These are quotes which stood out to me, possibly for use in a sermon someday. Their presence here does not mean I agree with them, it merely shows that I might want to reference them later. The default view is five random selections. Use the tag list on the right to view all quotes relevant to that theme.
One day, Eve was walking in the garden with the Lord. She said, "Lord, the garden is wonderful, and the animals and birds provide such joy, but I am still lonely sometimes." "No problem!" the Lord replied. "I will make you a man for a companion. He will desire to please you and to be with you. But I have to warn you, he won't be perfect. He'll have a difficult time understanding you're feelings, will tend to think only of himself if allowed to, and will stay out late with his bowling buddies." "What's bowling?" Eve asked. "Oh... never mind. I was just getting ahead of myself, sorry." "That's OK. I think I can handle this 'man'," Eve replied. "Great, I'll get right to it!" God said, and started grabbing some mud and shaping it. Suddenly, the Lord stopped and said to Eve, "Oh, there's one other thing about this man I'm making for you." "What's that?" asked Eve. "You'll have to tell him he was here first."
At the Olympic Games in Paris in 1924 the sport of canoe racing was
added to the list of international competitions.
The favorite team in the four-man canoe race was the United States team.
One member of that team was a young man by the name of Bill Havens.
As the time for the Olympics neared, it became clear that Bill's wife
would give birth to her first child about the time that Bill would be
competing in the Paris Games.
In 1924 there were no jet airliners from Paris to the United States,
only slow-moving ocean-going ships. And so Bill found himself in a
dilemma. Should he go to Paris and risk not being at his wife's side
when their first child was born? Or should he withdraw from the team
and remain behind.
Bill's wife insisted that he go to Paris. After all, he had been working
towards this for all these years. It was the culmination of a life-long
dream.
Clearly the decision was not easy for Bill to make.
Finally, after much soul searching, Bill decided to withdraw from the
competition and remain behind with his wife so that he could be with her
when their first child arrived. Bill considered being at her side a
higher priority than going to Paris to fulfill a life-long dream.
To make a long story short, the United States four-man canoe team won
the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. And Bill's wife was late in
giving birth to her first child. She was so late that Bill could have
competed in the event and returned home in time to be with her when she
gave birth.
People said, "What a shame." But Bill said he had no regrets. After all,
his commitment to his wife was more important then, and it still was
now.
The story of Bill Havens is a story of how one man paid a high price to
fulfill a commitment to someone he loved.
_______
If the above illustration is used offer this sequel near the end of your
sermon:
There is a sequel to the story of Bill Havens.
The child eventually born to Bill and his wife was a boy, whom they
named Frank. Twenty-eight years later, in 1952, Bill received a
cablegram from Frank. It was sent from Helsinki, Finland, where the
1952 Olympics were being held. The cablegram read, and I quote it
exactly:
"Dad, I won. I'm bringing home the gold medal you lost while waiting for
me to be born."
Frank Havens had just won the gold medal for the United States in the
canoe-racing event, a medal his father had dreamed of winning but never
did.
There is a sequel to our acts of commitment as well, our commitments to
one another, and our commitment to God. We reap the abundant harvest of
righteousness. We reap a harvest of joy and peace that endures forever
A little boy was asked what he was thankful for by his Sunday School teacher. It was Thanksgiving and the teacher was encouraging all the children to give personal expression to their feelings of gratitude. The little boy said that he was especially thankful for his glasses. The teacher asked him why he was thankful to have to wear glasses. Very quickly he answered, "Because they keep the boys from hitting me and the girls from kissing me."
Perspective can make a huge difference, can't it? Saul began by seeing the Christians as his bitter enemies. But after his encounter with Jesus, his perspective changed. By the time Ananias came to him, Saul was praying. He humbly awaited word from Jesus on what he was to do.
I am who I choose to be. I always have been what I chose… though not always what I pleased.
You must understand your mistakes. Study the hell out of them. You're not going to have the chance of making the same mistake again--you can't step into the river again at the same place and the same time--but you will have the chance of making a similar mistake.