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Words of Wisdom from the Late Steve Jobs

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 1 Comment

Steve Jobs passed away in 2011 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 56. At the time, he was one of the most powerful and well-known CEOs. He reportedly had some parting words as he was dying of lessons learned too late that would serve all of us well to heed. Whether or not he actually said them, they still ring true.

Here they are, stated better than I have heard them put in a long time:

“I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world.  In others. eyes, my life is an epitome of success.
However, aside from work, I have little joy. In the end, wealth is only a fact of life that I am accustomed to.
At this moment, lying on the sick bed and recalling my whole life, I realize that all the recognition and wealth that I took so much pride in, have paled and become meaningless in the face of impending death.
You can employ someone to drive the car for you, make money for you but you cannot have someone to bear the sickness for you.  Material things lost can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when it is lost – health and life itself.

When a person goes into the operating room, he will realize that there is one book that he has yet to finish reading – “Book of Healthy Life”.

Whichever stage in life we are at right now, with time, we will face the day when the curtain comes down.
Treasure Love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends…
Treat yourself well. Cherish others.
As we grow older, and hence wiser, we slowly realize that wearing a $300. or $30.00 watch – – –  – – – – they both tell the same time…
Whether we carry a $300 or $30.00 wallet/handbag the amount of money inside is the same;
Whether we drink a bottle of $300 or $10 wine the hangover is the same;
Whether the house we live in is 300 or 3000 sq. ft loneliness is the same.

You will realize, your true inner happiness does not come from the material things of this world.
Whether you fly first or economy class, if the plane goes down you go down with it.
Therefore,I hope you realize, when you have mates, buddies and old friends, brothers and sisters, who you chat with, laugh with, talk with, have sing songs with, talk about north-south-east-west or heaven & earth, ….
That is true happiness!!
Five Undeniable Facts of Life :
1. Don’t educate your children to be rich. Educate them to be Happy.
So when they grow up they will know the value of things not the price.
2. Best awarded words in London … “Eat your food as your medicines.
Otherwise you have to eat medicines as your food.”
3. The One who loves you will never leave you for another because even if there are 100 reasons to give up he or she will find one reason to hold on.
4. There is a big difference between a human being and being human.
Only a few really understand it.
5. You are loved when you are born. You will be loved when you die.
In between, You have to manage!
NOTE: If you just want to Walk Fast, Walk Alone! But if you want to Walk Far, Walk Together!
Six Best Doctors in the World.
1. Sunlight
2. Rest
3. Exercise
4. Diet
5. Self Confidence and
6. Friends
Maintain them in all stages of Life and enjoy healthy life.
Sent with Smiles, Affection and Love !! “

Keeping the Faith

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I recently heard a quote that fits the majority of what passes for Christianity in American. Too many preach that “[a] God without wrath brought men without sin into a Kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a Cross.” (H. Richard Niebuhr), The Kingdom of God in America).

Those who hold to the orthodox faith of the early church as proclaimed by the apostles are getting fewer and fewer these days.

But those early apostles held to the conviction that they would rather please God than people, as stated by one of their most outspoken members, Paul.

They knew that the world would hate them just as it hated Jesus.  They knew the world they lived in would never tolerate their message of repentance and faith in the Messiah Jesus.

Repentance is almost a taboo word, yet it’s one of the most freeing. To turn away from sin is to walk out of a lifestyle of bondage into wide open freedom. But it’s not just turning away. It’s turning to the true and living God who has revealed Himself in Jesus.

Grace is such a beautiful thing because none of us deserves it. All of us really have sinned and fallen short on a daily basis of the glory of God. All of us have a deep need for salvation in Jesus. All of us are loved deeply and unconditionally by a God whose love refuses to leave us the way it found us. Sometimes it’s a tough love, but it’s always a love that seeks the very best for the beloved — that’s us.

It’s not about making America great again. It’s really about getting back to the whole gospel that can save the whole person. It’s about the good news that is still there for the taking for anyone who truly seeks it.

Being a Hero

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“Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, –and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of –Wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air…
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark or even eagle flew —
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God” (John Gillespie Magee, Jr).

Recently, I stumbled across the NASA channel, almost completely by accident. I’ve been watching it on and off since.

A few days ago, they paid tribute to a long-serving astronaut, John Young, who passed away at the age of 87 on Friday. I confess that before then, I had no idea who he was.

It turns out he was the only astronaut to fly on the Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle missions. He flew the first manned Gemini mission and was the commander of the inaugural Space Shuttle voyage. He served in NASA for 42 years, giving him the longest career of any astronaut.

You can read more about him here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Young_(astronaut)

And yet I had never heard of him before. I knew John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, and Buzz Aldrin, but for some reason I had gone through my entire life not knowing about this fascinating American.

