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Winning and Losing

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“The most important tactic in an argument, next to being right, is to leave an escape hatch for your opponent, so that he can gracefully swing over to your side without an embarrassing loss of face.”

–Syndey J. Harris

When debating with someone over an issue, it is tempting to think that our goal is to win the argument. But really it should be to win the confidence and respect of the person we are talking with. If we don’t accomplish this, we run the risk of being right but losing a friend.

I recently heard a radio talk show host say that conservatives should not try to work with liberals but should just flat out beat them. In his view, our government doesn’t need two sides of the isle.” We should only elect people who agree on every major issue–and of course, they must be conservative.

This kind of thinking is both unrealistic and unAmerican! The democratic process can only continue if we are willing to allow everyone a seat at the table, while showing respect and compassion for the other, regardless of the issue. The moment we demonize our opponent we lose the magic of what has made the United States the great nation that it is.
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Comments by Rich DuBose. BetterSermons © 2009. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines | View main index

Read more at the source: Winning and Losing

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Inspirational quotes and thoughts.

Emotionally Charged

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“We are not just rationale people who respond emotionally once in a while. We are emotional people who respond rationally once in a while.”

–Clarence Schilt, Oregon pastor

We are more emotional than we are rationale. Some are more analytical than others, but in the end everything that happens to us impacts us on an emotional level. As I think back over my life, the experiences I most vividly remember are those that touched my emotions. The rationale decisions I made years ago don’t stand out in my mind. That doesn’t mean they weren’t significant, but they were on a level that didn’t seem as personal.

About eighteen years ago I reached a place in my pastoral work where I felt the need to be stretched. I needed to be challenged in new ways. Some would call it a mid-life crisis! After twelve turbulent, at times tearful, months of trying to figure out what to do, Linda and I finally decided that I would take a leave of absence and head to graduate school. Out of that emotional time we made some rationale decisions that altered the course of our lives. Looking back now I can say it was an exciting time.

It’s OK to be emotional. We are wired that way. Ask God to help you better understand and celebrate the emotional aspects of your life today.

Thumbnail photo by Bas van der Pluym
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Comments by Rich DuBose. BetterSermons © 2009. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines | View main index

Read more at the source: Emotionally Charged

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Inspirational quotes and thoughts.

For How Long?

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“If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune, If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.”

–Chinese Proverb

When happiness is tied to things or experiences, it eventually fades away. New cars break down, vacations come to an end, and life moves on. Much of what drives the human spirit in its pursuits and achievements is based on passing whims and desires. If we could only see life through God’s eyes. 

From time to time we catch a glimpse of the passion that lights God’s heart when someone embarks on a mission to make the world a better place by giving their time, effort and means to cure diseases, help orphans, lift broken spirits, win peace, fight poverty, and share the gospel of Jesus!

Isn’t it wonderful that when we seek to bless others our own happiness is increased. 
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Comments by Rich DuBose. BetterSermons © 2009. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines | View main index

Read more at the source: For How Long?

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Inspirational quotes and thoughts.

Spend it Wisely

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“Yesterday is a canceled check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have, so spend it wisely.”

–Kay Lyons

Sometimes we obsess over everything but what we can actually control. The past with its regrets is beyond our reach and the future is unknown. Yet these two unreachable realms are what we long for. Anything but the present. The secret to happiness and success lie in making today our preferred destination.

As you go through this day, invest your interests, memories and plans in your present activities and the rest will take care of itself. 

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Comments by Rich DuBose. BetterSermons © 2009. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines | View main index

Read more at the source: Spend it Wisely

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Inspirational quotes and thoughts.

Dangerous Faith

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“What’s dangerous about the world today is not belief in God or unbelief but ruthless certainty.”

–Lisa Miller, Newsweek Magazine

The only thing we should be ruthless about is our passion to love God and the people He calls us to serve. Unfortunately, some see themselves as chosen by God to eradicate all evil (which often means imposing their beliefs and opinions upon others against their will). History is replete with examples of monarchs, dictators and leaders who have tried to force faith. It has always resulted in some form of persecution.

We have only to remember what happened in the Dark Ages when the Church tried to impose their definition of truth upon the people of Europe. You can read about the devastating results in J.A. Wylie’s History of Protestantism.

1 Excerpt from Newsweek, Moderates Storm the Religious Battlefield, p. 89, January 7, 2007
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Comments by Rich DuBose. BetterSermons © 2009. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines | View main index

Read more at the source: Dangerous Faith

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Inspirational quotes and thoughts.

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