GRANTED!

The 1.1 version of each of the applications contains the ability to forward the quote by email. Several of the applications have been released by Apple to the App Store, and the rest are waiting for review. Keep and eye out for your upgrade notification, and enjoy the share feature.

Hope in the Lord – Psalm 146 NASB 2 Minute Devotional

Have you ever been blessed? Have you ever been a blessing?

When I was in grad school, years ago, my wife and I lived in married student housing, along with a lot of other young, financially challenged, couples. We didn’t make much money, but we managed to find an extra $50 which we gave to another couple. I can still remember the tears in the wife’s eyes as they received the gift.

This past year, a friend gave us grocery money when we were in need. Blessings seem to flow freely as the Lord meets the needs of his people.

When we consider who the Lord is, the maker of heaven and earth, it doesn’t seem so strange that he meets needs for those “whose hope is in the Lord,” as the Psalmist says. This beautiful image of ocean life, doesn’t begin to come close to conveying the richness and vastness of God’s creation.

Dear Lord, help me to be a blessing to others, as you have blessed me in so many ways. Help me to put my hope in you, my creator, and faith in your son Jesus, our savior. Amen.

I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 146 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 Rogers and “Raiders of the Lost TARP, the GE Story”

Will RogersWhere congressmen used to carry suitcases full of money away from Washington in the past, today it’s boxcars full of money! When “old man interest” starts gnawing away at us, the big boys roll the empty freight cars to the capital for help.

Requirements and intent of a Federal program such as TARP, don’t make much difference if you know your way around and through the bureaucracy. It also helps if you know how to schmooze the White House.

Put together a team of lawyers, and you can find loopholes big enough to drive a freight train through. Of course it takes a little cooperation from brilliant government economists and wise bureaucrats, who know what’s best for their party and country, in that order.

Let’s try to follow this. GE can qualify to participate in the banking bailout. It isn’t a banking company, however it does own two small banks in Utah, so it qualifies. Since it isn’t a bank, however, it isn’t subjected to the Fed’s stress test or rules for limiting risk. Also, they aren’t subject to restrictions such as limits on executive compensation.

I don’t think GE is necessarily an evil corporation. I think they are responding to a Federal Government that is threatening their business with overregulation by bureaucrats and partisan  administration officials that don’t have a clue how to manage an economy. GE may be too big to fail, but the current administration has failed in common sense and integrity.

You might be able to pack a couple of hundred grand into a large suitcase, but GE rolled out of the station with boxcars loaded with the lion’s share of the $340 billion program. Meanwhile, old man interest is still gnawing away.

Here’s the referene: General Electric Major Recipient Of TARP Loans

Image Information: This image is from a Will Rogers’ silent movie called An Unwilling Hero, released in 1921. Rogers plays Whistling Dick, a hobo who loves life and classical music. He loves just about everything except work.

The image was taken directly from movie stills at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum archive. I apologize for the quality of the image, but this is exactly what the 1920s photo looked like when I scanned it. In the hundreds of images contained in this iPhone application, I wanted to share as many different Will Rogers photos as possible from as wide a variety of times and situations – movies, cowboy, vaudeville, with famous people, and family scenes.

Will Rogers is a man worth remembering, and quoting. His wit, humor and insight into life will amaze and astonish you. His life will inspire you. Watch for new blog posts from my Will Rogers quotes collection.

I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.

Will Rogers

Hurry Up God! – Psalm 70 ASV 2 Minute Devotional

Hurry up, God! I need this, I need that – right now! Perhaps we are far too impatient, which is why we can identify with the plea in Psalm 70 – “make haste to help me, O Lord!”

I have trouble waiting for paychecks. They never seem to come in time. Yet our needs have been met every time. Unexpected income and help from friends have taught us to “rejoice and be glad” as we see God’s provision for us time and again.

The beautiful dolphins in the image convey speed, power and grace as they glide through the water. Perhaps we can believe that God comes to our aid with speed, power and grace. Make haste, O God! For God’s provision let us say with the Psalmist “Let God be magnified!”

Dear Lord, When I am poor and needy, come quickly and deliver me. Let me love your salvation and magnify you continually. Amen.

I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 70 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.

I Remember Your Name – Psalm 119 NIV Devotional

I can’t sing very well, or keep a rhythm. It’s even hard for me to clap and sing at the same time. But there’s just something about worshiping together in the congregation. As I lift my feeble voice with others, perhaps I sense a little glimpse of heaven.

