SMALL POTATOES, SO WHAT? TRY AGAIN! ...
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
What is a head shinker? Are you a head shrinker?
Hebrews 12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the
way; but let it rather be healed.
I have always enjoyed sports and the opportunities that a person can have to get
off the couch and away from the TV and video games to become part of the team
and learn.
I have always enjoyed the ROSE PARADE AND THE ROSE BOWL in California.
I read this amazing story from January 1, 1929.
GEORGIA TECH was playing the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA.
There was a player for California that started the game and that was having a super
game, his name was ROY REIGELS.
In the first half, Roy tackled THOMPSON, a Georgia player, we call it a SLOBBER-KNOCKER
play. Roy's tackle was so hard it knocked the football out of the players hands.
The home crowd was screaming to the top of their voice.
ROY SCOOPED up the football and started running. The coaches and the players
were all screaming, Roy's adrenaline was really pumping fast and furious.
ROY RAN 65 YARDS with the fumbled ball.
ROY WAS TACKLED ON THE 2 YARD LINE...
WHEN ROY LOOKED UP, IT WAS HIS OWN PLAYER THAT HAD TACKLED HIM.
In the excitement and daze of the moment ROY RAN THE WRONG DIRECTION.
As Roy lay there the crowd was angry with the young man.
On the next play Georgia Tech hit so hard that they tackled the Cal player in the end
zone for a touch back, 2 points to Georgia Tech.
Now the crowd is screaming "WRONG WAY ROY!"
At half time the Cal team went into the locker room, everyone was so quiet, even the
coach had little to say. Normally the team would be encouraging and saying kind
words to the other team members.
ROY REIGELS WAS COLLAPSED IN THE CORNER OF THE LOCKER ROOM
CRYING AND MUMBLING ---
THE REFEREE SHOUTED IN THE DOOR, THREE MINUTES, THREE MINUTES AND
THE SECOND HALF BEGINS.
SOME THOUGHT: WHAT ABOUT REIGELS? WHAT IS COACH GOING TO SAY
TO THE TEAM AND TO ROY LAYING IN THE CORNER CRYING?
The coach stood up and said: THE SAME 11 THAT STARTED THE FIRST HALF
WILL STARTED THE SECOND HALF.
The team jumped up and ran out to the field. ROY stay in the corner crying.
The coach walked over and knelt down in from of the broken player.
The coach quietly looked him in the eye and said:
"Roy, I said the same team that started the first half will start the second.
WE NEED YOU, MAN! GET OUT THERE AND PLAY!"
Roy said: "I can't, coach. I let you down, I let the team down. I ruined the game
and embarrassed myself and the school. I CAN'T GO BACK OUT THERE NOW!"
THE COACH REACHED DOWN AND LIFT HIS CHIN AND LOOKED HIM EYE
BALL TO EYE BALL AND SAID: "ROY, THE GAME IS ONLY HALF OVER - - -
NOW GET OUT THERE AND PLAY."
ROY REIGELS IS KNOWN AS THE MOST FAMOUS PLAY FROM THE CENTER
IN ROSE BOWL HISTORY AND THE MOST FAMOUS MISDIRECTION PLAY IN
COLLEGE FOOTBALL...
GEORGIA TECH BEAT CALIFORNIA THAT DAY: 8 TO 7.
THE POINT IS SIMPLE: ENCOURAGE SOMEONE ---
YOU HAVE TO GET OUT THERE AND PLAY --- LIFE IS NOT OVER.
TRY AGAIN...
DO YOU LOVE LIFE?
I had a 12 hour day at Vandy Hospital in Nashville. As I was leaving I called Linda
and she informed me she had cooked a big supper and it was waiting for me.
I had not had one drink or bite all day, so per her orders I knew better than get
something to eat. I had been whistling VICTORY IN JESUS much of the day.
I stop in Madison at a gas station to get a drink.
There was a very frail, sickly man behind the counter. He had to sit on a stool
to wait on me. He said I could help but notice you were whistling VICTORY IN JESUS.
HE SAID: I LOVE LIFE! I SEE YOU LOVE LIFE TOO.
Then he went on to explain he had a battle with cancer. He had 40 chemo/radiation
treatments and had been in remission just to find out the cancer returned with a
vengeance and he had another round of 40 treatments and had been bedfast for
some time. He was now able to return to work and HE LOVED LIFE.
