Do It Yourself

 

Wisdom of the Farmer

h/t Tom S.

God's Word for Thursday, 1/2/20

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Psalm 90:12 KJV

Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well! 

Psalm 90:12 MSG

Senior Wisdom

God's Word for Thursday, 10/24/19

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10 KJV


Save your breath for the wise—they’ll be wiser for it; tell good people what you know—they’ll profit from it. Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God, insight into life from knowing a Holy God.

Proverbs 9:10 MSG

God's Word for Wednesday, 7/3/19

Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.

Proverbs 14:34 KJV

God-devotion makes a country strong; God-avoidance leaves people weak.

Proverbs 14:34 MSG

God's Word for Wednesday, 5/8/19

Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Colossians 4:5-6 KJV

Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.

Colossians 4:5-6 MSG

God's Word for Wednesday, 1/2/19

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Psalm 90:12 KJV

Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well!

Psalm 90:12 MSG

God's Word for Wednesday, 10/24/18

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10 KJV

Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God, insight into life from knowing a Holy God. Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life; mock life and life will mock you.

Proverbs 9:10 MSG

God's Word for Sunday, 9/16/18

Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

James 3:13 KJV

Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly.

James 3:13 MSG

The Path of Wisdom

My wife and Younger Daughter are packing for their vacation tomorrow. I chose (wisely, I think) to stay out of the way.

If by some fluke they want my help, they know where I'm hiding.

Quote of the Day

People try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse.

What happened was this: people knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life.

~ Romans 1:19-22, The Message Bible

Gun Wisdom From Thunder Ranch

Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch, is part drill instructor, and part stand up comic. Here are a few of his observations on tactics, firearms, self defense and life as we know it in the civilized world.

"The handgun would not be my choice of weapon if I knew I was going to a fight. I'd choose a rifle, a shotgun, an RPG or an atomic bomb instead."

"The two most important rules in a gunfight are: always cheat and always win."

"Don't forget, incoming fire has the right of way."

"Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, 'cause it's going to be empty."

"If you're not shootin', you should be loadin'. If you're not loadin', you should be movin'; if you're not movin', someone's gonna cut your head off and put it on a stick."

"When you reload in low light encounters, don't put your flashlight in your back pocket. If you light yourself up, you'll look like the tooth fairy or an angel ... and you're gonna be one of 'em pretty soon."

"Do something. It may be wrong, but do something."

"Shoot what's available, as long as it's available, until something else becomes available."

"If you carry a gun, people will call you paranoid. That's ridiculous. If I have a gun, what in the hell do I have to be paranoid for?"

"Don't shoot fast, shoot good."

"You can say 'stop' or 'alto' or use any other word you think will work but I've found that a large bore muzzle pointed at someone's head is pretty much the universal language."

"You have the rest of your life to solve your problems. How long you live depends on how well you do it."

"You cannot save the planet. You may be able to save yourself and your family."

Paths and Choices

"The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say."
~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

Each day arrives full of possibilities, presenting a clean and perfect slate. Yet each step we take, and each decision, shapes the ones which come after. Decisions and actions alike have consequences.

My choices in life, like most people's, have been both good and bad. Some people know from a young age what they want to do with their lives, and they pursue that desire with singular purpose. Such persons can become accomplished at a seemingly young age. Others do not know themselves, or only dream in vague pastels, and choose poorly.

In college, it is not uncommon for students to change their majors several times. Some find that the field they thought they wanted does not interest them. Others decided that something else interested them even more, although they had previously not suspected it. We've all heard actors speak of trying a role in college or community theater on a whim, or because they were attracted to someone who was in a play, and thereby discover - only by accident - that they had found a calling.

Whatever the day holds, wherever your feet may lead you, live the day. Don't just take it for granted: see all that it has to offer. Stop sometimes, and think about what choices you can make. See the possibilities. Consider them carefully, and act accordingly.

Life comes at us at warp speed, these days. Make a conscious choice to slow down, and be "in the moment." Listen to that bird singing. Watch the honeybee searching for another bit of pollen. See the clouds trailing by.

