Saturday, April 28, 2007

This has very little to do with the book of Proverbs, but you deserve a break and this guy is fun to watch:

From thrond (This paragraph added 1 March 2007) Listen to my first radio interview resulting from this video, from KTYD in Santa Barbara, California:
http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/3037...

New and Improved; More and Better!

In this updated and enhanced version, I recite the books of the Bible (Old and New Testaments) the Book of Mormon, the 50 US States, the alphabet backwards, the United States Presidents and the Academy Award Best Picture winners.

Again, hopefully, no one is offended because I choose to include religious-oriented items in my list.



For those interested (and because it's awesome for getting hits), here's a transcript of the list:

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, Samuel, Kings, Kings, Chronicles, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, First, Second Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Phillipians, Colossians, First, Second Thessalonians, Timothy, Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, Peter, Peter, John, John, John, Jude, Revelation, First, Second Nephi, Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni, Words of Mormon, Mosiah, Alma, Helaman, Third, Fourth Nephi, Mormon, Ether, Moroni, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Z, Y, X, W, V, U, T, S, R, Q, P, O, N, M, L, K, J, I, H, G, F, E, D, C, B, A, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, Teddy Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert C. Hoover, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry S Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, "Wings," "The Broadway Melody," "All Quiet on the Western Front," "Cimarron," "Grand Hotel," "Cavalcade," "It Happened One Night," "Mutiny on the Bounty," "The Great Ziegfeld," "The Life of Emile Zola," "You Can't Take it With You," "Gone With the Wind," "Rebecca," "How Green Was My Valley," "Mrs. Miniver," "Casablanca," "Going My Way," "The Lost Weekend," "The Best Years of Our Lives," "Gentleman's Agreement," "Hamlet," "All the King's Men," "All About Eve," "An American in Paris," "The Greatest Show on Earth," "From Here to Eternity," "On the Waterfront," "Marty," "Around the World in Eighty Days," "The Bridge on the River Kwai," "Gigi," "Ben-Hur," "The Apartment," "West Side Story," "Lawrence of Arabia," "Tom Jones," "My Fair Lady," "The Sound of Music," "A Man for All Seasons," "In the Heat of the Night," "Oliver," "Midnight Cowboy," "Patton," "The French Connection," "The Godfather," "The Sting," "The Godfather Part II," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Rocky," "Annie Hall," "The Deer Hunter," "Kramer vs. Kramer," "Ordinary People," "Chariots of Fire," "Gandhi," "Terms of Endearment," "Amadeus," "Out of Africa," "Platoon," "The Last Emperor," "Rain Man," "Driving Miss Daisy," "Dances with Wolves," "The Silence of the Lambs," "Unforgiven," "Schindler's List," "Forrest Gump," "Braveheart," "The English Patient," "Titanic," "Shakespeare in Love," "American Beauty," "Gladiator," "A Beautiful Mind," "Chicago," "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," "Million Dollar Baby," "Crash."

Monday, April 23, 2007

Proverbs 11:15 12:28

NIV quotes are New International Version - Thanks!

New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

Proverbs 11:15-30: Doing Business God’s Way

15 He who puts up security for another will surely suffer,
but whoever refuses to strike hands in pledge is safe.

q Key Word: Caution

o Security and Pledge

o Suffering and Safety

q Key Word: Reputation

o Your name is more valuable than money.

o Your reputation is built on how you handle your promises.

o If you lend your name/reputation to someone else, it is in their hands and out of your control.

16 A kindhearted woman gains respect,
but ruthless men gain only wealth.

q Contrast # 1: Man and a Woman

o Incidental or complimentary?

q Contrast #2: Kindness vs. Ruthlessness

o Our choice reflects our beliefs.

q Contrast #3: Outcomes

o Respect (See comments of v. 15) “Only money” – What does that say about our values?

17 A kind man benefits himself,
but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.

q Men can be kind too!

o How can we act in kindness?

o What opportunities present themselves?

q Kindness says more about who we are than about what the other person deserves.

q Cruelty and kindness have two different outcomes”

o Trouble or

o Benefit. Benefits of Kindness

§ ____________________

§ ____________________

18 The wicked man earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.

q What are deceptive wages?

q How does the wicked man earn them?

o _____________

o _____________

q What is a sure reward?

q How does the righteous “sow?”

o _____________

o _____________

19 The truly righteous man attains life,
but he who pursues evil goes to his death.

q “Truly righteous” vs. false righteousness

q Life is the reward

q The pursuit of evil implies that there is an intention to go after evil and not just a “slip up” here and there.

q The direction leads to death.

20 The LORD detests men of perverse heart
but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.

q Perversity – (detests) – going away from what is right with self-will and stubbornness.

q Blamelessness (delights)

21 Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished,
but those who are righteous will go free.

q Punishment is the result of wickedness

q Freedom is the result of righteousness

22 Like a gold ring in a pig's snout
is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.

q Discretion: What is it? Why is it important?

q What is so ugly about indiscretion?

