Words

Woodrow Wilson’s father was a minister in the South. One day he joined a group of men caught up in a heated discussion. One of the men lost his temper and swore loudly. Only then did he see the Reverend Wilson in their midst. The man apologized profusely and said, “Sir, I had forgotten that you were present. Please pardon me.”

Dr. Wilson replied, “It is not to me that you owe an apology, but to God.”

Source: The Quiet Hour, Larry Brook, September-November, 1997

Submitted by the homiletics class of West Coast Baptist College

On March 4, 1841, William Harrison, the 9th President of the United States, delivered what proved to be, the longest inaugural speech on record. It was  nearly 9,000 words long, and despite efforts from his staff to convince him to shorten it, President Harrison insisted that the nation needed to hear the whole thing. So for nearly two hours, in the rain, on an unseasonably cold day, the President stood and delivered his address, word for word.

The Gospel of John introduces Jesus as “the Word.” In Stanislas Dehaene’s book about the human brain, Reading In The Brain, he notes that the average English adult reader has 50,000 or more words stored in his mental dictionary. In a fraction of a second the brain matches the word being read with the memorized meaning of that word. The Apostle wasn’t privy to Dehaene’s research, yet he still seemed to understand that though there are many words, there is only one Word that translates to eternal life.

Source: In Other Words

“Murmuring is an outward manifestation of an inward lawlessness and rebellion against a holy God.”—Unknown

“Complaining is like bad breath, you notice it when it comes out of somebody else's mouth, but not your own.”—Will Bowen

Source: The Baptist Standard

While Roxie Wallace’s preschool grandson was visiting, he got testy and started crying about the least little things that didn’t go his way. One such incident involved animal crackers. He wanted some more, but she refused to give in so he burst into tears. In exasperation Roxie said, “Sam, I don’t know what I’m going to do with you. You cry over nothing.”  He calmed down, looked at her and replied, “You need to tell me, ‘Stop whining.’”

Source: In Other Words

When I was a student in college I heard Dr. John R. Rice tell the story of being invited to preach a revival meeting for a godly pastor. For several months the pastor and Dr. Rice corresponded about a date that would work out for these meetings in both of their schedules. Finally a week was agreed upon and the next Sunday at the close of the service, the Pastor announced the date of the meetings to his people.

Winston Churchill exemplified integrity and respect in the face of opposition. During his last year in office, he attended an official ceremony. Two gentlemen that were seated several rows behind him began whispering, “That's Winston Churchill. They say he is getting senile. They say he should step aside and leave the running of the nation to more dynamic and capable men.” When the ceremony was over, Churchill turned to the men and said, “Gentlemen, they also say he is deaf!”—Vital Speeches, Barbara Hatcher

Clark Clifford shares this reminiscence of his former boss, President Harry Truman: Every morning at 8:30 the president would have a staff meeting. One day the mail clerk brought in a lavender envelope with a regal wax seal and flowing purple ribbons. Upon opening it, the President found a letter from King Saud of Saudi Arabia, whose salutation began, “Your Magnificence, Your Magnificence,” Truman subsequently sent a message to the United Nations supporting the admission of 100,000 Jews into Palestine. Soon afterward he received a second letter from King Saud. This

In his old age, President James Madison suffered from many ailments and took a variety of medicines. It is said that a longtime friend from a nearby county sent him a box of vegetable pills, one of his own home remedies, asking to be informed if they brought relief. In time he received one of those gracious and carefully worded letters for which Madison was noted. It went something like this, “My dear friend, I thank you very much for the box of pills. I have taken them all, and while I cannot say I am better since taking them, it is quite possible that I might have

The Gospel of John introduces Jesus as the “Word.” In Stanislas Dehaene’s book about the human brain, Reading in the Brain, he notes that the average adult English reader has 50,000 or more words stored in their mental dictionaries. In a fraction of a second the brain matches the word being read with the memorized meaning of that word. The Apostle John wasn’t privy to Dehaene’s research, yet he still seemed to understand that though there are many words, there is only one Word that translates to eternal life.—Source, Houston Chronicle

John Harper was a Scottish preacher aboard the Titanic. When the ship hit an iceberg and sank, Harper was clinging to a piece of drift wood. As he was out in the darkness a man drifted close to him crying, and Harper shouted to him, "Are you saved?" the man replied, "No." Harper said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." The man drifted away, but shortly came back into sight.