Illustration results for proverbs 22
Topic of the Week: Changes
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A child at birth has the capacity to become original. Or you can put him in a mold so that he will come out like everybody else.
ILLUSTRATION… “If a child lives”, from a sermon called The Divine Family
If a child lives with criticism,
HE learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility,
HE learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule,
HE learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame,
HE learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance,
HE learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement,
HE learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise,
HE learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness,
HE learns justice.
If a child lives with security, HE learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval,
HE learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,
HE learns to find love in the world.
Almost 1 in 16 children ages 5-12 in America was enrolled in a Southern Baptist VBS in 2006.
(Foster Letter 3/10/08)
IT REALLY SEEMS TO HURT
Philip Yancey tells about an African safari he was on where he saw an old momma giraffe taking care of her offspring. Shortly after he was born, she went over & kicked her offspring, & it looked like she was really hurting her baby. Then she did it again.
Each time, the little giraffe would get up on his wobbly legs & try to walk. Still she continued kicking him. Finally, he got up pretty rapidly & ran away from her kicks.
Phil turned to his guide & asked, “Why does the mother giraffe do that?” The guide answered, “The only defense the giraffe has is its ability to get up quickly & to out run its predator. If it can’t do that, it ...
85% of people who make a commitment to Christ make the decision by the age of 18, or they never will.
(The Foster Letter 5/25/08)
BOY CRISES?
Generally, boys and girls of similar backgrounds have similar academic success. An American Assoc. of Univ. Women report says while girls have graduated from high school and college for years at a higher rate than boys, the largest disparities in educational achievement are not between genders, but between those of different races, ethnicities and income levels. A greater proportion of men and women than ever before are graduating from high school and earning college degrees. "Perhaps the most compelling evidence against the existence of a boys’ crisis is that men continue to out-earn women in the workplace." (NY Times 5/20/08)
CONTAGIOUS ANGER
Baseball coach Billy Martin told about hunting trip he had in Texas with baseball legend Mickey Mantle. Mickey had a friend who would let them hunt on his ranch. When they reached the ranch, Mickey told Billy to wait in the car while he checked in with his friend. Mantle’s friend quickly gave them permission to hunt, but he asked Mickey a favor. He had an old mule out in the barn who was going blind, and he didn’t have the heart to put him out of his misery. He asked Mickey to shoot the mule for him.
Mickey decided to play a trick on his hunting partner. When he came back to the car, he pretended to be angry. He scowled and slammed the door. Billy asked him what was wrong, and Mickey said his friend wouldn’t let them hunt. "I’m so mad at that guy," Mantle said, "I’m going out to his barn and shoot one of his mules!"
Mantle drove like a maniac to the barn. Martin protested, "We can’t do that!" But Mickey was adamant. "Just watch me," he shouted. When they got to the barn, Mantle jumped out of the car with his rifle, ran inside, and shot the mule.
As he was leaving, though, he heard two shots, and he ran back to the car. He saw that Martin had taken out his rifle, too. "What are you doing, Martin?" he yelled. Martin yelled back, face red with anger, "We’ll show that son of a gun! I just killed two of his cows!"
Anger can be dangerously contagious.
(From a sermon by Stephen Sheane, "Angry With God" 2/23/2009)
James Botts
Proverbs 22:24-22:24
Proverbs 29:11-29:11
Ecclesiastes 7:9-7:9
Ephesians 4:26-4:27
James 1:20-1:20
AN OLD SIN, A NEW WORD
Have you noticed that people are more and more angry then ever before? Consider the following…
One anger management firm stated that “one out of every five Americans has an anger management problem.”
According to FBI statistics, there were 23,305 homicides in 1994 and the most common reason was arguments occurring in the home (28%). Gang related killings accounted for only 7.6%.
Anger related violence is the reason stated for 22% of divorces of middle-class marriages.
Studies show that 79% of violent children witnessed some form of violence between their parents.
From 1995 to 2001 there were 1655 incidents of “air rage,” directing anger toward airline employees - according to FAA records.
The phrase "road rage" officially entered the English language in 1997 when it was first listed in the New Words edition of the OE...
REALITY THERAPY
Aaron was an eleven-year-old boy whose behavior was described by Dr. William Glasser, his psychiatrist, as horrible. In his book, Reality Therapy, Glasser says Aaron was the most obnoxious child he had ever met. The boy would kick, scream, run away and hide, become withdrawn, disrupt his classes and make everyone disgusted with him. Dr. Glasser saw one problem with Aaron that no one else observed: "No one had ever told him that he was doing wrong." No one had ever set limits on what he could do and not do.
The psychiatrist decided to try a completely new tack. The boy would have to behave, to act reasonable, or be punished. He responded remarkably. "Probably because he had been anxious for so long to be treated in a realistic way." Thus he became courteous, well behaved, and his miserable grades went to straight As. For the first time in his life Aaron began to play constructively with other children, to enjoy honest relationships with others, and to stop blaming his troubles on his mother or other people. Dr. Glasser calls this "reality therapy" and says one of an individual’s greatest needs is to be made to realize that he is personally responsible for what he does and that right behavior accomplishes more than wrong behavior.
(From a sermon by Gerald Flury, Proper Training, 8/5/2010)
A GOOD NAME: THE CASE OF BUTCH O'HARE
His name was Butch O'Hare, one of the heroes of World War II. He was a fighter pilot assigned to an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific. One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank. He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to the ship.
His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet. As he was returning, he saw something that turned his blood cold. A squadron of enemy fighters was speeding its way toward the American fleet. Since all the American fighters were gone, the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger.
There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet. Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of the enemy planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber bullets blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised plane after another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until finally all of his ammunition was spent. Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to at least clip off a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as he could, rendering them unfit to fly. He was desperate to do anything he could to keep them from reaching the American ships.
Finally, the exasperated enemy squadron took off in another direction. Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier. Upon his return he checked in and told his amazing story. The film from the camera mounted on the wing told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He was recognized as a hero and given one of the nation's highest military honors. Today, O'Hare airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.
********
Back in the 1920's there lived a man named Easy Eddie. At that time, Al Capone virtually owned the city. Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. His exploits were anything praiseworthy. He was however notorious for bootlegged liquor, prostitution and murder. Easy Eddie was Al Capone's lawyer and for a good reason. He was very good! In fact, his skill at legal maneuvering kept big Al out of jail for a long time. To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but Eddie also got special dividends. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire city block. Yes, Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocities that went on around him.
Eddie did have one soft spot however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had the best of everything--clothes, cars and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object. And despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach his son right from wrong. He wanted him to be a better man than he was.
Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things that Eddie couldn't give his son. A good example and a good name.
One day Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Offering his son a good name was far more important than all the riches. He had to rectify all of the wrong that he had done. He would go top authorities and tell them the truth about Al Capone. He would try to clean up his tarnished name and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this he would have to testify against the mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. But he wanted to be a good example, and he wanted his son to have a good name. So he testified. Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago street.
By the way, Easy Eddie's son was named Butch O'Hare.
(From a sermon by Rich Anderson, How Important Is Your Name? 2/18/2011)
