Will RogersHave you noticed that Congress seems to live in the land of “good intentions?” Some call it an “alternate universe.” It’s a place of love, happiness and prosperity.
How many times have you heard our legislators proudly proclaim that their legislation will bring world peace, end poverty, end hunger, end unemployment, put a chicken in every pot, cure cancer, clean up the environment, stop terrorism, and leave no child behind.
Noble goals indeed, but without fail there are always unintended consequences which create the opposite effect. The “War on Poverty” hasn’t ended poverty despite spending untold billions of dollars. Treaties never seem to bring peace, extending unemployment benefits seems to correlate with more unemployment, and cleaning up the environment seems to mean that nobody can live, work on, or enjoy the land any more.
The fact that the programs don’t accomplish their original goal, by any measurement, and cause more trouble that good, doesn’t seem to make any difference. In fact, the more colossal the failure, the more money is demanded to finish the work. Just the other day a high administration official remarked that the stimulus spending did what it was supposed to, and that we needed even more money to finish the job!
Will Rogers was concerned about an ineffective gathering of “our boys [and girls]” in Congress in 1931. I’m even more concerned about them gathering today! Not only are they ineffective, they are killing us with “good intentions,” because people are still hungry and unemployed.
Well, the Capitol grounds may be a place of love, happiness and prosperity, but if you wander down the wrong street a couple of miles away, you better be packin’ heat and be wearing a bullet-proof vest.
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.
Have you left the church? Do you find problems with the pastor or certain people there? From this quote you might ask, “how can Christ delight in the church, and how is it beautiful?” Those people are unfriendly, hypocrites… and the list goes on!
I have to learn every day, with God’s help, that I must be humble before both God and others. My tendency is toward pride, that I am better than others, and I would naturally find some fault in them to prove the point.
If I can for a minute put aside my pride, then the church becomes a place where sinners, saved by grace, meet together to worship God. Mr. X, across the aisle hurt my feelings last week, yet I see him singing hymns and worshipping God. I need to put aside my feelings and sing along.
It’s time to return to the nest as Spurgeon says, it’s time to hasten home. As the two birds in the picture are gathered upon their nest in the picture, we need to gather together for worship.
Dear Lord, help me to hasten home to your church. Help me to overcome my pride, that I might worship together in the congregation with your people. Help me to make your church a thing of beauty. 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.
Is God a personal God, or is He only concerned with the big picture as an impersonal force? In Psalm 40 we see that God is very personal! His wondrous deeds and thoughts are multiplied toward us.
Simply pondering the physical world around us would lead us toward God. The wondrous complexity and beauty of the flowers in the picture speak of a creator. Scientists study diligently in the field of botany and continue to discover mysteries beyond comprehension. Pick any field of science and we quickly find there are wondrous features so complex that only a creator God can explain such things.
But there is more! God gives us a book, the Bible, that reveals who He is, and what He has done for us. We find out in the Gospels that Jesus became human, so that He understands us in all our physical and spiritual weaknesses. Where we fail and sin, Jesus provided a wondrous deed. He died on the cross and through his resurrection provides salvation for us, personally, and individually. His thoughts are directed toward us in every circumstance. For this I can only return humble praise and proclaim His wondrous deeds toward me.
Dear Lord, The complexities of this world are beyond comprehension, yet you have revealed your salvation to us through your son Jesus. By pondering your wondrous deeds in the physical world and in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, grant me faith to receive your 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.
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.
The image shows Will Rogers doing one his trademark rope tricks – the big crinoline. Rogers plays out the lasso into a huge loop, not only encircling his horse, but the entire baseball team as well.
The quote: “Things in our country run in spite of government. Not by the aid of it.” still rings true today. In many cases the unintended consequences of legislation make the problem worse, not better.
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.
Walking down the halls of power in Washington is an amazing experience as you consider the history of the place. The power to impact millions of people, worldwide is the responsibility of these legislators.
Have you ever watched a machine crush a car into a small cube? Have you watched a rocket launch, with fire, smoke, and an earth shaking roar of the engines. This is physical power, harnessed and used by man.
Consider the forces of nature. Hurricanes, volcanoes, lightning, tornados, earthquakes or tsunamis wield power so great, we are helpless before them.
We might tremble in the presence of powers mentioned above. We harness power, fear it, and respect it in its many forms, but what about the power of God? God’s power not only moves in our physical world, but in the spiritual world as well.
We should fear and respect God’s strength, power and might. Along with the Psalmist we should also respond with praise. Praise God for His mighty power, at work in and around us.
Dear Lord, You created this world, and oversee everything that happens. Such power and strength is too awesome for me to comprehend! Yet you care for me. Let me “sing and praise your might.” Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 21 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.
