Often the test of courage is not to die but to live.

He played the king as if afraid someone else would play the ace.

Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence.

A great part of courage is the courage of having done the thing before.

Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.

Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps.

Courage is grace under pressure.

The biggest things are always the easiest to do because there is no competition.

One man with courage makes a majority.

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.

Cowardice asks the question: Is it safe? Consensus asks the question: Is it popular? Conscience asks: Is it right?

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

Human cardiac catheterization was introduced by Werner Forssman in 1929. Ignoring his department chief, and tying his assistant to an operating table to prevent his interference, he placed a uretheral catheter into a vein in his arm, advanced it to the right atrium [of his heart], and walked upstairs to the x-ray department where he took the confirmatory x-ray film. In 1956, Dr. Forssman was awarded the Nobel Prize.

A guy arrives at the pearly gates, waiting to be admitted. St. Peter is reading through the Big Book to see if the guy's name is written in it. After several minutes, St. Peter closes the book, furrows his brow, and says, "I'm sorry, I don't see your name written in the Book." "How current is your copy?" he asks. "I get a download every ten minutes," St. Peter replies, "why do you ask?" "I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I was always the stubborn type. It was not until my death was immanent that I cried out to God, so my name probably hasn't arrived to your copy yet." "I'm glad to hear that," Pete says, "but while we're waiting for the update to come through, can tell me about a really good deed that you did in your life?" The guys thinks for a moment and says, "Humm, well there was this one time when I was drivin' down a road and I saw a giant group of biker gang members harassing this poor girl. I slowed down, and sure enough, there they were, about 20 of 'em torturing this poor woman. Infuriated, I got out my car, grabbed a tire iron out of my trunk, and walked up to the leader of the gang. He was a huge guy; 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, with a studded leather jacket and a chain running from his nose to his ears. As I walked up to the leader, the bikers formed a circle around me and told me to get lost or I'd be next. "So I ripped the leader's chain out of his face and smashed him over the head with the tire iron. Then I turned around and yelled to the rest of them, "Leave this poor innocent girl alone! You're all a bunch of SICK, deranged animals! Go home before I really teach you a lesson in PAIN!" St. Peter, duly impressed, says "Wow! When did this happen?" "About three minutes ago."

Never was Rome in more danger from the church than when Christians refused military service. When the Empire was threatened on three borders at once, the pacifism of the church threatened the Roman way of life. Roman officials saw clearly that a vast organization with many conscientious objectors, and opposed to Roman ideals, could not be tolerated in a time of war. Thus, Christians were purged from the army in the early fourth century. In 320, near the end of the Great Persecution, the emperor Licinius ordered all Christians to renounce their faith on pain of death. Forty soldiers of the Twelfth Legion, stationed at Sebaste in Armenia, refused. On March 9 they were stripped naked, forced out onto a frozen lake, and left to die from exposure. Fires were built on the bank, and warm baths were prepared for anyone who would recant. Only one gave in. Yet when he did, another soldier, moved by the example of the suffering Christians, declared himself a Christian and took the apostate's place. Within 24 hours, most of the 40 were dead and the survivors were put to death. All were made famous by Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nyssa Source: Persecution in the Early Church: Christian History, Issue 27.

Pastor Joe Wright of Kansas was asked to lead the Kansas State Senate in prayer. They were expecting the usual formal prayer to open the session but that is not what happened. The pastor used the moment as a confessional and prophetic opportunity. As he prayed there were some senators who got up and walked out. When Paul Harvey (a national known radio news and editorialist) got a hold of the prayer and read it on his program he got more requests for copies of it than any other thing he had ever done. Here's what Rev. Wright the prayed: "Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that's exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that: We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism. We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism. We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it a choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it political savvy. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the airwaves with profanity and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state. Grant them Your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your will....Amen."

Every time I have the chance, I always take the road less traveled. Fewer cops.