I can’t help thinking about the chapter in Hebrews about the Faith Hall of Fame that talks about Noah, Abraham, and Sarah. It also mentions that many others were just as faithful, though less well known. Many of them died without ever seeing the fruition of their hopes, yet they never wavered in their faith.

There may be some heroes that you might run across and never know it. Maybe, one day, you will be considered a hero to some because you persevered and kept believing in times when it would have been much easier to give up. They will see your life and say, “He never gave up. He kept on showing up every day, no matter what. If he could do it, then maybe so can I.”

Taking the Next Step

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“Often we want to be able to see into the future. We say, ‘How will next year be for me? Where will I be five or ten years from now?’ There are no answers to these questions. Mostly we have just enough light to see the next step: what we have to do in the coming hour or the following day. The art of living is to enjoy what we can see and not complain about what remains in the dark. When we are able to take the next step with the trust that we will have enough light for the step that follows, we can walk through life with joy and be surprised at how far we go. Let’s rejoice in the little light we carry and not ask for the great beam that would take all shadows away” (Henri Nouwen).

There are times when the best you can do is focus on the day at hand. You think, “If I can just make it through the next 24 hours.”

Then sometimes, 24 hours is too much. You feel overwhelmed by life. At that point, your focus becomes more narrow. “Can I make it through the next hour? The next minute?”

I’m as guilty as anyone of always looking ahead– to the evening, to Friday, to the next holiday. That’s all well and good until it takes away from living fully in the present and being fully engaged with the people around you.

To live in the moment isn’t always easy, especially when that moment turns out to be stressful and unpleasant. Still, even in those times you can still find hidden nuggets of joy.

Giving thanks and living gratefully is still the best way to live in the present as completely as possible. It’s still the best antidote to the cynicism and entitlement that seems to dominate much of the culture.

Keep keeping your eyes on Jesus and His kingdom and the rest will fall into place.

 

 

Hot Chicken Update

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I went for a second time to Hattie B’s, reportedly one of the premier places to get hot chicken in Nashville. For the uninformed, hot chicken is fried chicken that has spices on it that range from mild to rectally scarring (or at least that’s the way I understand it).

I started my hot chicken journey a couple of years back with a trip to Big Shakes, where I ordered the cry-baby version. No, I did not make that up. Yes, it was still hot enough to make me sweat.

This time, I upgraded from mild to medium.

I don’t foresee myself ever going any higher.

That’s about my limit for spiciness where you can still taste what you’re eating. And yes, it was goooooooood.

My next quest for hot chicken to complete the trifecta is Prince’s Hot Chicken on Nolensville Rd.

If you decided to try hot chicken for the first time, I recommend starting off on the low-end, unless you already know you’re a fan of the spicy. I also suggest making sure you have plenty of beverage handy. And napkins. And bread, if you can get it.

I give Hattie B’s two hot thumbs way up. Now all I need is the t-shirt that says, “I ate hot chicken at Hattie B’s and all I got was this lousy t-shirt (and a good meal).”

Random Frozen Thoughts in January

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When I say frozen thoughts, I do not mean thoughts about the Disney movie Frozen, which had the annoyingly popular song Let It Go. I mean how it’s so frickin’ cold outside that all the thoughts in my head are now frozen.

I’m all for winter, but when it gets below freezing, it needs to snow. Right now, the air is so dry that I shocked myself twice simply getting out of my car. At least I had some classic Otis Redding music to keep my thoughts from the cold.

Otis’ version of “Rock Me Baby” might just be one of the most authentic blues songs to come out of Stax records. I definitely didn’t fall asleep in the car while listening to that one.

I’m a little behind on my quest to read the Bible through in 2017. I’m just about to start 1 Peter. Hopefully, I’ll be done at the very least by the end of January. To be fair, I read through the New Jerusalem Bible, a Roman Catholic translation with a few extra books than the standard Protestant version.

It’s 11:05 and I’m ready to call it a night. All that cold weather with no snow is really tiring, so I’ll enjoy the comfort of my flannel sheets and once again count my many blessings after another good day without that dreaded toe tag.

 

Choosing Fruitfulness

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“There is a great difference between successfulness and fruitfulness. Success comes from strength, control, and respectability. A successful person has the energy to create something, to keep control over its development, and to make it available in large quantities. Success brings many rewards and often fame. Fruits, however, come from weakness and vulnerability. And fruits are unique. A child is the fruit conceived in vulnerability, community is the fruit born through shared brokenness, and intimacy is the fruit that grows through touching one another’s wounds. Let’s remind one another that what brings us true joy is not successfulness but fruitfulness” (Henri Nouwen).

I’m not anti-success. I love it when I try something new or take on a difficult task and succeed at it. Success is a great feeling.

But it should not be the final aim of the believer. Fruitfulness should.

To be fruitful is to pass along a legacy of faith first handed down to you.

To be fruitful is simply to abide in Jesus and let His work take root and grow in you, to let His words sink deep into the soil of your heart, and to let His love germinate inside you until it encompasses your whole being.