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 distances and unending regularity.
The sunset image fits well with Psalm 72 and I hope it will help us remember to praise the eternal God and “increase His name” in our lives daily.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 72 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 RogersIt’s very important for a charity, such as a church, that receives gifts to make sure the donor understands the tax requirements. With the donation receipt a statement must be included such as “With this gift, you did not receive any goods or services in exchange for your donation other than religious benefits.”
With Democrat pastoral leadership, from various high profile Reverends, rallies and meetings take on the air of revival, complete with fainting, screaming and chanting. So, why not toss a few dollars in the collection plate for all the religious benefits? Of course, it’s clear that no goods or services were exchanged for the donation, unless you happened to be the Governor of Illinois.
Now, things got a little confusing and disorganized over time, because people were expecting more than just religious benefits. They were expecting new kitchens, more unemployment benefits, cheaper health care, lower taxes, transparent government, and so on. People that took Will Rogers’ advice and “charged off” Democrat charitable campaign contributions got into trouble with the IRS.
The Democrat campaign is in trouble now. Charitable contributions are down. It’s a classic case of “over promise, and under deliver.” It looks like the only religious benefit left, is unemployed Democrat politicians praying for a job.
Image Information: This pictures shows the Rogers family in a Model A Ford. Pictured are Will Rogers, Jim, Mary, Will Jr., and Betty.
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.
Here’s another great Rogers quote for the day. If we have to live cheap, as Rogers says, why can’t the government learn to live cheap?
This was written in Will Rogers Daily Telegram syndicated newspaper article in 1932!
The image is from one of Rogers’ many movies. In the early 1930s he was one of the most popular movie stars.
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.
About three months ago [August 2010] I became a grandpa. Our oldest daughter and son-in-law had their first baby. Staying up through the night will be part of their lives for a period of time, and I remember the days when our daughter kept us up at night. To be honest, my wife usually stayed up.
I got to hold my grandson for the first time recently. There was a feeling of contentedness and thanksgiving to God for such a wonderful blessing.
Caring for children is the high calling of parenthood. Praying for your child as you “serve by night” can make it a special time. Praise goes with it as you consider the blessings of being a parent. Bless the Lord!
May the Lord bless you young parents! “He who made heaven and earth.”
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 134 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.
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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.
Will RogersIf politics was expensive in the 1930s, what would Will Rogers think about today’s elections? Word is, that over $4 billion was spent this election cycle!
What’s amazing is that all that money was spent, and the unemployment rate didn’t change – except that half of the people running are now unemployed.
Some candidates still can’t figure out how they got beat. In many cases, unemployed workers didn’t have anything better to do than to vote the bums out. In Chicago, dead people generally decide elections. Also, polls can never predict what’s going to happen in Chicago, because dead people never answer the phone. They still can’t figure out what happened in Alaska, because nobody could spell the candidate’s name correctly on the write-in ballot. In some places, TV stations simply forgot to run opponent’s ads, and some states forgot to send out absentee ballots.
I guess some things never change. Elections will continue to be expensive. I have a question though: “How can $4 billion of election “stimulus” money be injected into the economy without any sign of benefit to the country?
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 RogersJust like Will Rogers said in 1932, voters seemed to “vote against all of ’em” recently. The funny thing was that the Democrats were the ones that overwhelmingly got voted against. The other funny thing is that the Democrats were the ones that didn’t seem to have a clue what the voters were going to do.
I think it works the other way around as well. No politician is going to do anything a voter thinks he will do. The voters didn’t have a clue what the legislators were going to do as we entered the previous legislative cycle.
Healthcare? We didn’t know congress was going to take over one sixth of the economy. Bailouts? Who ever thought GM would become Government Motors. Stimulus and deficit spending? Congress seems to be fine with the idea that our children will pay for it.
Well, the voters voted against ’em all right. They cleaned house. Next time, politicians might want to take note of how the voters feel when they veer off the road of common sense.
This picture was taken during the Will Rogers-Wiley Post ill-fated Alaska trip in August of 1935. Famous Aviator Wiley Post is pictured standing on the pontoon of the aircraft.
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 RogersIt’s impossible to add much to a Will Rogers quote like this one! Over the past couple of years, we have watched an overactive congress pass a boatload of some of the most controversial and unpopular legislation ever. Along with that, they have spent and borrowed more money than even a drunken sailor could imagine.
Now that another party controls the House, the press is squawking about legislation designed to undo what was done by the other party. Every day we hear about more legislation for cutting this, defunding that and investigating something else.
