FReeper Canteen ~ Sunday Chapel ~ THE LOSER WHO NEVER GAVE UP ~ 17 May 2015

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[Kathy in Alaska]

 

 

 

THE LOSER WHO NEVER GAVE UP

For "Sparky", school was all but impossible. He failed every subject in the eighth grade. He flunked physics in high school, getting a grade of zero. He also flunked Latin, algebra and English. And his record in sports wasn't any better. Though he did manage to make the school's golf team, he promptly lost the only important match of the season. Oh, there was a consolation match; he lost that too.

Throughout his youth, Sparky was awkward socially. It wasn't that the other students disliked him; it's just that no one really cared all that much. In fact, Sparky was astonished if a classmate ever said hello to him outside of school hours. There's no way to tell how he might have done at dating. He never once asked a girl out in high school. He was too afraid of being turned down... or perhaps laughed at. Sparky was a loser. He, his classmates... everyone knew it. So he learned to live with it. He made up his mind early that if things were meant to work out, they would. Otherwise he would content himself with what appeared to be his inevitable mediocrity.

One thing WAS important to Sparky, however -- drawing. He was proud of his artwork. No one else appreciated it. But that didn't seem to matter to him. In his senior year of high school, he submitted some cartoons to the the yearbook. The editors rejected the concept. Despite this brush-off, Sparky was convinced of his ability. He even decided to become an artist.

So, after completing high school, Sparky wrote Walt Disney Studios. They asked for samples of his artwork. Despite careful preparation, it too was rejected....one more confirmation that he was a loser.

But Sparky still didn't give up. Instead, he decided to tell his own life's story in cartoons. The main character would be a little boy who symbolized the perpetual loser and chronic underachiever. You know him well...because Sparky's cartoon character went on to become a cultural phenomenon of sorts. People readily identified with this "lovable loser." He reminded people of the painful and embarrassing moments from their own past, of their pain and their shared humanity. The character soon became famous worldwide: "Charlie Brown." And Sparky, the boy whose many failures never kept him from trying, whose work was rejected again and again...is the highly successful cartoonist Charles Schultz. His cartoon strip, "Peanuts," continues to inspire books, T-shirts and Christmas specials, reminding us, as someone once commented, that life somehow finds a way for all of us, even the losers.

If you follow the comic strip for a while, you will begin to notice one other thing as well. It isn't anger, resentment or in-your-face sarcasm which fuels Schultz's creativity and resilience. It's his faith. In fact, one study of the comic strip, published several years ago, made precisely that point. It eventually became a popular book entitled, "The Gospel According To Peanuts."

Sparky's story reminds us of a very important principle in life. We all face difficulty and discouragement from time to time. We also have a choice in how we handle it. If we're persistent, if we hold fast to our faith, if we continue to develop the unique talents God has given us, who knows what can happen? We may end up with an insight and an ability to inspire that comes only through hardship. (Read Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 8:28.) In the end, there are no "losers" with God. Some winners just take longer to develop!

CAPT J. David Atwater, CHC, USN

 

[ConorMacNessa]

Good Evening, Kathy!

***HUGS***



A Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours! Thank you very much for tonight’s Sunday Chapel thread.

[SandRat]

Keep Faith in Christ and you are an eternal winner

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

Power In Praise

May 17, 2015

Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever. —2 Chronicles 20:21

Willie Myrick was kidnapped from his driveway when he was 9 years old. For hours, he traveled in a car with his kidnapper, not knowing what would happen to him. During that time, Willie decided to sing a song called “Every Praise.” As he repeatedly sang the words, his abductor spewed profanity and told him to shut up. Finally, the man stopped the car and let Willie out—unharmed.

As Willie demonstrated, truly praising the Lord requires us to concentrate on God’s character while forsaking what we fear, what is wrong in our lives, and the self-sufficiency in our hearts.

The Israelites reached this place of surrender when they faced attackers. As they prepared for battle, King Jehoshaphat organized a choir to march out in advance of their enemy’s army. The choir sang, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever” (2 Chron. 20:21). When the music started, Israel’s enemies became confused and destroyed each other. As the prophet Jahaziel had predicted, Israel didn’t need to fight at all (v.17).

Whether we’re facing a battle or feeling trapped, we can glorify God in our hearts. Truly, “The Lord is great and greatly to be praised” (Ps. 96:4).

Dear God, You are holy and good. I worship You today despite the problems that cloud my vision of You. Let my soul tell of Your glory forever.

Worship is a heart overflowing with praise to God.

