Will Rogers on “Mad at the Truth”

Will RogersThe Democrats seem to be some of the most unhappy people these days. They are always upset or mad about something. Perhaps it has something to do with what Will Rogers says in his quote – they are made at the truth.

There’s been a lot of “Bush bashing” by the Democrats, but when you point out that all the things they complained about under Bush are now worse, there’s no place to hide anymore.

In a blog called A Mad Democrat, the post on March 6, 2006 called “A Dismal Failure,” lists President Bush’s so called failures. That was before the Democrat controlled congress took over, and if you look over the list, the  serious “leadership issues” are 10 times worse today.

Here’s some issues Democrats are mad about: unemployment – worse, foreign policy – no direction, economy – worse, deficit – out of control, health care – unstable, debt – stimulated through the roof, and so on. If none of this was true, as Will Rogers says, they would laugh it off.

Democrats got mad when people pointed out that there was no “recovery” during the Summer of Recovery. They got mad when people pointed out that they got creamed in the Fall elections. If the truth makes them mad, I guess they will be mad for the rest of their lives.

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 “Ancient Treasures & Riches” ~ 2 Minute Devotional

When you have loved somebody for a very long time, it is a special relationship. Perhaps it is a spouse, parent, grandparent, sibling, or  childhood friend that you have known and loved for decades. You share lots of memories and events between you that nobody else can enjoy in the same way. In some cases, that person knew you, before you knew them, as in the case of parents.

In this quote, Spurgeon points out that our relationship with our Savior, Jesus, is special. He knew us, loved us, died for our sins, and chose us, before we knew Him. In Romans 5:8 it says that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

As we look back into the ancient past, we see that “broad stream of our gracious Lord” flowing to us. This is love so deep that we should seek to nurture the relationship to our Savior  with great passion and energy.

Dear Lord, As I continue to grow into a greater understanding of what you have done for me down through the ages, and how you have loved me before I even knew you, help me to respond with praise and thanksgiving for such a wonderful gift. Amen.

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

Will Rogers on “War and the Federal Reserve”

Folks, you just gotta love Will Rogers! Here’s a classic quote about war and the Federal Reserve from 1929 that still rings true today.

The Federal Reserve (The Fed)  is responsible for conducting the nation’s monetary policy to help maintain employment, keep prices stable, and keep interest rates relatively low. The poor folks running The Fed have their hands full, with the prices of corn, grits and gas going up, unemployment going up, and who knows what’s going to happen with inflation and interest rates.

The Fed has to react to an administrations that is trying to run the economy by stimulatin’, regulatin’, legislatin’, and bloviatin’. Businesses don’t know where the administration will strike next.

They tried to stimulate the economy with “shovel-ready jobs,” but the president just admitted that they weren’t quite as “shovel-ready as we expected.” The EPA is going bonkers with new regulations to eliminate the threat of “global warming” by shutting down the coal and oil industry. Congress passed  unconstitutional health care legislation which threatens to destroy the best health care system in the world. The bloviator-in-chief keeps proclaiming “recovery” while the vice-bloviator famously proclaimed: “Just because the stimulus was a monumental failure, doesn’t mean it’s not working.”

And what about war, or wars? This gets a bit confusing these days. Depending on how you define “hostilities” we might be in two, three or four wars. Our Nobel-Peace-Prize-Winner-in-Chief wants us to refrain from “torturing” captured enemy terrorists with water-boarding, but putting a bullet in the brain of a Osama bin Laden is ok. What’s a business to do? If you manufacture water-boards, you are going out of business, but if you make bullets you will survive.

Will Rogers is right, again! Businesses are on a wild roller coaster ride, just tryin’ to stay on the tracks. They’re watching The Fed closely and hoping we don’t get into yet another war, or even another “hostility.”

In this image, Will Rogers is holding his son and spinning his lasso at the same time.

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.

