FReeper Canteen ~ Sunday Chapel ~ THE LOSER WHO NEVER GAVE UP ~ 16 May 2021

Serving The Best Troops and Veterans In The World !! | The Canteen Crew

[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

 

[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

[Kathy in Alaska]

Shavua Tov.
Wishing all our Jewish troops, veterans, families, allies, friends, and Canteeners
a peaceful and prosperous week.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Prayers for our troops, veterans, families, allies, friends, and Canteeners
for a safe and peaceful week ahead.

[lightman]

Keep the Lord’s Day in the Lord’s way!

A blessed Seventh Sunday of Easter-Sunday of Ascensiontide (Western)/Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers (Orthodox) to all!

[radu]

Greetings to all at the Canteen!

To all our military men and women, past and present,

THANK YOU
for your service!

[Kathy in Alaska]

He Who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - may He bless the fighters of the Israel Defense Force, who stand guard over our land and the cities of our G-d from the border of the Lebanon to the desert of Egypt, and from the Great Sea unto the approach of the Aravah, on the land, in the air, and on the sea.

May HASHEM cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down before them. May the Holy One, Blessed is He, preserve and rescue our fighting men from every trouble and distress and from every plague and illness, and may He send blessing and success in their every endeavor.

May He lead our enemies under their sway and may He grant them salvation and crown them with victory. And may there be fulfilled for them the verse: For it is Hashem, your G-d, Who goes with you to battle your enemies for you to save you.

G-d bless and keep your children safe, Alouette.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, lightman, and a Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours.

And a blessed Seventh Sunday of Easter-Sunday of Ascensiontide (Western)/Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers (Orthodox).

[Kathy in Alaska]

God Bless our military men and women who have given their all.

Thanks, unique.

[left that other site]

Hi Everybody!

(((HUGS)))

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, radu, and a Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours.

Did you have a great day at the museum? Did you lead any tours? Are you ready to drop? LOL!

No sun yet today here.

[The Mayor]

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

May 16

Guilt and Forgiveness

Bible in a Year:

• 2 Kings 24–25
• John 5:1–24

They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts.

Romans 2:15 In his book Human Universals, anthropologist Donald Brown lists more than four hundred behaviors that he considers common across humanity. He includes such things as toys, jokes, dances, and proverbs, wariness of snakes, and tying things with string! Likewise, he believes all cultures have concepts of right and wrong, where generosity is praised, promises are valued, and things like meanness and murder understood to be wrong. We all have a sense of conscience, wherever we’re from.

The apostle Paul made a similar point many centuries ago. While God gave the Jewish people the Ten Commandments to clarify right from wrong, Paul noted that since gentiles could do right by obeying their conscience, God’s laws were evidently written on their hearts (Romans 2:14–15). But that didn’t mean people always did what was right. The gentiles rebelled against their conscience (1:32), the Jews broke the Law (2:17–24), leaving both guilty. But through faith in Jesus, God removes the death penalty from all our rule-breaking (3:23–26; 6:23).

Since God created all humans with a sense of right and wrong, each of us will likely feel some guilt over a bad thing we’ve done or a good thing we failed to do. When we confess those sins, God wipes away the guilt like a whiteboard wiped clean. All we have to do is ask Him—whoever we are, wherever we’re from. Reflect & Pray

Where do you think humanity’s sense of right and wrong comes from? What guilt feelings are you wanting Jesus’ forgiveness for today?

Jesus, I’ve failed to do right and succeeded in doing wrong. Forgive me. Thank You for dying my death so I don’t have to.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, ML...((HUGS))...did you and Blue enjoy your outing this morning?

A Blessed Lord's Day and Shavua Tov to you and yours.

[left that other site]

Indeed! I had a lovely ride. Only one yard sale, but still, beautiful weather and fun times in the wind.

[PROCON]

Thanks Kathy!

[radu]

Howdy, Kathy.

It was another steady flow today and yep, da tail feathers are a-draggin’ tonight. LOL

We had gorgeous weather and that probably kept things at a manageable pace today. People were on their boats at the lakes, doing yardwork, etc., taking advantage of the chance to do it. Tomorrow might be a little wet to do those things.

I noticed it was a little dreary up your way today. Maybe you’ll get some rain soon.

I imagine it was a lot quieter up there today than it’s been the past two weeks now that the military exercise is over.

[TigerHawk]

SHAVUAH TOV.

KATHY, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE YOUR DAILY CANTEEN, AND ESPECIALLY YOUR CANTEEN ON MOTZEI SHABBAT, THE END OF SHABBAT AND THE START OF A NEW WEEK.

G-D BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU, AND GIVE YOU PEACE.

THE PURITY OF YOUR HEART IS AS OBVIOUS AS THE SUNRISE IN JERUSALEM.

[TigerHawk]

YOU’VE BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES, AS YOU’VE DONE BEFORE. TEARS NOT OF JOY, BUT OF COMMUNION, CH’ESSID (HARD CH’ LIKE CHANUKAH), LOVING KINDNESS, AND RACHAM (SAME HARD CH ), MERCY.

G-D BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU, AND MAY HE SHINE HIS CONTINENCE UPON YOU AND GIVE YOU PEACE.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Mayor, and thank you for today’s sustenance for body and soul.

A Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours.

Is today’s resting going well?

[luvie]

Ray Walker~Master The Tempest Is Raging
Congregational Singing

Cynthia Clawson & Others~Church In The Wildwood

The Trevecca Madragalians~It Is Well With My Soul

Statler Brothers~How Great Thou Art

St. Olaf Choir~When Peace Like A River

Providence~He Is Ever Over Me

Vocal Majority~Deep River

Have a blessed Sunday
God bless our troops!