Skip to main content

Thoughts from the "Treasury of Inspiration"

Dear Friends,

Today I offer you fifteen short "thoughts" from a book I grabbed off my shelf that was published in 1958. It's entitled, "Treasury of Inspiration" by Herbert V. Prochnow.
I do enjoy going through books of quotes to see if I can find any thoughts or ideas that strike a chord with me, and might (I hope) express a truth that could be useful for others to ponder. I offer you 15 below and would be interested in hearing your thoughts regarding any of them. Agree? Disagree? Helpful? Unhelpful? Outdated? Still relevant? If you have a minute, let me know.
 

"The greatest mistake is to do nothing out of the fear of making one."
Anonymous

"Only a comparative few recognize opportunity, because it often comes disguised as hard work."
Anonymous

"Do your duty, that is best;
leave unto the Lord the rest."
James Russell Lowell (One of the popular "Fireside Poets" of New England)


"I thank God for my handicaps, for through them I have found myself, my work, and my God."
Helen Keller (American Author and Speaker who lost her sight at the age of 19)

"To me there is in happiness an element of self-forgetfulness. You lose yourself in something outside yourself when you are happy, just as when you are desperately miserable you are intensely conscious of yourself -- a solid lump of ego weighing a ton."
J. B. Priestly (English novelist and playwrite)

"One may go to heaven without health, without riches, without honors, without learning, without friends, but one can never go there without Christ."
John Dyer (17th century Welsh poet and painter who became a priest in the Church of England)

"A sermon has two purposes. First, it should comfort the afflicted, and second, it should afflict the comfortable. Sometimes it does the one and sometimes the other." John Homer Miller (Christian Writer)


"One's faith in God increases as one's faith in the world decreases."
George Jean Nathan (Writer of the one act play "The Eternal Mystery")

"The family should attend worship services in the sanctuary, regularly, as a family. The children are more ready for public worship than we think. They are older than we realize, and the time for teaching them is shorter than we imagine. The family worshiping together in the sanctuary is of greater value than we will ever know. Dr. Albert Schweitzer (the great Nobel prize winner of 1952) in his 'Memoirs of Childhood and Youth' tells us that in his opinion the most important thing his parents did for him when he was a child was to take him to the worship services of the church... The worship of God should be dignified and orderly. His house should reflect something of His majesty. The church school classes and activities should reflect careful thinking about God's revelation of Himself through Jesus Christ. God is concerned about all this. But He is undoubtedly more concerned about what happens in our houses than what happens in His. What we do at home, the attitudes we have, and the faith which determines our decisions, are what we pass on to our children. What happens in the church building can only add to, or be in conflict with, what happens in our homes. It can never replace it!"
Dr. G. Raymond Campbell, Presbyterian minister

"Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and myself have founded empires; but upon what do these creations of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone founded His empire upon love; and to this very day millions would die for Him."
Napoleon Bonaparte (Emperor of France, 1804-1815)

"The hardest people to reach with the love of God are not the bad people. They know they are bad. They have no defense. The hardest people to win for God are the self-righteous people."
Charles Livingstone Allen (Methodist minister)


"Jesus pointed out in his time that the nations of the world were giving priority to material things. He called upon people to 'seek first the kingdom of God.' Material things would then be added unto them. Yet, such things were a by-product, not a primary goal. It is of the greatest importance to keep that distinction in mind as we face the challenge of an atheistic society which avowedly puts first the pursuit of material things... We must not accept the quantity of consumer goods (cars, appliances, technological advances) to be the decisive measure of our society, as though spiritual content were unimportant."
John Foster Dulles (United States Secretary of State under Dwight Eisenhower)

"Even if it's a little thing, do something for those who are in need of help, something for which you get no pay in return except the privilege of doing it."
Albert Schweitzer (1952 Nobel Prize winner)

"Half the confusion in the world comes from not knowing how little we really need... I live more simply now, and with more peace."  Admiral Richard E. Byrd (Congressional Gold Medal, Navy Medal of Honor, and Legion of Merit recipient)

"The foolish and wicked practice of cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low that everyone of sense and character detests and despises it."
George Washington (1st President of the United States)



Yours in the Christ, Pastor Jeff

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Thoughts In Memory of Tim Keller

Dear Friends, News broke last Friday (May 19) that pastor Tim Keller had gone home to be with Jesus. I must say that his commitment to a gospel-centered understanding and application of Scripture, his determination to reach this generation, his encouragement to live out the Gospel through our lives and words and actions, his keen insights into contemporary culture, and his gracious way of engaging even with those he disagreed with – have been an inspiration to me and multitudes of others. He was truly a gift of God to many pastors and parishioners in our day. Therefore, today, in honor of his life and ministry, I offer you a mere sampling of 20 Tim Keller quotes. But I warn you that although reading Keller can be insightful and refreshing, it can also be a bit convicting and unsettling. Through his insights you will learn to see old things in a new light (which stirs the spirit!), but you will also discover that you do some of what you do for reasons other than what you had th

Thoughts From Priscilla Shirer

Dear Friends, During difficult times have you ever been tempted to focus only on the negative, the lack, the struggle, the sense of hopelessness? And if you were tempted to do so, did it blind you to what you did have? Did it cause you to overlook the blessings that were there all along, even in the midst of those times of lack? It’s not hard to do so. Our mounting concerns during difficult times can blind us to God’s supply. This week’s “thought” speaks to that situation. It comes from the devotional book entitled “Awaken” by Priscilla Shirer. A friend gave it to me a couple weeks back and I’m just starting to go through it. This particular devotion is entitled “What Do You Have?” and is based on II Kings 4:2 where a widow owes money, is confronted by creditors who come and threaten to take her two sons and sell them into slavery, in order to cover her debt. When Elisha finds out, he asks her: “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” Priscilla’s

Thoughts From Horatio Spafford

Dear Friends, I like stories. True stories. And not always stories that have a happy ending. In fact, I have gained much solace from stories that were very sad (like this one), but were helpful because they were about real people, struggling with raw emotions, and real issues, in an imperfect and fallen world where our ultimate hope must rest elsewhere. This morning I read a story I've read before. It's one I have even shared from the pulpit before. And I know that many of you (like me) have already heard as well. But then I thought, "Maybe some do not know it." And if you happen to be one, you need to read on! I pass this story along for you. For those who have not heard the story behind the writing of the hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul" by Horatio Spafford. Because once you know the story behind it, it's hard to ever sing it again in the same way. And even if you already know it, it is always helpful to pause and think once again about a