[mountainlion]

http://www.ibtimes.com/armed-forces-day-quotes-2015-15-inspirational-sayings-honor-sacrifices-made-us-troops-1925004

1. “He loves his country best who strives to make it best.” — Robert G. Ingersoll

2. “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” — Elmer Davis

3. “How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!” — Maya Angelou

4. “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.” — Gen. Douglas MacArthur

5. “American soldiers in battle don’t fight for what some president says on T.V., they don’t fight for mom, apple pie, the American flag…they fight for one another.” — Lt. Col. Hal Moore

6. “What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight – it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” —President Dwight D. Eisenhower

7. “My heroes are those who risk their lives every day to protect our world and make it a better place - police, firefighters and members of our armed forces.” — Sidney Sheldon

8. “The patriot's blood is the seed of freedom's tree.” — Thomas Campbell

9. “Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.” — David Hackworth Li

10. “We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” — Cynthia Ozick

11. “In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.” — José Narosky

12. “No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.” — James Allen

13. “The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men.” —Minot J. Savage

14. “The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.” — John F. Kennedy

15. “The dead soldier’s silence sings our national anthem.” — Aaron Kilbourn

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Mac...*HUGS*...and a Blessed Lord’s Day to the MacNessa family.

Hope your Saturday has been wonderful. Dirt time? Ferry service in full swing?

I took my Mom out front so she could water her geraniums after checking that they were still alive. Then out on the deck to take care of her petunias.

[left that other site]

Hi Everybody!

((((HUGS))))

[ConorMacNessa]

A restful day - I ventured out to Lowe's with Mrs. MacNessa to pick up a few items for projects around the house. I took in the Preakness this afternoon - we were getting drenched with the same storm that hit there. Pimlico is about 25 miles from us. The track was a river of mud.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Please join us for Sunday Chapel ~ THE LOSER WHO NEVER GAVE UP, and Liberty

Lt. Charles F. Suver, CHC, USN, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division
"Mass at Iwo Jima"

Please stop in and say a prayer of protection for the military.
Prayers from all denominations are needed.




Sunday Liberty starts after the Guest Military Chaplain's Service!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Amazing Grace ~ Cherokee

Elvis ~ In The Garden

Jim Ed Brown ~ Chapel Bells Are Ringing

John Berry ~ Old Rugged Cross

Kitty Wells ~ Dust On the Bible

Red Sovine ~ Deck of Cards

The Statler Brothers ~ Church in the Wildwood

Tennessee Ernie Ford ~ Faith of Our Fathers

The Gaithers ~ What A Friend We Have in Jesus

Elvis ~ Precious Lord

Ray Cornelius ~ One Set of Footprints

How Great Thou Art ~ Choctaw

Amazing Grace ~ Cherokee

Elvis ~ In The Garden

Jim Ed Brown ~ Chapel Bells Are Ringing

John Berry ~ Old Rugged Cross

Kitty Wells ~ Dust On the Bible

Red Sovine ~ Deck of Cards

The Statler Brothers ~ Church in the Wildwood

Tennessee Ernie Ford ~ Faith of Our Fathers

The Gaithers ~ What A Friend We Have in Jesus

Elvis ~ Precious Lord

Ray Cornelius ~ One Set of Footprints

How Great Thou Art ~ Choctaw

[Publius]

IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE SUNG

Felix Mendelssohn was the grandson of the great Jewish intellectual Moses Mendelssohn, who translated the Torah into German. His biblical translation was to German-speaking Jews what Luther’s translation was to German-speaking Protestants.

Like Handel and Haydn, Felix spent time in England, where he founded the City of Birmingham Symphony, which still survives today. Felix married young and stayed married, which made him a frequent guest at the palace with another couple who married young and stayed married, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Vicki and Al liked to have the Mendelssohns over because it gave them an excuse to speak their first language, which was German, around the house.

Felix was a prolific composer of vocal music, and he set a large number of psalms to music for various forces. This one is a gem. It’s for a capella chorus.

Mendelssohn: Psalm 2, Op. 78

[Kathy in Alaska]

Dear God:
I ask that no Airman, Coast Guardsman,
Marine, Sailor, Soldier, Reservist, National Guardsman, or Merchant Marine
feel alone or forgotten.

O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is loving kindness,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
And He will redeem Israel
From all his iniquities.

Psalm 130:7 & 8

[DakotaGator]

I remember seeing the last “Peanuts” strip in the Sunday funnies. The gang all appeared and said goodbye. They were not sad but happy. From what I understand Charles Schultz drew the final strip and then died peacefully.

I miss “Peanuts”. Its gentle humor always had a worthwhile message.

[PROCON]

Happy Lord’s Day to you and yours, Kathy!

[Publius]

IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE SUNG

Although Brahms was an agnostic, he kept Luther’s Bible by his bed and turned to it for musical inspiration, the greatest of which was his “German Requiem.” Early in his career, Jo ran a choral society whose slogan, which he invented, was ”Fix oder nichts.” “Perfect or nothing.” Brahms wrote a lot of music for his singers, and this is one of his religious pieces. It’s written for organ and female chorus; it looks back to Bach and Palestrina.

Brahms: Psalm 13, Op. 27

[Kathy in Alaska]

Keep Faith in Christ and you are an eternal winner.

So true, Sand.

Good evenng, Sand...(((HUGS))...a Blessed Lord's Day to you and yours.

The shoulder and arm doing well?

[left that other site]

I am not a big fan of Brahms, but that is exquisite.

[Publius]

He was a gifted choral writer.

[left that other site]

I really like the exclamations in the opening of the piece.

[SandRat]

Much better but stillcan’ raise my left atm up high above my head.