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25 December 2011

Bishop James A. Johnson - The Importance of Properly Identifying Jesus

Merry Christmas! 

Here's one of my favorite sermons preached during an Anniversary Service to the congregation of Zion Tabernacle (Kokomo, IN) sometime between 1991-1995 when Nathaniel Paul Urshan was my pastor.  It's Bishop James A. Johnson, pastor of Bethesda Temple in St. Louis, MO, and the former presiding bishop of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, preaching The Importance of Properly Identifying Jesus.

I hope you and yours have a great day celebrating the birth of our Savior.

09 December 2011

On Quitting -Edgar Albert Guest

I have been living for some time now by the simple motto: "Don't Quit." I still hold to that mantra, but I read a great poem the other day by Edgar Albert Guest entitled "On Quitting."  I hope you get as much from it as I have.


How much grit do you think you’ve got?
Can you quit a thing that you like a lot?
You may talk of pluck; it’s an easy word,
And where’er you go it is often heard;
But can you tell to a jot or guess
Just how much courage you now possess?

You may stand to trouble and keep your grin,
But have you tackled self-discipline?
Have you ever issued commands to you
To quit the things that you like to do,
And then, when tempted and sorely swayed,
Those rigid orders have you obeyed?

Don’t boast of your grit till you’ve tried it out,
Nor prate to men of your courage stout,
For it’s easy enough to retain a grin
In the face of a fight there’s a chance to win,
But the sort of grit that is good to own
Is the stuff you need when you’re all alone.

How much grit do you think you’ve got?
Can you turn from joys that you like a lot?
Have you ever tested yourself to know
How far with yourself your will can go?
If you want to know if you have grit,
Just pick out a joy that you like, and quit.

It’s bully sport and it’s open fight;
It will keep you busy both day and night;
For the toughest kind of a game you’ll find
Is to make your body obey your mind.
And you never will know what is meant by grit
Unless there’s something you’ve tried to quit.