A River of Blessing – Psalm 46 ESV 2 Minute Devotional

We don’t think much about the importance of rivers today, as we drive comfortably across bridges in air conditioned cars sipping from a bottle of clean water. To folks in the 19th century and earlier, rivers were their source of life-giving water.

To have convenient access to a clean, clear, abundant supply of river water was a great blessing to ancient people. The psalmist tells us that in heaven there will be a “river whose streams will make glad the city of God.”

As a fallen person in a fallen world, I don’t deserve such a blessing as a place beside life-giving waters. I will never find such a place under my own strength or efforts. What can I do?

It is God’s undeserved saving grace through the work and sacrifice of his son Jesus that makes such blessings possible. Come to the river and enjoy the blessings of the water.

Dear Lord, I am thirsty for your water. I need your grace. Lead me, Jesus, to the river that gives life, both in this world and in heaven. Amen.

I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 46 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.

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.

You Have Upheld Me – Psalm 41 ESV 2 Minute Devotional

Maybe it’s just a “guy thing,” but have you ever witnessed a sporting event where the winner shouts in triumph, waving fists in the air? Game winning touchdowns are one example that comes to mind.

Meanwhile, the defensive players shake their heads in disbelief and pitifully walk off the field, heads down and shoulders slouched. This is about the best I can do with Psalm 41 for a cultural analogy.

In ancient days, if your enemy was shouting in triumph over you, it was because you were dead! The battle was lost, it was over. At least in football, you live to play another day.

What about integrity? Can I stand before God and man with a clear conscience? Did I play a fair game? Are my business dealings honest? Can I praise the Lord, no matter what happens? This is what God desires.

I don’t think that God promises that I will “triumph” in everything according to my desires. I won’t win every game, or make millions on every business deal. But I can say that God’s purposes will be accomplished and that God will triumph.

Through it all have I walked in integrity, and can I praise God in all things? Do I depend on the Lord and look to Him, as the baby seal in the picture depends on it’s mother?

Dear Lord, Many times I have fallen short, and have not walked in integrity. I look to you for help and strength, and I praise you in all things. I especially thank you that Jesus walked in integrity, and can offer forgiveness and salvation, which I now accept. Amen.

I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 41 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 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

Consider the Poor – Psalm 41 ESV 2 Minute Devotional

One of several reoccurring themes through the Psalms is God’s concern for the poor and oppressed. In Psalm 41, the Lord promises blessings and protection for those who consider the poor.

The Church and God’s people have always had a roll in ministering to the poor. Not only do they look after the needs for health care, clothing, food, and shelter, spiritual needs are considered important as well.

Why should I care about the poor? Because I was once destitute and without hope before someone shared the gospel with me. Because the church and God’s people have helped me with physical needs during difficult times. Because “Blessed is the one who considers the poor!”

Dear Lord, Help me to consider the poor, because I once was poor. Let my gratitude be my motivation, and my Your Spirit give me the strength. Amen.

I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 41 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.

Acceptable in thy Sight – Psalm 19 ASV 2 Minute Devotional

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 a quiet moment I try to remember and be thankful to God for his blessings and provision.

In the peaceful times, and even in the hectic ones, may the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart be acceptable in God’s sight. I am so thankful he is my rock and my redeemer.

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.

I Delight to do Your Will – Psalm 40 ESV 2 Minute Devotional

Why would God not delight in sacrifice and offerings? After all, He had set up the sacrificial system to provide His people with a means of dealing with their sins.

The Psalmist makes it clear that our delight should be to do God’s will, and that it should be written on our hearts. Going through the motions of obedience is not enough, it must be from sincere motives and delight in God’s law.

You’ve probably heard the story about the child that was disciplined by his parents, and told to go sit in the corner. His response was: “I may be sitting down on the outside, but I’m standing on the inside.” I can remember a few of those occasions, can you?

Jesus always seemed to deal with people in a way that touched them right at the heart of their motives and needs. We can think of the “Rich Young Ruler,” “The Prodigal Son,” and many other parables and miracles.  Jesus’ dealings with people in the Bible were so intimate that no miracle or healing is ever duplicated exactly.

