The Wisdom Chronicle is designed to bring nuggets of wisdom from the dozens of books I read every year. I endeavor to share the best of what I have gleaned. The determination of relevance lies with you. Blessings, J. Whiddon
- HAPPINESS “When Benjamin Franklin was confronted by a disgruntled American, complaining that his country had failed to provide him with the happiness it had promised, Franklin is said to have smiled and calmly replied, “The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.”
Excerpt From: Lee, Richard. “In God We Still Trust: A 365-Day Devotional.”
- LOSING A LOVED ONE “People who suffer the loss of a loved one will tell you that your presence is comforting, not your answers.
In his first sermon after losing his son to suicide, Pastor Rick Warren advised his congregants that if they were unsure about what to say in a tragedy, say nothing. Just be there. Job’s friends initially did that. It was only after they began to speak that they made matters worse.
If you’re hurting right now, I risk making matters worse by giving intellectual answers to emotional pain.”
Excerpt From: Turek, Frank. “Stealing from God.”
633. BIBLE OR BAYONET? “Consider the boldness of Robert Winthrop, lawyer, philanthropist, and speaker of the US House of Representatives (1847–1849):
Men may as well build their houses upon the sand and expect to see them stand, when the rains fall, and the winds blow, and the floods come, as to found free institutions upon any other basis than that of morality and virtue, of which the Word of God is the only authoritative rule, and the only adequate sanction.
All societies of men must be governed in some way or other. The less they have of stringent state government, the more they must have of individual self-government. The less they rely on public law or physical force, the more they must rely on private moral restraint.
Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them or a power without them; either by the Word of God or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible or by the bayonet.
It may do for other countries and other governments to talk about the state supporting religion. Here, under our own free institutions, it is religion which must support the state.
Excerpt From: Lee, Richard. “In God We Still Trust: A 365-Day Devotional.”
634.WORKAHOLIC “Let me ask you. Have you ever sent an e-mail to a co-worker, or someone that reports to you, on a Sunday or a Saturday or in the evening? What are you telling them? Speaking for myself, I was telling them, “I expect you to work twenty-four/seven. I expect you to work ninety hours a week.” You know why? Because that’s the behavior I was showing them. I wasn’t telling them to honor the Sabbath. I wanted them to answer my e-mail on Sunday morning. I was expecting them to pour every ounce of their time and energy into work.”
Excerpt From: Dobson, James. “Your Legacy.”
- ABORTION MIDDLE GROUND? “One individual asked me, “What is the evangelical middle ground on abortion?”
“There really is none,” I replied. “One cannot have a middle ground on the sanctity-of-life issue, as it’s firmly grounded in an inviolate law of God about when life begins and who can determine a disturbance in its continuum.”
At that point, the man threw his arms in the air. “See, there’s no talking with you evangelicals, because you refuse to discuss things like this!”
I replied kindly that he was asking me the wrong question. “It’s not about finding the middle ground to when life begins and when it’s okay to summarily take that life,” I told him. “The better question would be how to find common ground, not middle ground.” I took a breath and went on. “Middle ground suggests that we compromise on something we have no right in doing—violating our conscience and our understanding of God’s Word. That’s not finding middle ground; that’s a sellout. Or intellectual dishonesty, at best.”
Excerpt From: Battaglia, Joe. “The Politically Incorrect Jesus.”
- HIS STORY “The history of salvation is the grand overarching story of the Bible; embracing it gives coherence to all of life. It calls each of God’s people to own the story, and it dignifies each one with a role in the further outworking of the story. Nevertheless it is impossible for any human being to fully grasp how his or her decisions will contribute to God’s grand scheme; and Ecclesiastes helps people to see that they do not have to understand this. Each of the faithful, by “fearing God and keeping his commandments” (Eccl. 12:13), participates in ways that he cannot “find out,” trusting that God will take care of the big plan.”
Excerpt From: Crossway. “ESV Study Bible.”
- PERSEVERANCE “99% of all drowning victims die within 10 feet of the shore. Perhaps in your own life, you do not realize how close you are to SUCCESS.” — Unknown
- POT POTENCY “Today’s marijuana THC levels are in the double digits—we’ve gone from about 3 to 5 percent THC in yesteryear’s marijuana to just above 13 percent THC—but common strains are available that go much higher, into the 20 percents and beyond. The difference between 3 to 5 percent THC and 13 to 30 percent THC is very significant. It is like comparing a twelve-ounce glass of beer with a twelve-ounce glass of 80 proof vodka.”
Excerpt From: William J. Bennett & Robert A White.
- EVIL “Evil” is ‘live’ spelled backward. Evil is in opposition to life. It is that which opposes the life force.”
Excerpt From: Kupelian, David. “The Marketing of Evil.”
- TICK TOCK “I’m never so lost in living that I don’t hear the clock tick or have an eye on the calendar—not in a paranoid sense, but with a sense of purpose.”
Excerpt From: DeMoss, Mark. “The Little Red Book of Wisdom.”
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