Articles
The Dash Poem
The Dash Poem
(By Linda Ellis)
I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on the tombstone
From the beginning...to the end
He noted that first came the date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years
For that dash represents all the time
That they spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved them
Know what that little line is worth
For it matters not, how much we own,
The cars...the house...the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.
So, think about this long and hard.
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect
And more often wear a smile,
Remembering this special dash
Might only last a little while
So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent YOUR dash?
Controlling the Tongue
It was a particularly tough football game, and nerves were on edge. The home team had been the victim of three or four close calls, and they were now trailing the visitors by a touchdown and a field goal. When the official called yet another close one in the visitors' favor, the home quarterback blew his top.
"How many times can you do this to us in a single game?" he screamed. "You were wrong on the out-of-bounds call, you were wrong on that last holding call, and you failed to say anything about a late hit in the first quarter." The official just stared. The quarterback seethed, but he tried to suppress language that might get him tossed out of the game. "What it comes down to," he bellowed, "is that YOU STINK!"
The official stared a few more seconds. Then he bent down, picked up the ball, paced off 15 yards, and put the ball down. He turned to face the steaming quarterback. "And how do I smell from here?" he asked.
There are so many times when it is hard to "bite the tongue" and say nothing. The urge to say "something" seems so overpowering that the words sometimes erupt before we have a chance to think them through. Unfortunately, those words have consequences. The minor offenses result in 15-yard penalties. The more serious offenses result in years of regret and heartache, or perhaps broken relationships that take years to rebuild. No wonder James had such strong words of praise concerning the person who is always able to control what he says (James 3:2).
"He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit. Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive" (Prov. 17:27-28). May your words today be few, calm, and carefully thought out. (TFTD - Alan Smith)
IF
"Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity" (Psalm 37:1).
If someone levels a criticism against you, it may be evidence you have done something worthwhile.
If someone opposes you, consider his objections; His opposition may be justified.
If someone fails to speak to you, it could have been unintentional -- maybe he didn't see you.
If someone has defrauded you, remember that there are more than three hundred million people in America who have never done you a wrong.
If the burdens of the day seem unusually heavy, go to the Father in heaven; He can lighten your load.
If you tried to do something worthwhile and failed, try again tomorrow: Maybe you will succeed. ---Jesse Kelly
A Moments Wisdom
- This is the early punishment of the liar: he is not believed, even when he speaks the truth.
- A child tells in the street what mother and father say indoors.
- Forget others’ faults by remembering your own.
- Bad men excuse their own sins; good men forsake them.
- A sin denied is twice committed.
- Who seeks a faultless friend remains friendless.
- To worry about tomorrow is to be unhappy today.
- One generation plants the trees; the next generation gets the shade.
- Fear can carry a man farther than courage, but not in the same direction.
- A foolish man is known by six things: 1) anger without cause, 2) speech without profit, 3) change without progress, 4) questions without purpose, 5) placing trust in strangers, and 6) mistaking foes for friends.
Upcoming Sermons
12/11/22 AM - Learning to Get Along with Difficult People (1Peter 2:15); PM - Working as Hard as Satan
12/18/22 AM - Learning to Get Along with Difficult Christians (Phil. 4:2); PM - Seven Social Sins
12/25/22 AM & PM - “The Thrill of Victory; the Agony of Defeat”
1/1/23 AM - The First Day; PM - Worship in Song: Congregational Choice of Songs
1/8/23 AM - “Behold, I Make All Things New”; PM - Tychicus the Faithful Minister
1/15/23 AM - What Can Be Accomplished in a Three Year Ministry?; PM - Deborah Stepped Forward
1/22/23 AM - The Sermon of Sermons; PM - Jehosphaphat: A Good King with Bad Friends
1/29/23 AM - Decisive Indecision; PM - Guest Speaker: Doug Sanders - The Valley of Dry Bones