Saddam Hussein was sitting in his office wondering who to invade next when his telephone rang. "Hallo! Mr. Hussein," a heavily accented voice said. "This is Paddy down in County Cavan, Ireland. I am ringing to inform you that we are officially declaring war on you!" "Well, Paddy," Saddam replied, "This is indeed important news! Tell me, how big is your army?" "At this moment in time," said Paddy after a moment's calculation, "there is myself, my cousin Sean, my next door neighbor Gerry, and the entire dominoes team from the pub -- that makes 8!" Saddam sighed. "I must tell you Paddy that I have 1 million men in my army waiting to move on my command." "Begorra!", said Paddy, "I'll have to ring you back!" Sure enough, the next day Paddy rang back. "Right Mr. Hussein, the war is still on! We have managed to acquire some equipment!" "And what equipment would that be, Paddy?" Saddam asked. "Well, we have 2 combine harvesters, a bulldozer and Murphy's tractor from the farm." Once more Saddam sighed. "I must tell you, Paddy, that I have 16 thousand tanks, 14 thousand armored personnel carriers, and my army has increased to 1 and a half million since we last spoke." "Really?!" said Paddy "I'll have to ring you back!" Sure enough, Paddy rang again the next day. "Right Mr. Hussein, the war is still on! We have managed to get ourselves airborne! We've modified Ted's ultralight with a couple of rifles in the cockpit and the bridge team has joined us as well!" Saddam was silent for a minute, then sighed. "I must tell you Paddy that I have 10 thousand bombers, 20 thousand MiG 19 attack planes, my military complex is surrounded by laser-guided surface-to-air missile sites, and since we last spoke, my army has increased to 2 million." "Faith and begorra!", said Paddy, "I'll have to ring you back." Sure enough, Paddy called again the next day. "Right Mr. Hussein, I am sorry to tell you that we have had to call off the war." "I'm sorry to hear that" said Saddam. "Why the sudden change of heart?" "Well," said Paddy "We've all had a chat, and there's no way we can feed 2 million prisoners."

The mangrove forests of the Sunderbans in West Bengal, India are home to deadly Bengal tigers, which are easily able to kill a human. Yet hunters, woodcutters, and honey gatherers often enter these swampy forests. How do they protect themselves? Each person who enters the Sunderbans wears a rubber mask of a human face on the back of his or her head. The belief is that the tiger will only attack its prey from behind. If it can see your face, it will not attack. The masks, issued by the government, are part of a larger program that includes the placement of electrified human dummies and the construction of freshwater ponds to keep the tigers out of the rivers, where people are often attacked.

Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Silence Can Be Lethal - Dr. Dan Reiland ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: As a parent of young children, I can appreciate the phrase "silence is golden." But silence can sometimes be harmful in the church - whenever it's caused by fear, apathy or insecurity. Sometimes your people need to be taught to "speak up" for Kingdom causes. Teach them the following lesson paired with Scripture from Ephesians (4:3-6,15,32) or I John (4:18), and you're likely to see (and hear) great results! 1. Silence . . . Causes Misrepresentation. Early in my ministry, I thought the loving thing to do was simply listen. But one day, I met with a negative person who complained about everything they thought was wrong in the church. As usual, I listened. But a few days later I was being quoted as if I were in total agreement with them, even though I'd agreed with nothing they'd said. Yikes! That's when I learned that silence can convey agreement. Compassion and empathy are wonderful virtues, but they do little good if you let harmful statements go without a response. We must all speak up in defense of our church, pastor and ministries. Even if we don't agree with everything that's done, we can still present a unified front. 2. Silence . . . Withholds Forgiveness. We're taught to forgive by the Scripture and Jesus' modeling. But our humanity and pride often keep us from communicating our forgiveness to others. Here's the point: You may have forgiven someone in your heart, but unless you tell them, it's almost as if you never forgave them at all. Healing and wholeness in the Body of Christ depend on sharing aloud the forgiving grace of Jesus Christ. 3. Silence . . . Weakens Leadership. Over the years, I've associated with many people who have leadership instincts and Godly wisdom, yet rarely speak up about anything. Maybe they're in a board or committee meeting, listening to the discussion and thinking great thoughts, but they don't verbalize them. When this happens, not only does the church miss out on needed wisdom, but that person forfeits leadership. Leaders speak up. If you don't, you'll have a hard time making an impact. 4. Silence . . . Promotes Division. The Body of Christ is affirmed when you speak words of unity, support, and mutual conviction. Silence leaves people wondering where you stand - whether on family values, your support of the new pastor, or your commitment to the building program. Unfortunately, in the local church, negative people tend to speak louder than positive people and end up forming a negative "majority." All it would take is one positive person to lead the way, and others would quickly add their support. Speak up - your input can help conquer division and promote unity in your church. Don't stand silent when your input can make a positive impact. If you make a habit of speaking up in love, you'll be more precious than gold to your church.

