Happy Father's Day

I was so happy to be able to come home for Father's Day this year.

I started out the morning to hear my dad sing with the Tabernacle Choir.

At the broadcast, the message was so beautiful that I thought I would share it with you.

"When we hear the word investment, most of us think of investing our money in hopes that it will grow and yield a large return. Some of us feel lucky to have enough money to meet our daily basic needs, let alone to invest any. But in one way, we are equally rich: We all wake up with 24 hours in each new day. How will we spend those hours? How can we get the largest investment?

The story is told of a boy whose father once gave him a box with a note inside promising the boy one hour of time every day, right after dinner. And it was good for a whole year. For 365 hours, the boy could spend time with his father playing, talking together, whatever the boy chose. And every year, the father renewed that promise. Now a successful attorney, the son looks back on that as the greatest gift he has ever been given--the gift of time from his father.

The wealthiest people in the world cannot buy a gift as valuable as that. But everyone, no matter how wealthy, can make such a wise investment of time. When a parent spends time with a child, together they forge a bond of love that transcends anything that could be purchased. The toys and other things parents buy for their children eventually break down, wear out, and are forgotten. But those precious moments spent together will live forever.

When we invest our time in our relationships, we are building a legacy beyond description, a treasure that will outlast all material gifts. Time is truly the best investment--in our children and in everyone we love. Nothing else even comes close."

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Spoken Word

Art That Speaks to the Soul  Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

Great and talented people often struggle with disappointments and self-doubt. Though surprising, perhaps it’s no coincidence, for those very hardships help to inspire and shape their talent.

This was the case for world-famous artist Carl Bloch. Considering his rich legacy and the acclaim that followed him throughout his career, one might think he was confident and self-assured. In fact, he was often beset by anxiety and doubt. As a youth in 19th-century Denmark, he failed the entrance exam for the naval academy, disappointing his parents and himself. But as a result of this failure, he was able to pursue his real passion: art.

In time, Bloch was commissioned to create 23 paintings on the life of Jesus Christ for the Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark. This commission, along with other large paintings depicting scenes from the New Testament, established Bloch as a noted religious painter whose warm and compassionate style was well received.

Yet despite his notoriety, Bloch still felt keenly his inadequacies. This led him to work diligently to perfect his craft. But it also had a more subtle effect on his artwork. Because he was sensitive to his own weaknesses, he developed empathy for the weaknesses of others. Because he understood how it feels to worry and doubt, he was able to capture such emotions in his subjects—an anxious father, a grieving mother, a downtrodden beggar. His depictions strike us as authentic and compassionate because Carl Bloch sympathized with the people he painted.

This is why Carl Bloch’s paintings still speak to our minds and our hearts. As one art historian wrote: "The manifestations of Bloch’s sensitive and genuine character set him apart as a compelling painter. … His compassion for the lonely and downtrodden informed his tender depictions of those who suffered. … And his faith in God strengthened him and allowed him to paint with the depth of feeling that speaks to the soul.”1

1. Dawn Pheysey, The Master’s Hand: The Art of Carl Heinrich Bloch (2010), 45.

1. In Suzy Platt, ed., Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations (1993), 277.

{source}

The Spoken Word

Unspoken Prayers

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

Very often what we want most may not be what is best for us in the long run. In fact, sometimes our greatest growth and happiness come when we don’t get what we want.   We’ve all experienced this. Because a young man did not achieve his dream of playing high school basketball, he turned to books and words and became a sensitive and prolific writer. Because a woman lost an election for public office, she turned to volunteer service that blessed countless lives. Because a jobseeker did not get the job he thought he wanted most, a new, more promising career unfolded to him.   These examples, and many others like them, teach us that we don’t always get what we hope for—and that can be a good thing. Our desires, even our prayers, sometimes reveal a limited vision of what we can become. Often, if we’re patient, there’s a greater blessing in store for us. Even our trials and setbacks can be stepping-stones to greater growth.   The key, as this anonymous prayer teaches us, is to learn to be grateful for the blessings we didn’t ask for.   I asked God for strength, that I might achieve. I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey. I asked for health, that I might do greater things. I was given infirmity, that I might do better things. I asked for riches, that I might be happy. I was given poverty, that I might be wise. I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men. I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God. I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life. I was given life that I might enjoy all things. I got nothing that I asked for—but everything I had hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am, among all men, most richly blessed.     1 Lloyd D. Newell 1. In Suzy Platt, ed., Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations (1993), 277. {source}

