Question & Thought for May 29th, 2016!!!

Good Sunday Morning All!
1. Question – Have you asked God to help with your construction?
2. Thought – I find I must borrow yet another parable from George MacDonald. Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come in a live in it Himself.
The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were ‘gods’ and He is going to make good on His words. If we let Him – for we can prevent Him, if we choose – He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or a goddess, a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. This process will be long and in parts very painful, but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said. (Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis)
“Be ye perfect.”
rem – I had no knowledge that I had no knowledge.
Question & Thought & ANDs.

Question & Thought for May 28th, 2016!!!

Good Saturday Morning. Wrap-Up of the last 2 days by Stormer!
1. Question – What’s the sinful man got to do with the welfare state?
2. Thought – The men who founded and built America learned quickly that because man was by nature sinful and lazy that he would try to live off someone else’s work and efforts – if he had the opportunity.
When the Pilgrims came to Plymouth Rock, for example, for several years all men worked fields which were held in common and all shared equally in the food which was produced. There was never enough food and many died of starvation. After three years of “welfare state socialism” the colonists made each man responsible for feeding his own family.  An 1871 history text, History of the World, by Everet A. Duyckinck describes the results, saying…
…the next year, because the joint stock system did not work well, each colonist at Plymouth began to plant a tract for himself, which soon made corn abundant.
A third grade history book, Leaders In Making America, published in 1921, tells how Captain John Smith dealt with the laziness which brought catastrophe and starvation to the colony at Jamestown. The text tells that Smith …
…laid down the law that “To save ourselves from starving, every man must turn to and help by working. He who will not work shall not eat.” And every man had to obey the new rule. Although the lazy settlers did not like it, they set to work cutting down trees, building houses, clearing the land and planting corn. As we should expect, the outlook grew brighter.
As America has turned away from recognition of the sinfulnature of man and his need of a Savior, the welfare state has grown. Textbooks reflect the change. Few histories now teach the importance lessons learned at Jamestown and Plymouth. Instead, they encourage the welfare state idea. Magruder’s American Government, for example teachers:
Because of sickness, accidents, and occasional unemployment it is difficult or impossible for a laborer who has reared a family to save from his meager wages. And it is more just to place all the burden of supporting those who have been unfortunate, or even shiftless, upon everybody instead of upon some dutiful son or daughter who is not responsible for the condition.
What is ahead? In 1966, a Columbia University sociology professor spearheaded formation of a union of welfare seekers which had the announced purpose of …
…combatting the Puritan Ethic that everyone in America has to work for a living. (The Death of a Nation, 1968 copyright, by John A. Stormer)
“Your dad and I are exactly the opposite. He’s a government bureaucrat, and I am a capitalist. We get paid, and our success is measured on opposite behaviors. He gets paid to spend money and hire people. The more he spends and the more people he hires, the larger his organization becomes. In the government, the larger his organization, the more he is respected. On the other hand, within my organization, the fewer people I hire and the less money I spend, the more I am respected by my investors. That’s why I don’t like government people. They have different objectives from most business people. As the government grows, more and more tax dollars will be needed to support it.” (Rich Dad – Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki)
 
rem – I had no knowledge that I had no knowledge.
Question & Thought & ANDs.

Question & Thought for May 23rd, 2016!

Good Monday Morning Animals!
1. Question – Not to offend any of you, but will you choose to be a sheep or a lion this week?
2. Thought – For many years, “Safety First’ has been the motto of the human race…..but it has never been the motto of leaders. A leader must face danger. He must take the risk and the blame and the brunt of the storm” (Herbert Casson). If you want to be successful, you must either have a chance or take one. You can’t get your head above water if you never stick your neck out.
A dream that does not include risk is not truly worthy of being called a dream. Lord Halifax said,
“The man who leaves nothing to chance will do few things [badly], but he will do very few things.”
If you never take risks, you’ll never accomplish great things. Everybody dies, but not everyone has lived.
C.S. Lewis said,​
​”The safest road to hell is a gradual one – the gentle slope, soft under foot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without sign posts.”​
Elizabeth Kenny reflected, “It is better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life.” If you dare for nothing, you need hope for nothing.
Morris West said, “If you spend your whole life inside waiting for the storms, you’ll never enjoy the sunshine.”
Listen to Conrad Hilton:
“I encourage boldness because the danger of seniority and pension plans tempts a young man to settle in a rut named security rather than find his own rainbow.”
Listen to Tommy Barnett: “Many people believe that you are really walking by faith when there is no risk, but the truth is the longer you walk with God…the greater the risk.” If you have found yourself throughout life never scared, embarrassed, disappointed or hurt, it means you have never taken any chances. (The Impossible is Possible by John Mason)
“When a man has put a limit on what he will do, he has put a limit on what he can do.” (Charles Schwaab)
rem – I had no knowledge that I had no knowledge.
Question & Thought & ANDs.