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WITandWISDOM(tm) - July 17, 2006 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: "You're never as good as everyone tells you when you win, and you're never as bad as they say when you lose." - Lou Holt Source: Weekend Encounter, by Dick Innes, Copyright (c) ACTS International, 2004, http://www.actsweb.org/subscribe.php ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Tom Wiles served a stint as university chaplain at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. A few years ago, he picked me up at the Phoenix airport in his new Ford pickup and whisked me away to keynote a leadership conference at the university. Since I was still mourning the trade-in of my Dodge truck, we immediately bonded, sharing truck stories and laughing at the bumper-sticker truism: "Nothing is more beautiful than a man and his truck." As I climbed into his 2002 Ranger for the ride back to the airport a day later, I noticed two big scrapes by the passenger door. "What happened here?" I asked. "My neighbor's basketball post fell and left those dents and white scars," Tom replied with a downcast voice. "You're kidding! How awful," I commiserated. "This truck is so new I can smell it." "What's even worse is my neighbor doesn't feel responsible for the damage." Rising to my newfound friend's defense, I said, "Did you contact your insurance company? How are you going to get him to pay for it?" "This has been a real spiritual journey for me," Tom replied. "After a lot of soul-searching and discussions with my wife about hiring an attorney, it came down to this: I can either be in the right, or I can be in a relationship with my neighbor. Since my neighbor will probably be with me longer than this truck, I decided that I'd rather be in a relationship than be right. Besides, trucks are meant to be banged up, so I got mine initiated into the real world a bit earlier than I expected." By Leonard Sweet, Out of the Question … Into the Mystery (Waterbrook Press, 2004), p. 91-92 Source: Preaching Today, http://tinyurl.com/328jd ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: An Old Farmer's Advice Life is simpler when you plow around the stump. Words that soak into your ears are whispered ... not yelled. Every path has a few puddles. When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty. The best sermons are lived, not preached. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts. Laugh every day, it's like inner jogging. The most important things in yer house are the people. When you get tangled up in problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry. A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor. Source: Daily Funnies, http://zinester.com/mpb/ml_fs.cgi?topic=25438 ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: We had invited our friends William and Samantha to our home to watch a video, and William's 94-year-old mother accompanied them. During the show we noticed William nodding off. As his head dropped lower, it startled him awake. He jumped up and told his wife it was time to leave as his mother must be getting tired. Grandma tapped his hand and pointed out to him who was really tired. She then looked at me. "Dear," she said, "the next time you invite me, I'll be sure to leave the children at home." Submitted by Lorraine ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: A couple had met on the internet and after long hours of "chatting" and getting to know one another they had finally decided to meet face to face. The woman was nervous as she opened her door to see her friend standing there smiling, looking just like his picture. He handed her a small bouquet of flowers and then pulled a large shopping bag out from behind his back. "Here, I thought this might help if we get nervous." She laughed as she opened the bag and saw... two computer keyboards. Submitted by Lorraine