The Spoken Word

Make Some Difference

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

Anytime is a good time to think about the purpose of our life, to assess where we are and where we’re going. But we definitely seem to do more of that at the beginning of a new year, as we make resolutions or set goals to do things differently. In the process, we might consider this counsel from American writer Leo Rosten: "The purpose of life is not to be happy. … It is to be useful, to be honorable. It is to be compassionate. It is to matter, to have it make some difference that you lived.” i Useful. Honorable. Compassionate. These are not just lofty words—they are keys to living well. Put into action, they build character, shape a positive outlook, and bless the lives of others as well as our own. Consider the efforts of Don Schoendorfer, an engineer who, during a visit to Morocco saw a disabled beggar woman drag herself across the street, almost like a snake, because she had lost the use of her legs. He never forgot her plight and finally decided to do something about it. For the next several years, he spent his free time, usually early in the morning before work, in his garage tinkering on the design of a cost-efficient wheelchair.  He presented his creation, made from a common plastic lawn chair and inexpensive bike tires, to an 11-year-old in India. The young boy’s mother said through a translator, "Bless you for this chariot.” Today, more than 500,000 wheelchairs have been delivered to those desperately in need in 77 developing nations. Don can speak from personal experience about being compassionate, about making a difference. ii As we make our plans for the future, may we choose to be useful, honorable, and compassionate. We will then find that our life has indeed mattered, that it has made some difference that we have lived.    i "The Myths by Which We Live,” The Rotarian, Sept. 1965, 55. ii See Stephen R. Covey, Everyday Greatness (2006), 189–91; see also Abby Sewell, "A Moving Image Got This Wheelchair Maker Rolling,” Los Angeles Times, July 10, 2010. {source}

The Spoken Word

Keep Improving

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

Not long ago, a middle-aged woman walked the halls of her old high school. How different and small it seemed now. Memories happy and sad flooded back as she considered the brief moment that those high school years were. Along with some nostalgia, she felt a little regret. She imagined how she might do things differently if she could go back. She wished she would have reached out more to others, been friendlier, more aware of others’ needs.   But she knew she could not relive her high school days. So instead she determined to do more now—and each day ahead. She resolved to include others, be a true friend, reach out in love and kindness, and continue to learn, improve, and grow. She decided that her future would be different because of what she had learned in her past.   She had come to understand a truth that applies to all of us—failure, like success, is never final. As Richard L. Evans said on this broadcast more than 50 years ago: "The moment we close the books on one year we open them on another. . . . And no matter how good [or bad] last year was, there is this year now to consider. We have to keep at it, for life is a process, and not a finished product, and there is no moment at which we can say that the picture is completed.” [1]   We all have successes in our past, just as we remember things we wish we had done a little better. But we need not become discouraged about our past mistakes any more than we should become too comfortable with our past accomplishments. Many mistakes can be corrected, just as many successes can be improved. As long as we keep moving forward and keep doing our best, no success or failure is final.     1. The Everlasting Things (1957), 113. {source}

The Spoken Word

The Right Moment Is Now

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

When acclaimed American artist John Singer Sargent was commissioned to paint the official portrait of Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States, he spent several days at the White House, hoping to catch the president in just the right setting. One morning as Roosevelt came down the staircase, Sargent approached and asked when the president might be available to pose for the portrait. “Now,” replied Roosevelt, a man whose life was made up of acting “now.”1 The story of this painting holds a great lesson for all of us. Do we take advantage of each moment; do we seize the opportunities that life offers us? Or does our masterpiece get postponed because our doubts, weaknesses, or circumstances cause us to hesitate? As President Roosevelt said in his characteristically direct way, “Do what you can, with what have, where you are.”2 Too many great works and good deeds are held hostage while we wait for the right moment. For some things, perhaps for most things, the right moment is now. Roosevelt has such vision, reflected in his well-known words from 1899: “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, that to take rank with those poor spirit who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”3 1 See David McCullough, Brave Companions: Portraits in History (1992), ix. 2 In James Charlton, ed, The Military Quotation Book(2002), 108. 3 In Justin Kaplan, ed., Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, 17thed. (2002), 614-15

The Spoken Word

The Christmas Story

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.   And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.   And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem…   To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.   And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.   And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.[1]   And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.   And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.   And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.   For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.   And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.     1 Luke 2:1, 3-14

The Spoken Word

 By now you might have figured out that I love quotes. The best quotes and stories shared are on Sundays from "Music and the Spoken Word." I thought that  I would like to continue sharing those great thoughts that I love to listen to every Sunday. Some stories may be current and I may choose some from years past. But either way, I promise it will always be uplifting. Please join me every Sunday for The Spoken Word.

A Good Christmas

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

At this festive time of year, we go to great lengths to assure that we have a happy holiday. Family traditions take on special meaning as we prepare favorite foods, light candles, hang ornaments on the Christmas tree, and sing the carols of the season. We do all this because we want to have a "good” Christmas. But how do we really judge the quality of our celebration? We might consider the cost and number of gifts we give or receive. We could compare our elaborate decorations with those of our neighbors. Is our Nativity scene larger than the one down the street? Does our Christmas tree have more lights? Or maybe we could judge the quality of our Christmas by things that are harder to measure but more important. Do our friends and family feel remembered, included, and cared about? Are gifts lovingly given without exceeding the spending limits on the credit card? Is the focus only on fun or on the real meaning of the season? Successful holidays are determined not by the size and expense of the production but by the little things that may even go unnoticed—the light in the eyes of a child as he wraps a homemade present, the smile and laughter of one who is often lonely, the joy of lovingly serving someone in need. When the material gifts are worn out and forgotten, the memories of love and the feelings of joy will still be cherished. He whose birth we celebrate never asked for much in the way of material things. He spent His life giving gifts of life and love to all who would receive them. The first Christmas was a relatively quiet celebration with a modest guest list. It was heralded with a message of peace, love, and "good tidings of great joy ... to all people” (Luke 2:10). And that was certainly a good Christmas.