23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.

q Two paths for human desire.

q One is going somewhere.

q The other is going somewhere too, but not where the desire leads one to believe it is going.

q Ask God for your dreams and center them in Him.

24 One man gives freely, yet gains even more;
another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

q God’s economy is paradoxical,

q Man’s economy is ironic.

25 A generous man will prosper;
he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

q “What goes around comes around.

q God is in charge.

26 People curse the man who hoards grain,
but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell.

q Hoarding is bad.

q Selling is honorable.

27 He who seeks good finds goodwill,
but evil comes to him who searches for it.

q You get pretty much what you seek.

q Seeking and finding works both way.

q Hey you! Ya lookinfuh trouble or somethin’?

28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

q It matters what you trust.

q When is money not trustworthy? Econ. 101

29 He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise.

q It matters how you treat your family.

q Wisdom determines progress in rank.

30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and he who wins souls is wise.

q Wisdom keeps on giving.

q Winning people is better than alienating them.

q Success Indicators”

o #1 – Integrity

o #2 – People skills

o #3 – Willingness to learn and follow

o #4 – Respect for time.

o Hard work.

31 If the righteous receive their due on earth,
how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

q There is a payoff in Heaven.

q There are some payoffs here.

Proverbs 12

1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.

q To love knowledge is to accept correction.

q Wanting to learn, but not to be taught.

2 A good man obtains favor from the LORD,
but the LORD condemns a crafty man.

q Contrast # 1: Good vs. craftiness.

q Contrast #2: Favor vs. condemnation

3 A man cannot be established through wickedness,
but the righteous cannot be uprooted.

q ROOTS

Relationships where care is called for:

A. A Life partner.

4 A wife of noble character is her husband's crown,
but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

q There is great value in a good wife.

q Choose your mate carefully.

B. A mentor

5 The plans of the righteous are just,
but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.

q Principled thinking leads to

q Righteous plans. Therefore, we must

q Choose who to follow carefully.

6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
but the speech of the upright rescues them.

q There are words that kill. How?

q There are words that give life. How?

7 Wicked men are overthrown and are no more,
but the house of the righteous stands firm.

q What is your home security system?

8 A man is praised according to his wisdom,
but men with warped minds are despised.

q Your reputation will eventually come down to your wisdom = Practical understanding that leads to making the right choices under God’s direction.

9 Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant
than pretend to be somebody and have no food.

q Status is of little value.

q The difference between a nobody and a somebody is not based upon pretense.

10 A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal,
but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

q Little things reveal our hearts.

q Who we are inside is who we really are and it shows when we deal with the helpless.

11 He who works his land will have abundant food,
but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment.

q Real dreams – Working steadily toward a goal, desire, or calling.

q Fantasies – It’s all in the head, daydreaming.

12 The wicked desire the plunder of evil men,
but the root of the righteous flourishes.

q Root your desires in righteousness.

13 An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk,
but a righteous man escapes trouble.

q You can be “hung by the tongue.”

q Watch your idle talk.

14 From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him.

q Good words + good work =

q Satisfaction and reward.

15 The way of a fool seems right to him,
but a wise man listens to advice.

q Be accountable in your thinking.

q You might be wrong.

16 A fool shows his annoyance at once,
but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

q Wisdom teaches us when to press an issue and when to let go.

q It takes time to process real righteous indignation. Quick tempered responses are simply signs of immaturity.

17 A truthful witness gives honest testimony,
but a false witness tells lies.

q Just tell the truth.

18 Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

q Choose between reckless words that do damage and

q Wise words that heal. Which do you wish to be your legacy?

q What are some examples of both kinds?

19 Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

q Long haul credibility is built by incrementally telling the truth.

20 There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil,
but joy for those who promote peace.

q True hearts promote peace.

21 No harm befalls the righteous,
but the wicked have their fill of trouble.

q The wickedness-trouble connection

22 The LORD detests lying lips,
but he delights in men who are truthful.

q Detest vs. Delight. God loves truth.

23 A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself,
but the heart of fools blurts out folly.

q Even if you have something to say, it is sometimes best not to say it.

q Prudence is not just the name of a lady in Polecat Hollow.

24 Diligent hands will rule,
but laziness ends in slave labor.

q Do you want to advance in responsibility?

q Work hard – Work diligently.

25 An anxious heart weighs a man down,
but a kind word cheers him up.

q Anxiety is like a weight.

q Kind words are weight lifters.

26 A righteous man is cautious in friendship, [a]
but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

Translation Variations

KJV: 26The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.

MSG: 26A good person survives misfortune,

but a wicked life invites disaster.

NASB: 26The righteous is a guide to his neighbor,
But the way of the wicked leads them astray.

q Will you lead and influence or

q Be led and influenced?

27 The lazy man does not roast [b] his game,
but the diligent man prizes his possessions.

q Laziness leads to waste like buying stuff you never use.

q Diligent people know the value of “stuff” and use “stuff” wisely.

28 In the way of righteousness there is life;
along that path is immortality.

q Jesus said, “I am the way...”

Footnotes:

a. Proverbs 12:26 Or man is a guide to his neighbor

b. Proverbs 12:27 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.