The Wisdom Chronicle is designed to bring nuggets of wisdom from the dozens of books I read every year in all genres.  Each week, I endeavor to share the best of what I have gleaned.  the determination of relevance lies with you.  Blessings, Jim Whiddon

61. TRY THIS AFTER YOU’RE PUT ON HOLD

This works with most bureaucrats. Pretend you have all the time in the world, and present your choice as the lesser of two evils. They either cut you a break or waste more time with you. Functionaries, like water, follow the path of least resistance.”

Excerpt From: Heinrichs, Jay. “Thank You For Arguing, Revised and Updated Edition.”

62. FAILED GLORY “In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.”

—Wilfred A. Peterson

63. COMMERCE HISTORY “When a merchant in Venice gave a sum of money to a local Jewish banker, the merchant could rest assured that his supplier in Amsterdam would receive the equivalent funds from another Jewish banker in Holland. What was so vital was that the two Jewish bankers trusted one another. It was this intangible system of trust that made commerce and wealth creation possible, but there was another reason, too. Both Christians and Moslems accepted a rather literal interpretation of the Bible’s prohibition against charging interest to borrowers. This absolutist view effectively eliminated banking as a profession for the faithful of those religions. A Jewish understanding of the Bible on the other hand, depends on what Jews refer to as the “Oral Torah,” whose ecclesiastical authority fully matches that of its written counterpart. It is from the oral Torah that Jews were able to learn under exactly which circumstances God permitted interest to be levied against a loan and precisely how that loan contract needed to be drawn.

Excerpt From: Rabbi Daniel Lapin. “Thou Shall Prosper.”

64. DADS “I’m afraid for them [sons]. This world is brutal, especially for men. It’s a grinder. So I try not to waste a moment. I give them every ounce of wisdom I have to give about everything I can imagine. This includes simple and mundane things. Why you should never cut into a steak to see if it’s done. Why prevent defense never works. How you swing a hammer by holding it at the end of the handle. Then there are larger realities. Integrity. Love. Sex. Money. I never stop thinking about them and their future wives and kids. But mostly I pray. I know full well I’m a sinner raising sinners. Only God can do what needs to be done in their lives. I’m just an instrument”

Excerpt From: Byron Forrest Yawn. “What Every Man Wishes His Father Had Told Him.”

65. AMBITION “I saw no point in being the richest man in the cemetery.”

Excerpt From: Peter F. Drucker. “The Daily Drucker.”

66.ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S LETTER TO HIS SON’S TEACHER

He will have to learn, I know,

that all men are not just,

all men are not true.

But teach him also that

for every scoundrel there is a hero;

that for every selfish Politician,

there is a dedicated leader…

Teach him for every enemy there is a friend,

Steer him away from envy,

if you can,

teach him the secret of

quiet laughter.

Let him learn early that

the bullies are the easiest to lick…Teach him, if you can,

the wonder of books…

But also give him quiet time

to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky,

bees in the sun,

and the flowers on a green hillside.

In the school teach him

it is far more honourable to fail

than to cheat…

Teach him to have faith

in his own ideas,

even if everyone tells him

they are wrong…

Teach him to be gentle

“with gentle people,

and tough with the tough.

Try to give my son

the strength not to follow the crowd

when everyone is getting on the band wagon…

Teach him to listen to all men…

but teach him also to filter

all he hears on a screen of truth,

and take only the good

that comes through.

Teach him if you can,

how to laugh when he is sad…

Teach him there is no shame in tears,

Teach him to scoff at cynics

and to beware of too much sweetness…

Teach him to sell his brawn

and brain to the highest bidders

but never to put a price-tag

on his heart and soul.”

67. JESUS IN PSALMS The New Testament quotes from the Psalter more often than from any other Old Testament book.

• Of the 283 direct quotes of the Old Testament in the New, 116 (41 percent) are from the Psalms.

• The Psalms are used more than fifty times in the Gospels to allude to the person and work of Jesus Christ.

• When the author of Hebrews sought biblical proof that Jesus was God, at least seven of his citations were from the book of Psalms.”

Excerpt From: Murray, David. “Jesus on Every Page.”

68. BIBLE “The Bible is not a rule book.  It is a treasure book.” — Unknown

69. CHRISTIANITY vs. SCIENCE “Every person of faith must learn how to live the in-but-not-of discipleship that Christ calls us to. Managing the tensions between science and faith is part of that journey. We need to develop young leaders who can capably serve in science, but not be so habituated to scientism that faith becomes untenable. More than half of churchgoing thirteen- to seventeen-year-olds say they hope to train for a science-related career. This includes medical and health-related industries (23 percent), engineering and architecture (11 percent), research science (8 percent), technology (5 percent), and veterinary studies (5 percent). Yet issues of science are a surprisingly rare topic in U.S. churches. Only 1 percent of youth pastors told us that they have addressed a subject related to science during the last year. I am not suggesting that churches should change their entire mission approach to address science, but if only 1 out of 100 youth workers are talking about issues of science, how can we possibly hope to prepare a generation to follow Jesus in our science-dominated culture?”

Excerpt From: Kinnaman, David. “You Lost Me.”

70. COACHING Sports engage more individuals, more families, and more communities in a shared experience than any single cultural activity, organization, or religion in America. Twenty to 30 million kids play recreational sports, while another 10 million teens play interscholastic sports. This means that between 30 and 80 million parents are invested and involved in their children’s sports. There are at least 5 million coaches with the potential to become one of the most influential adults in a young person’s life. Forever.”

Excerpt From: Joe Ehrmann, Paula Ehrmann & Gregory Jordan. “InSideOut Coaching.”