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WITandWISDOM(tm) - September 12, 2007 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. - Jane Howard Source: Carol's Thought for Today, http://home.comcast.net/~mrs.carol/ ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: The personal characteristics of a leader bear witness to the lasting influence of that leader. Throughout his extended ministry, C. H. Spurgeon exhibited steadfastly the highest moral conduct in his personal and public life. James Douglas wrote in his biography of Spurgeon, "He was great as a man . . . great in private with God, and great in public with his fellow men." The man had a life-long consistency, and his influence helped to lead thousands of people to follow the Christ he loved and served. One example of Spurgeon's high moral standards was the subsequent rift that occurred between him and Joseph Parker over an issue that Spurgeon believed to be a compromise of Christian conduct. Parker was pastor of the City Temple, a large London church. Parker and Spurgeon were ministerial colleagues and friends who cooperated in various evangelistic and ministerial efforts in the city for several decades. But in the latter years of Spurgeon's ministry his amicable association with Parker came into question when he discovered that Parker frequented the secular theatres of London. Spurgeon believed the theatre to be a bastion of immorality that represented the evils of the world. He could not fathom Parker's support for such worldly amusements. Parker responded to Spurgeon's criticism by writing him an open letter that was published in London newspapers. The rift was never mended before Spurgeon's death. One wonders how many of our Christian leaders today, given the level of compromise that has become the norm regarding popular forms of entertainment, would give a second thought to Spurgeon's challenge. From Spurgeon on Leadership by Larry J. Michael. Kregel Publications, Copyright © 2003, http://isbn.nu/9780825433443 Source: Leader Links, http://www.leaderlinks.com ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Wisdom From Military Experiences Part 1 of 3 [September 12, 20, 28] "A slipping gear could let your M203 grenade launcher fire when you least expect it. That would make you quite unpopular in what's left of your unit." (Army magazine of preventive maintenance) "Aim towards the Enemy." (Instruction printed on US Rocket Launcher) "When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend. (U.S. Marine Corps) "Cluster bombing from B-52s are very, very accurate. The bombs are guaranteed to always hit the ground." (USAF Ammo Troop) "If the enemy is in range, so are you." (Infantry Journal) "It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed." (U.S. Air Force Manual) "Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons." (General Macarthur) "Try to look unimportant; they may be low on ammo." (Infantry Journal) "You, you, and you -- panic. The rest of you, come with me." (U.S. Marine Corp Gunnery Sgt.) Source: Preaching Now, http://www.preaching.com/newsletter/preachingnow/ ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: Q: Why do mountain climbers rope themselves together? A: To prevent the sensible ones from going home. Submitted by Ollie ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Elephants get photo IDs from scientists Scientists from India and U.S. conservation groups have created a method of identifying individual male Asian elephants to help save the species. New York's Wildlife Conservation Society and India's Nature Conservation Foundation created a photographic archive of individual elephants through a "capture-recapture" survey method that identifies individual male elephants, specifically by the shape and size of their tusks, ears and other features. That data can be used to monitor their survival rates and movements. "Unlike African elephants where both males and females have tusks, only male Asian elephants have tusks," said Wildlife Conservation Society researcher Varun Goswami, the study's lead author. The study appears in the journal Animal Conservation published by the Zoological Society of London, http://www.zsl.org/science Source: Gizmorama, http://www.gophercentral.com/sub/sub-gizmo.html