Saddam Hussein was sitting in his office wondering who to invade next when his telephone rang. "Hallo! Mr. Hussein," a heavily accented voice said. "This is Paddy down in County Cavan, Ireland. I am ringing to inform you that we are officially declaring war on you!" "Well, Paddy," Saddam replied, "This is indeed important news! Tell me, how big is your army?" "At this moment in time," said Paddy after a moment's calculation, "there is myself, my cousin Sean, my next door neighbor Gerry, and the entire dominoes team from the pub -- that makes 8!" Saddam sighed. "I must tell you Paddy that I have 1 million men in my army waiting to move on my command." "Begorra!", said Paddy, "I'll have to ring you back!" Sure enough, the next day Paddy rang back. "Right Mr. Hussein, the war is still on! We have managed to acquire some equipment!" "And what equipment would that be, Paddy?" Saddam asked. "Well, we have 2 combine harvesters, a bulldozer and Murphy's tractor from the farm." Once more Saddam sighed. "I must tell you, Paddy, that I have 16 thousand tanks, 14 thousand armored personnel carriers, and my army has increased to 1 and a half million since we last spoke." "Really?!" said Paddy "I'll have to ring you back!" Sure enough, Paddy rang again the next day. "Right Mr. Hussein, the war is still on! We have managed to get ourselves airborne! We've modified Ted's ultra-light with a couple of rifles in the cockpit and the bridge team has joined us as well!" Saddam was silent for a minute, then sighed. "I must tell you Paddy that I have 10 thousand bombers, 20 thousand MiG 19 attack planes, my military complex is surrounded by laser-guided surface-to-air missile sites, and since we last spoke, my army has increased to 2 million." "Faith and begorra!", said Paddy, "I'll have to ring you back. "Sure enough, Paddy called again the next day. "Right Mr. Hussein, I am sorry to tell you that we have had to call off the war." "I'm sorry to hear that" said Saddam. "Why the sudden change of heart?" "Well," said Paddy "We've all had a chat, and there's no way we can feed 2 million prisoners."

Is Jesus Safe? CS Lewis wrote one of the most endearing Christian books titled The Lion, The Witch and Wardrobe. If you have half an imagination you need to read it. You will never forget the story. In the book Jesus is represented by a Lion by the name of Aslan. The four children who are finally introduced to Aslan by Mr. and Mrs. Beaver are not quite sure they want to met him. Mr. Beaver says to them: Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight, At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more, When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again. You'll understand when you see him." "But shall we see him?" asked Susan. "Why, Daughter of Eve, that's what I brought you here for. I'm to lead you where you shall meet him," said Mr. Beaver. "Is--is he a man?" asked Lucy. "Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion--THE Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh!" said Susan, "I'd thought he was a man. Is he--quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion." "That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly." "Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy. "Safe?" said Mr. Beaver. "Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? "Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I do something; I will not refuse to do the something I can do.

A recent study at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health unveiled the not-so-surprising finding that the more teenagers a teen driver has in the car, the more likely he or she will be killed in an accident. A 16-year-old driving with three or more passengers is nearly three times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than a teen driving solo. Why does this happen? Two things come to mind: First, groupthink leads people to do things they normally would not (driving fast and recklessly, for example). And second, when you're in a group it's easy to get distracted. Distraction can lead to death. When groupthink dominates your life, it can also lead to spiritual death.

The opposite of bravery is not cowardice, but conformity.

Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian Jew, has been called "the voice of the underground church." In the 1940s, he was jailed and tortured by communist officials in his home country. While imprisoned, he spoke boldly of the gospel to his atheistic captors. About one experience in the 14 years he spent in prison, he wrote, "The political officer asked me harshly, 'How long will you continue to keep your stupid religion?' "I said to him, 'I have seen innumerable atheists regretting on their deathbeds that they have been godless; they called on Christ. Can you imagine that a Christian could regret when death is near that he has been a Christian and call on Marx or Lenin to rescue him from his faith?' "The atheist began to laugh, 'A clever answer.' "I continued, 'When an engineer has built a bridge, the fact that a cart can pass over the bridge is no proof that the bridge is good. A train must pass over it to prove its strength. The fact that you can be an atheist when everything goes well does not prove the truth of atheism. It does not hold up in moments of great crisis.' "I used Lenin's books to prove to him that, even after becoming prime minister of the Soviet Union, Lenin himself prayed when things went wrong."

In the middle of the eighteenth century, Christians became increasingly concerned about the slave trade. They amassed information on the inhumane treatment of the slaves and believed that eventually they could generate sufficient public support to overcome the slave trade interests in Parliament. But they needed political leadership. William Wilberforce was elected to Parliament in 1780. He was converted in 1785, in part as a result of the ministry of John Newton, once a slave trader and then a clergyman in the Church of England. Newton and others urged Wilberforce to investigate the slave trade and to consider whether he could fight for its abolition in Parliament. Wilberforce concluded, "So enormous, so dreadful, so irremediable did its wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for the abolition. A trade founded in iniquity and carried on as this was must be abolished." His effort took 20 years. He was vigorously opposed by the slave traders, who had powerful allies in Parliament. There was also resistance because this was a moral battle: "Things have come to a pretty pass when religion is allowed to invade public life," complained Lord Melbourne. But with the help of Christians throughout England, Wilberforce eventually succeeded, and in 1807 Parliament voted to abolish the slave trade. We need more Wilberforces—Christians willing to engage in effective, sustained activity to challenge government to perform its responsibilities.