Let us choose success, but let us choose foremost to be fruitful.

 

An Inauspicious Start to 2018

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In all my wildly imagined scenarios, never did I picture myself standing in the 5 degree weather at 6:20 am, waiting for a tow truck.

It all started normally enough until I went to take a left turn out of my subdivision. First the power steering went, then the power. My car stalled mid-turn.

I sincerely repent of all my comments about all temperatures below 20 being the same. They’re not.

In my short wait for a AAA tow truck, I ran through all the possible causes of my Jeep being in a frozen coma on the side of the road (after I got out and managed to push it to the side of the road).

It could be anything from a bad battery to an engine apocalypse. I was hoping for a dead battery but secretly fearing worse.

Thankfully, the tow truck dude showed up within 20 minutes of me calling AAA for roadside assistance.

Thankfully, he took me to an auto shop close to where I work. They were able to take my car and drop me off at work.

Thankfully, all my beloved Jeep needed was a new battery.

It really could have been much worse on so many levels.

At least I wasn’t pulling out onto a busy street when my car died.

At least I was able to get to work and get my car taken care of.

At least it wasn’t a monumental, wallet-sucking repair.

So a day that started off bad ended up good.

Truly, God is still able to work all things together for good for His beloved, even at a ridiculously early morning hour on a frigid January 2 day.

It’s all about being intentionally grateful and not taking my every day blessings for granted. It’s about thanks-living and not just thanksgiving.

Here endeth the lesson.

 

 

A New Year’s Day Poem

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote this on the eve of the new year 1945, the year in which he would later be executed by Hitler, days before the concentration camp he was in was liberated by the Allies. Note: this may or may not be a repeat, but if so, it’s worth a second read.

“By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered,
and confidently waiting, come what may,
we know that God is with us night and morning,
and never fails to greet us each new day.

Yet is this heart by its old foe tormented,
still evil days bring burdens hard to bear;
O give our frightened souls the sure salvation,
for which, O Lord, you taught us to prepare.

And when this cup you give is filled to brimming,
with bitter sorrow, hard to understand,
we take it thankfully and without trembling,
out of so good and so beloved a hand.

Yet when again in this same world you give us,
the joy we had, the brightness of your sun,
we shall remember all the days we lived through,
and our whole life shall then be yours alone.”

Only God knows what 2018 will bring, but just as certainly we can know that whatever prevails, God will be with us all the way. He will still work all things together for your good and His glory.

I still believe that God’s plans are far better than mine, and whatever He brings ends up  exceeding anything I could have wished or dreamed for on my own.

My prayer for all of us is to know the love of God that passes all understanding and casts out all fear and anxiety, and to know that no matter what happens, for good or bad, that Emmanuel, God with us, is still with you and for you and in you.

 

 

A New Year’s Day Prayer for 2018

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I’m sharing this prayer from one of my heroes, Billy Graham, at 12:51 am on January 1, 2018. Happy new year!

“Our Father and our God, as we stand at the beginning of this new year we confess our need of Your presence and Your guidance as we face the future.

We each have our hopes and expectations for the year that is ahead of us—but You alone know what it holds for us, and only You can give us the strength and the wisdom we will need to meet its challenges. So help us to humbly put our hands into Your hand, and to trust You and to seek Your will for our lives during this coming year.

In the midst of life’s uncertainties in the days ahead, assure us of the certainty of Your unchanging love.

In the midst of life’s inevitable disappointments and heartaches, help us to turn to You for the stability and comfort we will need.

In the midst of life’s temptations and the pull of our stubborn self-will, help us not to lose our way but to have the courage to do what is right in Your sight, regardless of the cost.

And in the midst of our daily preoccupations and pursuits, open our eyes to the sorrows and injustices of our hurting world, and help us to respond with compassion and sacrifice to those who are friendless and in need. May our constant prayer be that of the ancient Psalmist: ‘Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end’ (Psalm 119:33).

We pray for our nation and its leaders during these difficult times, and for all those who are seeking to bring peace and justice to our dangerous and troubled world. We pray especially for Your protection on all those who serve in our armed forces, and we thank You for their commitment to defend our freedoms, even at the cost of their own lives. Be with their families also, and assure them of Your love and concern for them.

Bring our divided nation together, and give us a greater vision of what You would have us to be. Your Word reminds us that ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord’ (Psalm 33:12).

As we look back over this past year we thank You for Your goodness to us—far beyond what we have deserved. May we never presume on Your past goodness or forget all Your mercies to us, but may they instead lead us to repentance, and to a new commitment to make You the foundation and center of our lives this year.

And so, our Father, we thank You for the promise and hope of this new year, and we look forward to it with expectancy and faith. This I ask in the name of our Lord and Savior, who by His death and resurrection has given us hope both for this world and the world to come.

Amen” (Billy Graham).