Category Sticky Notes

Sticky bits of wisdom accumulated along the flyways of cyberdom

Energizer Christians

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

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I love that little pink bunny. You know the one who beats on his own drum and keeps going and going and going and going. That’s right the Energizer bunny. That little pink bunny who finds the power to do just about anything. He never tires, he never slows down, in fact he is able to energize a whole city in one commercial. Thump thump thump he goes. Marching along steady and sure beating on that big bass drum never stopping or slowing.

I believe Christians have gotten caught up in the Energizer bunny syndrome. It would appear from some of our actions that we feel we must keep going and going and going no matter what comes our way. We do not allow ourselves any time to remain idle. We feel we must have the power and the energy to embrace all circumstances with a steady drumbeat of righteousness and Godly character. We keep beating our own drums and marching to our own beat never stopping to consider what lies around us. We are making so much progress on our own strength and merit while beating our own drums that perhaps we feel we are invincible, even godlike.

Beat the drum, keep on moving, never tire, never slow down. Just like the energizer bunny we feel we have power to spare no matter what demands are placed on us. We continue to feel the need to give out and enlighten our darkened world so much perhaps we have failed to realize that even an Eveready battery goes dead if it is not recharged.

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

“Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His
goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children
of men” (Psalm 107:8).

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Two old friends bumped into one another on the street one day. One of them looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, “What has the world
done to you, my old friend?”

The sad fellow said, “Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars.”

“That’s a lot of money.”

“But you see, two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died, and left me eighty-five thousand free and clear.”

“Sounds like you’ve been blessed….”

“You don’t understand!” he interrupted. “Last week my
great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter
of a million.”

Now he was really confused. “Then, why do you look so
glum?”

“This week … nothing!”

That’s the trouble with receiving something on a
regular basis. Even if it is a gift, we eventually
come to expect it. Someone once suggested to me a way
to test someone’s character. Give him (or her) $5 a
day for a month. Then stop, and see what his reaction
is. The natural tendency is that if we receive a gift
long enough, we come to view it as an entitlement. We
feel hurt, even angry, if we don’t receive it any
longer.

It’s the same way with the blessings God gives us
every day. I don’t deserve the comfortable home I live
in, the beautiful scenery around me, the clean water
that I drink. But after receiving these gifts (and a
multitude of others) for years, I sometimes fail to be
grateful. I’ve come to expect these good things. And
when one of them is removed for a short while (like
the water being cut off), I get upset.

Make an effort today to recognize the blessings you’ve
come to take for granted. Focus on what you have rather
than on what you don’t have, and see if it doesn’t
improve your attitude.

Alan Smith, Thought for the Day
Archives at http://www.tftd-online.com

Novembrrrrrrrrr

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

inkquillNo shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds – November!

(Thomas Hood, “No!”)

The Mind a Terrible Thing to Waste

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

Rust_stands_still_at_the_iron_hill

 

“Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation … even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.” — Leonardo da Vinci

The Monday Memo by Steve May

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

HOW HARD YOU GET HIT
2 CORINTHIANS 4:8-9

As a father, I’ve always considered the most important lesson to teach my children is the principle of perseverance — staying in the battle as long as it takes to win, getting back up after you get knocked down, trying as many times as necessary.

There’s a scene in the movie Rocky Balboa that’s about this — Rocky is teaching this lesson to his son, Robert. This is the final movie in the Rocky series; he’s now past his prime (for an athlete), in his fifties, a little punchy, and has just decided to attempt a comeback. Robert tries to talk him out of it, saying it isn’t fair to him, that he is trying to build a life for himself, and he’s tired of living in the old man’s shadow. He tells Rocky how this will hold him back. Rocky says to him…

“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place. And I don’t care how tough you are. It will beat you to your knees and keep you permanently there if you let it.

“You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life, but it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.

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