"Bravery comes along as a gradual accumulation of discipline." —Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon.

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. -- `Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' -- Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood."

Yet there is also a less admirable reason why the modern world finds Pilate sympathetic. He is the patron saint of doubt and thus attractive to an age that regards doubt itself as a virtue — or at least as a mark of sophistication in the face of certainties with which we happen to disagree, whether they are the certainties of the religious right, or of fundamentalist Moslems, or of political ideologies. Many intellectuals, academics and (generally liberal) politicians have come to see doubt in these modestly heroic terms. ... Now, considered seriously (which almost never happens), the idea that doubt is either a virtue or a sign of intellectual superiority is nonsense. Chronic doubt is a symptom of depression in clinical psychology. Everyday difficulty in choosing between finely balanced alternatives is simply a sign that we have not investigated the problem sufficiently. And the proper reaction to unjustified certainty is not doubt but the firm analytical refutation of dogmatic error. But that too requires courage.

"You were given the choice between war and dishonor. You chose dishonor and you will have war."

Confidence never comes from having all the answers; it comes from being open to all the questions.

Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones favor all manner of unseen incidents, meetings, and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can--begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.

If one advances confidently in the direction of their dreams, and endeavors to lead a life which they have imagined, they will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

They can because they think they can.

The unforgivable crime is soft hitting. Do not hit at all if it can be avoided; but never hit softly.

My success so far has only been won by absolute indifference to my future career.

Given an equal degree of intelligence, a thousand times more is lost in war through anxiety than through boldness.

In great straits, when hope is small, the boldest counsels are the safest.

If you take too long in deciding what to do with your life, you’ll find you’ve done it.

If you are living a hum-drum life, and you do nothing to change it, ten years from now you will be a product of ten more years of hum-drumidness.

Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.

Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.

In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock.

To measure up to all that is demanded of him, a man must overestimate his capacities.

Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.

In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing; the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. --

Hope has two beautiful daughters Their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are. – Augustine

I am more afraid of an army of one hundred sheep led by a lion than an army of one hundred lions led by a sheep. – Charles Maurice, 1754-1838

A coward is a hero with a wife, kids, and a mortgage. -- Marvin Kitman

One of the reason mature people stop growing and learning is they become less and less willing to risk failure." -- John Gardner

We may make mistakes – but they must never be mistakes which result from faintness of heart or abandonment of moral principle. – Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1945

Alex Bradford, a junior majoring in public policy, has been selected as a member of USA Today’s “2004 College Academic All-Starts First Team,” a group of exceptional undergraduates from around the country. “I was very surprised when I got the call from USA Today,” Bradford said. “I thought, ‘Are you sure you have the right person?’” Bradford has already won the George J. Mitchell Scholarship, which he will use to pursue an MBA in Dublin after he graduates this year. Many of his achievements involve AIDS and AIDS policy research, including working for AIDS non-governmental organizations and hospitals in Latin America and Africa, teaching the student-initiated course “Global AIDS: Political, Economic and Social Issues of the Pandemic” and writing the founding proposal for the AIDS Treatment Access Initiative, a nationwide campaign that organized last year’s “Student Global AIDS Walk.” He is currently writing an honors thesis on HIV/AIDS in Uganda and U.S. Foreign Policy. He also has a 4.0 grade-point average, is on the Stanford hockey team, wrote and published the book “Generation Y for the Global Village,” founded the Stanford Undergraduate Research Journal (SURJ) and is one of the Junior Class Presidents. Bradford was raised by a single mother in one of Minneappolis’ poorest neighborhoods and has worked dozens of jobs growing up, including a delivering newspapers. When asked what spurred his interest in AIDS, he said, “One of my best friends, an immigrant from Africa, died of AIDS. That’s how I became entrenched in the fight against what is now the deadliest killer in Africa, and soon to be in Asia.” Bradford recalled that during one of his trips to Africa, he was attacked by a group of young men who held an AK-47 to his head. “They screamed, ‘Where are you from?’” he said. “The kicked me so hard that I spit blood. They asked me what I was doing there, and I told them I was working with AIDS orphans. “One of them was an AIDS orphan. There was a silence, and he had the group give my wallet back. That was another time when I was reminded of the importance of global consciousness.”

