Jesus the Tender Physician

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A quote from the puritan John Flavel:

“None so tender-hearted and sympathising with sick souls as Jesus Christ; he is one that can have compassion, because he has had experience.

If I must come unto the surgeon’s hands with broken bones, give me one whose own bones have been broken, who has felt the anguish in himself.

Christ knows what it is by experience, having felt the anguish of inward troubles, the weight of God’s wrath, and the terrors of a forsaking God, more than any or all the sons of men: this makes him tender over distressed souls.”

– John Flavel, The Method of Grace

Mark Twain Strikes again

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“If you hold a cat by the tail, you learn things you cannot learn any other way.”
Mark Twain

Gospel Humility and Confidence

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“The Christian gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to died for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not think more of myself nor less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less.”

– Timothy Keller, The Reason For God (New York, NY: Dutton, 2008), 181.

You can get great quotes ( or sign up to have them delivered to you via email) on the importance and meaning of the gospel from “First Importance.“

Safety, Risk, and Purpose

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“A ship in port is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.”

Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (1906 – 1992)

John Newton on Public Prayer

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Here is a word from John Newton on how to pray in public. Newton, the author of the hymn “Amazing Grace” Dealt with many practical issues. The article, which was apparently a sermon, is about 4 pages long, but a worthwhile read. For a more humorous take read a modern version How NOT to pray

Newton on Public Prayer.pdf

Here is a great quote from the sermon:

“The chief fault of some good prayers is, that they are too long; not that I think we should pray by the clock, and limit ourselves precisely to a certain number of minutes; but it is better of the two, that the hearers should wish the prayer had been longer, than spend half the time in wishing it was over.”

Importance of Vocabulary

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Former dean of Yale Law School, Robert Hutchins, reports that a woman came up to him after a lecture and said:

“You were simply superfluous. I have never heard such an enervating speech.”

“Thank you,” Hutchins replied, ” I am thinking of having it published posthumously.”

“Wonderful,” the woman replied, “the sooner the better.”

Thoughts on Goals

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“If a man does not know to which port he is sailing, no wind is favorable.” -Seneca

 

Here is a good guide for evaluating and creating goals. NO, I did not arrange this acronym. But there must be some great minds in the world that love them more than I do 🙂

There are a few different versions of this idea, this one is from the University of Arizona.

S: Specific– an observable action, behavior or achievement, linked to a rate, number, % or frequency;

M: Measurable- a way to track and record the behavior or action;

A: Achievable– learners will be able to reach the objective in time allowed. [me-others suggest that the goal should also be challenging].

R: Relevant– objective is something the learner can impact on and change; they need the necessary knowledge, authority and skill required. [I would add, related to your mission and purpose].

T: Time-based – There must be a clear start and finish time or date.

Yogi Berra Quotes

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I enjoyed the recent perusal of Vince Lombardi quotes, so I thought I would look into Yogi Berra. I laughed uncontrollably!

I’d give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

Half the lies they tell me aren’t true.

In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.

It’s like déjà vu all over again.

It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.

Never answer an anonymous letter.

Ninety percent of this game is mental, and the other half is physical.

Steve McQueen looks good in this movie. He must have made it before he died.

The other team could make trouble for us if they win.

We’re lost but we’re making good time.

When you get to a fork in the road, take it.

You can observe a lot by watching.

Always go to other peoples’ funerals otherwise they won’t go to yours.

Vince Lombardi Quotes

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Recently I heard a dear friend preach and he illustrated a point by quoting Vince Lombardi. This lead me to look in to a few of his quotes. Here is the cream that I found:

Fatigue makes cowards of us all.

If you cheat in practice, you’ll cheat in the game. If you cheat in the game, you’ll cheat in life.

If you aren’t fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm.

It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up again.

Execution wins it.

Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.

The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must all pay for success.

The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.

The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence, regardless of his chosen field of endeavor.

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of knowledge, not a lack of strength, but rather, a lack of wills.

If it doesn’t matter who wins or loses, why do they keep score?

I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle — victorious.

The good Lord gave you a body that withstand almost anything, it is your mind you must convince.

Some Important Quotes from Calvin and Hobbes

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Calvin: In my opinion, we don’t devote nearly enough scientific research to finding a cure for jerks.

Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons p58
Calvin: I used to hate writing assignments, but now I enjoy them. I realized that the purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure poor reasoning, and inhibit clarity. With a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and impenetrable fog! Want to see my book report?
Hobbes: (Reading Calvin’s paper) “The Dynamics of Interbeing and Monological Imperatives in Dick and Jane: A Study in Psychic Transrelational Gender modes.”
Calvin: Academia, here I come!

Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat p62

 

Calvin (writing, after being asked to explain Newton’s First Law of Motion “in his own words”): Yakka foob mog. Grug pubbawup zink wattoom gazork. Chumble spuzz. (speaking) I love loopholes.

There’s Treasure Everywhere p133

 

Calvin: History is the fiction we invent to persuade ourselves that events are knowable and that life has order and direction. That’s why events are always reinterpreted when values change. We need new versions of history to allow for our current prejudices.

Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat p152
Calvin: I think life should be more like TV. I think all of life’s problems ought to be solved in 30 minutes with simple homilies, don’t you? I think weight and oral hygiene ought to be our biggest concerns. I think we should all have powerful, high-paying jobs, and everyone should drive fancy sports cars. All our desires should be instantly gratified. Women should always wear tight clothing, and men should carry powerful handguns. Life overall should be more glamorous, thrill-packed, and filled with applause, don’t you think?… Then again, if real life was like that, what would we watch on television?

The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes p94

 

Calvin: I used to hate writing assignments, but now I enjoy them. I realized that the purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure poor reasoning, and inhibit clarity. With a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and impenetrable fog! Want to see my book report?
Hobbes: (Reading Calvin’s paper) “The Dynamics of Interbeing and Monological Imperatives in Dick and Jane: A Study in Psychic Transrelational Gender modes.”
Calvin: Academia, here I come!

Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat p62

 

Calvin: The problem with people is that they don’t look at the big picture. Eventually, we’re each going to die, our species will go extinct, the sun will explode, and the universe will collapse. Existence isn’t only temporary, it’s pointless! We’re all doomed, and worse, nothing matters!

Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat p125
For an enjoyable print interview with the reclusive Bill Watterson visit this site.