Notice the people around you. Each one is unique, and all have a story. Each face is a reflection of life's triumphs and tragedies. What does yours say to them?

Smile for no reason. Open the door for someone. Feel the sun (or rain, or wind) on your face. Tell your loved ones that you love them. Spend time with someone you care about. Be in the moment.

As a wise reader commented: if you take the wrong path, sometimes you must first forgive yourself for making a mistake ... and then take the right one. Make corrections, not excuses.

Home is behind,
the world ahead,
and there are many paths to tread
through shadow
to the edge of night,
until the stars are all alight.

Mist and shadow,
cloud and shade ...
all shall fade.
All shall fade.
Pippin's Song, The Return of the King

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Choose wisely today, and you may sleep tonight satisfied that you made the best of it. You took those moments, throughout the day, and made them yours. It is the moments, rather than the headlong rush, that you'll remember.

Wisdom Ninja Says ...

Wait - is this a trick question?

h/t Younger Daughter

Interesting Times, Indeed

2012 is going to be an interesting year, in the words of that infamous Chinese curse. There are plenty of things to be concerned about, and I've already been contacted by quite a few folks who are worried about the political and social conditions in the U.S.

Consider this, then:

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
   don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
   He's the one who will keep you on track.
  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Keep your eyes on God, folks; don't trust in men.

Quote of the Day

If you reason with an arrogant cynic, you'll get slapped in the face;
   confront bad behavior and get a kick in the shins.
So don't waste your time on a scoffer;
   all you'll get for your pains is abuse.
But if you correct those who care about life,
   that's different—they'll love you for it!
Save your breath for the wise—they'll be wiser for it;
   tell good people what you know—they'll profit from it.

(Proverbs 9:7-9)

Quote of the Day, 12/22/09

Armed people are free. No state can control those who have the machinery and the will to resist, no mob can take their liberty and property. And no 220-pound thug can threaten the well-being or dignity of a 110-pound woman who has two pounds of iron to even things out … People who object to weapons aren't abolishing violence, they're begging for rule by brute force, when the biggest, strongest animals among men were always automatically "right." Guns ended that, and a social democracy is a hollow farce without an armed populace to make it work.

~ L. Neil Smith (from The Probability Broach)

Dogs, Cats, and Lightbulbs

How many dogs does it take to change a light bulb?

1. Golden Retriever: The sun is shining, the day is young, we've got our whole lives ahead of us, and you're inside worrying about a stupid burned-out bulb?

2. Border Collie: Just one. And then I'll replace any wiring that's not up to code.

3. Dachshund: You know I can't reach that stupid lamp!

4. Rottweiler: Make me.

5. Boxer: Who cares? I can still play with my squeaky toys in the dark.

6. Lab: Oh, me, me!!!!! Pleeeeeeeeeze let me change the light bulb! Can I? Can I? Huh? Huh? Huh? Can I? Pleeeeeeeeeze, please, please, please!

7. German Shepherd: I'll change it as soon as I lead these people from the dark, check to make sure I haven't missed any, and make just one more perimeter patrol to see that no one has tried to take advantage of the situation.

8. Jack Russell Terrier: I'll just pop it in while I'm bouncing off the walls and furniture.

9. Old English Sheep Dog: Light bulb? I'm sorry, but I don't see a light bulb!

10. Cocker Spaniel: Why change it? I can still pee on the carpet in the dark.

11. Chihuahua: Yo quiero Taco Bulb, or 'We don't need no stinking light bulb.'

12. Greyhound: It isn't moving. Who cares?

13. Australian Shepherd: First, I'll put all the light bulbs in a little circle...

14. Poodle: I'll just blow in the Border Collie's ear and he'll do it. By the time he finishes rewiring the house, my nails will be dry.

How many cats does it take to change a light bulb?

Any cat: Cats do not change light bulbs; people change light bulbs. So, the real question is: 'How long will it be before I can expect some light, some dinner, and a massage?'

All of which proves, once agains, that while dogs have masters, cats have staff!

H/T Doug