So it is that Jesus touches me, right at the heart of my motivations, so that I may know how much he loves me. As he teaches me to delight in His will, I can only respond with my obedience.

Dear Lord, In your mercy, help me to delight more and more in your will. As I read the Scriptures, let your law become written on my heart. Jesus, please work in my heart, that I may understand your great salvation. 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.

Spurgeon on “Showers of Blessing” ~ 2 Minute Devotional

Do you remember Marley from the movie “A Christmas Carol?” He was weighted down forever with terrible chains, forged during his life by his sins.

In this Spurgeon quote, we find another type of chain. This chain is made of God’s blessings, linked together in your life. This chain is light and uplifting, as you count the links and ponder each blessing. Spurgeon also talks of “showers of blessing,” that rain down upon the believer. Have you ever seen a parched plant after a spring shower? Almost immediately you can see the change as the plant revives and takes on new beauty. In this image of the leaf, you can almost feel the refreshment of the water upon its surface.

Do you have the converting grace from God? Salvation through Jesus and the forgiveness of our sins is the greatest blessing of all. With that Spurgeon says comes comforting grace and blessings undeserved. This gives us hope during the difficult times and helps us share an encouraging word with others who are in need.

Dear Lord, I give you thanks and praise for your “showers of blessing,” for undeserved grace and refreshing water from heaven. 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.

The Lord Sustains Me – Psalm 3 NIV 2 Minute Devotional

I’ve been afraid on a few occasions – a near collision on the highway, taxi rides in N.Y. City, almost falling off a ladder.

You know the feeling. Your hands start shaking and your heart is racing. It’s not the time to think about sleep, in fact you may have trouble sleeping for a few days as you ponder what might have happened.

The Psalmist says that he “will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.” This takes amazing confidence and faith. I get concerned if even one person is angry at me, yet we have an image of the Psalmist facing battle and certain death as hordes of adversaries gather against him. The Psalmist sleeps and wakes because the Lord sustains him.

Dear Lord, Help my faith to grow so that I can rest confidently in the knowledge that you care, protect and provide for me moment by moment. Amen.

I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 3 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 3 to music. Listen to a sample below and purchase your own copy at the iTunes store by clicking on the button.

Psalm 3 – Rain Album

Psalms put to Music – Sons of Korah Rain Album

Sons of Korah

Psalms

Those of you that follow this blog know how special the Psalms are and the blessing they can have on your life. Recently, the Sons of Korah held a concert at our church here in Upland, Indiana. They have put the Psalms to music, which adds a new dimension to the impact they can have on your life. Below are links and samples of cuts from the Rain album.

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Rain – Sons of Korah

Psalm 139 – Rain Album

Psalm 84 – Rain Album

Psalm 99 – Rain Album

Psalm 116b – Rain Album

Psalm 42b – Rain Album

Psalm 103:1-5 – Rain Album

Psalm 42a – Rain Album

Psalm 114 – Rain Album

Psalm 3 – Rain Album

Psalm 14a – Rain Album

Psalm 14b – Rain Album

Essence – Rain Album

Wait for the Lord – Psalm 27 ESV 2 Minute Devotional

When I went to vote, I had to stand in line. I don’t like to wait, I’m pretty impatient. I did get to visit with friends, but I would rather have been on my way.

There’s no better picture of patience than the penguin. Male penguins sit atop their nest for weeks in order to protect their eggs. They can’t move or the eggs will freeze, so they sit patiently, through storm and bitter cold.

Waiting for the Lord is tough, but Psalm 27 admonishes us to take courage. God’s timetable is not our own and with patience He begins to align our timetable with His. We might think it is too late, but God is right on time with the answer.

Dear Lord, help me to be patient, let my heart take courage as I trust in you, even through storm and bitter cold. Amen.

I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 27 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.