Almost all reformers, however strict their social conscience, live in houses as big as they can pay for.

The statesman who, seeing war inevitable, hesitates to strike first is guilty of a crime against his country.

If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly.

If the creator had a purpose in equipping us with a neck, he surely meant us to stick it out.

And the trouble is, if you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.

One doesn’t discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.

The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those who sang best."

"He that leaveth nothing to chance will do few things ill, but he will do very few things."

Do not be too squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.

We are afflicted today with what I call V.S. disease -- the Vanilla Syndrome -- going to Baskin Robbins 31 flavors and ordering vanilla.

Man was not created to be safe. If there is no risk or danger in his life he will create it somehow.

Boldness becomes rarer, the higher the rank. -- (Or "the nearer to retirement" or "The greater the number of shares in the stock option plan")

Winners are those people who make a habit of doing the things losers are uncomfortable doing.

Collect adventures and experiences, not things. Things will burden you. Adventures and experiences give you pleasant memories.

In 370 A. D., Basil of Caesarea, one of the "church fathers," became the archbishop of Caesarea, which brought him into conflict with the Arian emperor Valens. In an attempt to intimidate the stubborn bishop, Valens sent the prefect of the imperial guard, Modestus, to threaten him with punishment. Basil answered that he was ready and eager to die for Christ, and that he had so few possessions that banishment, confiscation, or imprisonment would mean nothing to him. When Modestus complained that no one ever talked to him like that, Basil answered that perhaps he had never met a bishop before: "When the interests of God are at stake, we care for nothing else." Citation: Edwin Woodruff Tait, "Three Wise Men from the East," Christian History, Issue 80

If you want to double your success rate, double your failure rate. -- Thomas Watson, president, IBM

In the depth of winter I finally learned there was in me invincible summer. -- Albert Camus

Has anybody here seen “The Last Samurai?” That’s a great movie. I love samurais. I love ninja, too. But I really love samurai. There’s something cool about them—they’re these fierce warriors who live by a strict code of honor and assiduously cultivate their artistic sides. They do calligraphy and painting and poetry and all sorts of cool stuff. I think that’s one of the reasons that King David of Israel is one of my favorite heroes. He’s like a Jewish samurai. I mean think about it—this is a guy who leads the way in warfare no matter what the odds, who is passionately devoted to virtue and values, and who is one of the most famous poets in all of history. He’s totally a samurai. Now here’s the amazing thing. In Acts 13:22 we read God’s opinion of David, the warrior king of Israel: “‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; ” That’s cool—God likes samurais, too.

On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, "Is it safe?" Expediency asks the question, "Is it politic?" And Vanity comes along and asks the question, "Is it popular?" But Conscience asks the question, "Is it right?" And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right.

One of the most amazing stories to come out of World War II concernns a church leader in Bulgaria named Metropolitan Kyril. When the Nazis rounded up the Jews in his city and herded them into a barbed wire enclosure, he decided to act. The train that was supposed to take the Jews to Auschwitz pulled up at the station. The S.S. guards were just about ready to load the Jews into the box cars that would take them to the gas chambers, when suddenly, out of the darkness, Metropolitan Kyril appeared. He was a tall man to start with, but as an Orthodox priest, he wore a miter on his head, which must have made him appear like a giant as he emerged out of the darkness. He was wearing his black robes and his white beard hung over them. Marching behind him were many of the townspeople. Kyril went to the entrance of the barbed wire enclosure, which was then surrounded by his supporters. When the Nazi guards tried to stop them, he laughed at them and pushed aside their guns. He went in among the Jews and as they surrounded them, crying hysterically, he raised his hands. He quoted one Verse of Scripture, and with that verse her contibuted signifcantly to the changing destiny of a nation. Quoting from the Book of Ruth he declared to his Jewish friends, "Whither thou goest, I will go. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God!" The Jews cheered and the Christians joined in cheering. They were no longer separate peoples. They had become on in the declaration of the Word of God. Because of such heroics, not a single Bulgarian Jew ever died in a Nazi conventration campe during World War II, in spite of the fact that Bulgaria was one of the Nazi powers. When a man is willing to lay down his life to oppose oppression and injustice, amazing things can happen.

Saccharin was first discovered in 1879 when a research fellow at Johns Hopkins University found his bread extra sweet one night and figured that something from the lab must have followed him home. Incredibly, he set about to tasting nearly everything in his lab--and lived to find o-benzoic sulfimide--saccharin by another name. Chance not only favors the trained mind, but in this case, it favored a man brave enough to lick everything in sight till he could trace the source of his discovery.