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WITandWISDOM(tm) - September 10, 2007 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: The world measures greatness by money, or eloquence, or intellectual skill, or even by prowess on the field of battle. But here is the Lord's standard: "Whosoever shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 18:4 - J.H. Jowett Source: Monday Fodder by Dave Aufrance, Missionary in Hongkong mailto:daveaufrance@gmail.com?Subject=Subscribe_Monday_Fodder http://www.fishermansnet.com/monday-fodder/ ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Lincoln as Leader In the July 4, 2005 edition of Time magazine, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin suggests some of the characteristics that made Abraham Lincoln such an effective leader. They include: Empathy. Lincoln had "the gift of putting himself in the place of others, to experience what they were feeling, to understand their motives and desires." Humor. "Lincoln possessed a remarkable sense of humor and a gift for storytelling that allowed him, time and again, to defuse tensions and relax his colleagues at difficult moments." Magnanimity. "He refused to bear grudges or pay people back for previous hurts. While his colleagues tended to let things fester and brooded over perceived slights, he argued that 'no man resolved to make the most of himself has time to waste on personal contention.'" Generosity of Spirit. "Colleagues of Lincoln were grateful when he shared credit for successes. . . . Above all, he was quick to concede error." Self-Control. "When angry at someone, Lincoln would occasionally write a hot letter, but then would invariably put it aside until he had cooled down, at which point he no longer needed to send it. . . . There were times when Lincoln lost his temper, but then he would promptly follow up with a kind gesture." A Sense of Balance. "In contrast to most of his colleagues who worked themselves to the point of exhaustion, Lincoln understood the importance of finding ways to relax." A Social Conscience. "Lincoln's ambition was never simply for office or power, but rather to accomplish something worthy that would stand the test of time, that would allow his story to be told after he died." Source: Leader Links, http://www.leaderlinks.com ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: The “Good” Old Days – Comments You Don’t Hear Much Of Anymore . . . Part 2 of 2 [September 3, 10] There is a dollar in my purse, go by the service station and get five gallons of gas when you start to town. Open the back door and see if we can get a breeze through here, it is getting hot. If you pull that stunt again, I am going to wear you out! Don't lose that button, I will sew it back on after while. Get out from under that sewing machine, pumping it messes up the thread! Do you want to go get me a switch? Be sure and fill the lamps this morning so we don't have to do that tonight in the dark. Here, take this old magazine to the outhouse (toilet) when you go, we are almost out of paper out there. Go out to the well and draw a bucket of water for me to wash dishes in. No! I don't have five cents for you to go to the show, do you think money grows on trees? Eat those vegetables; they will make you big and strong like your daddy. That dog is NOT coming in this house! I don't care how cold it is out there, dogs just don't come in the house. Sit still! I am trying to get your hair cut straight and you keep moving and it is getting botched up. It is time for your system to be cleaned out, I'm going to give you a dose of Castor Oil in the morning. Quit crossing your eyes! They will get hung that way! Soak your foot in this pan of coal oil so that cut won't get infected. When you take your driving test don't forget your hand signals each turn. Left arm straight out the window for a left turn, and left arm bent up to the sky at the elbow for a right turn and straight down to the side of the door when you are going to stop. Submitted by “ArnmGa” ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: For our honeymoon my fiancée and I chose a fashionable hotel known for its luxurious suites. When I called to make reservations, the desk clerk inquired, "Is this for a special occasion?" "Yes," I replied." It's our honeymoon." "And how many adults will there be?" she asked. Submitted by Ken ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Miners in South Africa claim they have unearthed the biggest diamond in the world. The giant 7,000 carat jewel is said to be the size of a coconut and worth at least £15million, reports the Daily Mirror. Weighing in at 4lbs and is more than twice the size of the previous biggest diamond - the Cullinan, discovered in 1905. Last night the stone find was on its way to a top-security bank vault. The owners said it would be kept safe "until we calm down and decide what to do". Experts are due to examine it today. Depending on its purity, the stone, described as "greenish", could be split into a number of gems each worth millions. The Cullinan was cut into 105 stones, the biggest of which - the Great Star of Africa - is in the crown jewels. The new discovery has set the international diamond community alight. Expert Fred Cuellar said: "It was stunning news. There will be a lot of mad bidding from a lot of private individuals for this stone." The firm which found the diamond has yet to reveal its identity. De Beers said: "If it is genuine it will be the stone of the century." Source: Ananova http://www.ananova.com