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WHO DO I SHOOT?
A new soldier was on sentry duty at the main gate. His orders were clear. No car was to enter unless it had a special sticker on the windshield. A big Army car came up with a general seated in the back. The sentry said, "Halt, who goes there?"
The chauffeur, a corporal, said, "General Wheeler."
"I'm sorry, I can't let you through. You've got to have a sticker on the windshield."
The general said, "Drive on!"
The sentry said, "Hold it! You really can't come through. I have orders to shoot if you try driving in without a sticker."
The general repeated, "I'm telling you, son, drive on!"
The sentry walked up to the rear window and said, "General, I'm new at this. Do I shoot you or the driver?"
Sometimes, the trick in times of war is knowing who to shoot. In the heat of battle, armies frequently experience casualties due to "friendly fire", and the church suffers in the same way. In our zeal to shoot someone, we set our crosshairs on one another.
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
(Ephesians 6:10-12)
May you be strengthened today in the spiritual warfare that Satan is waging against you
Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.
"What you want to do, you do. The rest is just talk."
"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something, and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do th...
All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: act as if it were impossible to fail.
"When there is a hill to climb, don't think that waiting will make it any smaller."
"As soon as youve made a reasonable decision, based on factual information, the time has come for action."
"Why wait? Life is not a dress rehearsal. Quit practicing what you are goin...
Those who say it cannot be done should get out of the way of those who are doing it.
WHAT DEFINES YOU?
Alex Gibney's documentary on the life of "Gonzo" Hunter S. Thompson suggests that Thompson, "who committed suicide in 2005, survives to some degree in the popular imagination because of his self-burnished reputation for excess." (A.O. Scott, "Beyond Fear and Loathing", The New York Times, July 4, 2008)
In life and in death, Hunter Thompson was and is defined by his excesses.
We may be defined by many things. Some of us are defined by our ethnic heritage as reflected in continued traditions, the way we cook and eat, even our accents define us. Some of us are defined by our appearance. Some are defined by strengths and others by their weaknesses. We may be defined by our work. Sometimes we are defined by our spouses or our children. Here at church, Bonnie is defined as Pastor Monty's wife... at her work, I am defined as Bonnie's husband.
I once knew a man who drove a bull wagon... he was a livestock hauler and he drove a cattle truck. He always wore a big floppy, rawhide, cowboy hat. It looked hot and heavy. I did not think it particularly flattering. One day I asked him why he always wore his rawhide hat and he said, "Because people know me by my hat." His hat defined who he was.
Sometimes Christians are defined by noble demonstrations of Christ-like behavior, and sometimes we are known for our failures... This may come as a huge shock to you but there is something you need to know.
(from a sermon by Monty Newton, "Desiring Good and Doing Bad" 7/4/08, SermonCentral.com)
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