As if people weren’t concerned enough about Federal legislation, state legislatures are capturing national attention. To add to the drama, some legislators are even fleeing state capitals.
Protests, rallys, demonstrations, radio, TV, newspapers and the internet are loaded to the limit with legislative news! When will they take a break, and let us relax for a few precious moments?
Image Information: Once Will Rogers found out he could get places faster by flying, he was constantly in the air. If you read his Daily Telegram articles, you will find him hopscotching across the country on a regular basis. In this picture he is standing in front of an open seat airplane, and is holding a flying helmet. Will Rogers was a great promoter of commercial aviation and was also acquainted with many of the great aviators of the day including Lindberg, Mitchell and Post.
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 RogersThe inheritance tax, as Will Rogers calls it, is today more affectionately known as the “death tax.” If you make the mistake of being too successful over the course of your life, the government feels obliged to take a cut.
Wait a minute, you’ve paid all the taxes on that “wealth” – worked hard, built a business, expanded a your farm, hired people to work for you. In my simple way of thinking, that seems to be a tax on money that’s already been taxed.
Not to worry. If I was a rich man and I die my patriotic death, my heirs can do their duty and pay the taxes. So what if they have to liquidate the business, sell the farm and fire the employees. They can proudly say: “We paid our taxes!” We’re patriots, one and all.
Actually, suppose I’m just one of the little guys – I’m not wealthy. When I die, I’ll pass on my old jalopy to the kids, along with the contents of my kitchen cupboards in the rental trailer. It’s been a good life, loving family, great kids, and a good job at the local factory.
The boss died last week, and all of us little guys are wondering what will happen. They say that they’re going to have to shut down the company to pay the taxes. The boss was a good and generous man, and we all loved him. I know he was a patriot, he loved his country, and always paid his taxes. I’ve been with the company a long time, but I guess I’ll do my patriotic duty too – look for another job.
Image Information: This picture was taken during the Will Rogers-Wiley Post ill-fated Alaska trip in August of 1935. Rogers was dispatching his Daily Telegram column up to the day of the crash on August 15.
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.
The sun plays a major role in our lives. The sunrise marks a 24 hour cycle we can’t ignore. If the cycle changed in length it would have a profound effect on us, but the sun never changes. It’s there for us every day, constant, unchanging. The sun has been there since ancient days, it’s …
Watch the Federal Reserve! That’s the message from Will Rogers in 1929. We’re still watching today, and things haven’t changed much. Mix the Federal Reserve manipulation of interest rates with Democrat meddling in the mortgage banking industry, and what do you get? Forclosures! Over 1 million Americans seen losing homes in 2011. The Democrat solution is, …
Foes come in all different forms. For Christians in Egypt, they come with bombs and machine guns. For others, there is physical and mental persecution. The foe for some of us comes in the form of temptation and addictions. Just like the tiny animal in the picture, we feel small in the face of our …
Will RogersThe stock market crashed on October 29, 1929, and as you can see, Will Rogers wrote this quote 2 days later. This bit of Will Rogers’ common sense would have been a solution to the wild speculation prior to the crash. Will Rogers seemed to find humor, in just about anything. It was his …
Sometimes we engage in struggles to accomplish a particular goal. I was out shoveling snow this morning. It’s a lot of work! The more I shoveled, the more tired I got. My heart was racing and my body was getting weaker. I did finish finally, and sat down in a warm room to catch my breath. …
Will RogersThose poor Democrats, along with the mainstream media, just can’t seem to denounce anything these days without making a mess of it. It looks like they haven’t changed since Will Rogers published this quote in 1930! Whoever is advising them, doesn’t know the difference between gasoline and water when it comes to putting out …
I’m proud to be humble pretty much summarizes my belief that I can grow spiritually through my own efforts. Because I say it, means it is so. Spurgeon’s quote helps me realize that all that I do, and all that I am is because of God, not me. Not that I am a bystander, but …
Like many people, Will Rogers followed the sport of boxing, and he was friends with some of the greatest champions, like Jack Dempsey. When a German boxer named Smelling came to Will Rogers’ attention, it was too much for any humorist to resist! I hope you enjoy this great piece of Will Rogers humor. The …
When I am in a high place, looking over the edge, I am seized with fear. I’ve been in tall buildings, on the edge of the Grand Canyon, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and many other high places. Some people are completely paralyzed with a fear of high places, and others, like steel workers, can …
Will RogersAfter reading this Will Rogers quote, I suddenly realized why there has been so much confusion and controversy over where all of the “shovel-ready” jobs have gone. With the extension of unemployment benefits, nobody wants a shovel-ready job when they are offered a putter-ready vacation. Actually that’s only half the problem. Our Vice President …