Many of the hymns we sing, especially the “traditional” hymns are filled with scripture. It helps us remember God’s statutes. If you’ve ever gotten a “tune stuck in your head,” let it be a “hymn tune” and not a “sin tune.”

Perhaps that is what helped the Psalmist to “remember Your name in the night.” The bird in the image on the left seems to be peacefully standing watch in the night. Perhaps if God’s “statutes have been my songs” it will help bring me remember God’s name in the night and keep God’s law as the Psalmist says.

Dear Lord, help me to sing, and serve, and remember your word day and night.

I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 119 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.

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.

iPhone Daily Psalms ESV 1.1 update

The Daily Psalms ESV application update 1.1 was just approved by Apple and is available at the iTunes Store.

Will Rogers Defines Insanity

Will RogersSeventy seven years ago the country was in depression. The greatest economic minds were unable to come up with solutions according to Will Rogers’ quote. Not only that, but anyone making economic forecasts must be insane! Nothing was working – unemployment was high. The Roosevelt era had embarked on massive deficit spending and government work programs. Sound familiar? It should, it’s out of today’s headlines!

Today we have the benefit of hindsight that they didn’t have. They didn’t know socialism/communism would ultimately fail. They didn’t know tax cuts under John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan would produce economic growth.

It’s time to go back to the future, and end this economic insanity. It starts with a vote on election day!

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.

Will Rogers

Will Rogers on “Fools and OUR Money!”

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.

House of the Lord – Psalm 122 ESV 2 Minute Devotional

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 among other people that are as excited as you. Like the penguins in the picture, everyone is headed in the same direction, moving toward the event.

In Psalm 122, the Psalmist expresses gladness in anticipation of going to the house of the Lord. Is it because of the great music, special programs or preaching? Actually, it’s a time to draw near to God as a group of believers. It’s a time to grow more secure in our faith.

Dear Lord, help me to anticipate with gladness the time when I will go to the house of the Lord. Let my visits be frequent, and let my love for you grow as I worship you in the congregation. Amen.

I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 122 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.

The Number of the Stars – Psalm 147 NIV 2 Minute Devotional

Every day, in so many ways, God displays His wonders and power. They are all about us, in nature, in relationships, in events, protection, blessings, etc.

The wonders of nature are always stunning, if we take a moment to ponder them. From atomic structure to distant stars, as pictured in this beautiful NASA photograph. We can touch, smell, see, taste and hear these wonders of God. All our senses can be used to observe and delight in God’s glory.

Scientists spend entire careers examining just one tiny facet of creation. Collecting all the brilliant scientific minds in the world doesn’t even begin to answer all the questions, or explain natural phenomena. Like a drop in the ocean, compared to the vastness of creation.

Yet as insignificant as we may be, “He heals the brokenhearted” according to the Psalmist in this quote. He binds up our wounds. The great creator cares about His people. He even cares about me.

Jesus stepped across His created stars, He entered the realm of time, to become one of us. To feel the joys and suffering of life on earth, he truly understands our needs. As creator, he can truly bind our wounds.

We can only respond with the Psalmist: “Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!”

I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 147 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.

Spurgeon on “For Want of Prayer” ~ 2 Minute Devotional

Floods can do a great deal of damage. Most recently we’ve prayed for our friends in Queensland. Over the past few years we’ve seen the devastation from tsunamis, hurricane Katrina and other flood disasters around the world. In the image, we can see the power of the flowing water as it sweeps down the mountainside. Nothing can stand in its way.

In order to avoid flooding in many areas, dams are build to control the flow of water during the flood season. In Spurgeon’s quote, the “sluice-gates” are used to control the flow of water. The power of the water is held back against the gate.

As Spurgeon says, so many times I am careless and lacking in prayer, and as a result, those flood waters pour over me. The waters are swift, and the destruction is terrible.

But there is help! With God’s help, the gate can be closed, debris can be cleared away and the garden replanted.

Dear Lord, Thank you for so many mercies, as I am careless and lacking in prayer. Help me to turn again to you. Help me to better tend the “fair garden of the heart.” Let it produce praise and thanksgiving for your great salvation. 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.

With my Whole Heart – Psalm 119 KJV 2 Minute Devotional

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.