I had my diet Coke in my hand and drove home thinking: HOW BLESSED I AM!
I SHOULD LOVE LIFE AND APPRECIATE EACH DAY MORE THAN EVER.
1 Peter 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as
brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: 9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but
contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a
blessing. 10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from
evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
1. HAVE COMPASSION ---
feeling the desire to help someone sick, hungry or in trouble.
2. BE KIND AND COURTEOUS
gentle, do good things to bring joy to others, helpful, thoughtful.
3. NEVER HAVE PAYBACK SPIRIT OR BE FULL OF REVENGE AND THE GET
EVEN SPIRIT
quick to forgive, not retaliating, not returning injury, desire to hurt,
4. BLESS THOSE THAT PERSECUTE YOU
to pray for, to ask God to help and protect,
5. KNOW YOUR CALL
6. APPRECIATE AND LOVE LIFE
Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
7. GUARD YOUR TONGUE OUT OF IT ARE THE ISSUES OF LIFE
Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
EVER WONDER IF WHAT YOU ARE DOING WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Jude 1:22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted
by the flesh. 24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you
faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
Ben Patterson writes of a story that illustrates how small menial things can make a
difference. His story is from World War II.
There was a Air Force officer named ELMER BENDINER. Elmer flew a BOMBER
OVER GERMANY.
Elmer was flying a huge B-17 over Germany on many missions.
On one such mission the German Anti-Aircraft Weapons hit the B-17 with SHELLS &
FLAK. Some of the shells hit the B-17 and they knew that the FUEL TANKS had been
directly hit. When the shell would explode, all on board the bomber would instantly
die and the bomber would be lost.
THERE WAS A MIRACLE, SOME HOW THE BOMBER LIMBED BACK TO THEIR
BASE, THE CREW KNEW AT ANY TIME THE SHELLS COULD EXPLODE AND BE
THEIR END.
The Bomber safely landed on the run way to find 11 UNEXPLODED 20 MILLIMETER
SHELLS.
THEY WERE REMOVED OUT OF THE FUEL TANKS AND THE BODY OF THE
PLANE. 11 FOR SOME REASON NEVER EXPLODED.
THEY PLACED THE BOMBER A SAFE DISTANCE FROM THE OTHERS AND
A GROUP OF SPECIAL TRAINED SOLDIERS WERE CALLED IN TO DIFFUSE THE
11 SHELLS.
As they DISMANTLED THE 20 MILLIMETER SHELLS THEY WERE AMAZED.
ALL 11 OF THE SHELLS THAT WERE REMOVED FROM THE FUEL TANK WERE EMPTY.
THE 11 HAD NO EXPLOSIVES IN THEM.
INSIDE ONE OF THE SHELLS WAS A HAND WRITTEN NOTE WRITTEN IN
CZECHOSLOVAKIAN. THEY CALLED FOR TRANSLATORS TO READ THE NOTE.
SEE THE PEOPLE FROM CZECHOSLOVAKIA WERE FORCED TO WORK IN
THE GERMAN WAR CAMP AND MAKE BOMBS AND SHELLS.
THE NOTE WAS TRANSLATED: "THIS IS ALL WE CAN DO FOR YOU NOW."
A member of the Czech underground was forced to work in the German Munitions Factory
PROBABLY NEVER UNDERSTOOD THAT BY OMITTING THE EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL
FROM THOSE SHELLS WOULD SAVE THE BOMBER AND ALL THE MEN
ON BOARD.
No doubt the worker never felt like what he or she done was important, but ELMER and his
men OWED A GREAT DEBT when they returned home after the war.
ONE PERSON TRAPPED BY CIRCUMSTANCES MADE DIFFERENCE TO HELP
DEFEAT HITLER AND THE NAZI WAR MACHINE.
SMALL POTATOES?
YOU RARELY CAN GET PEOPLE TO DO BETTER BY FAULT-FINDING AND
NIT-PICKING ---
DO NOT ALWAYS TELL ME WHAT IS WRONG AND BE CRITICAL.
Find something right and brag on them.
Tell them we are doing pretty well, why not try a little harder and let us do better?
SMILE AWHILE --- GIVE YOUR FACE A REST ---
ENCOURAGE AND BE POSITIVE...
2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the
things which are not seen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:17 (NLT) For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they
produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that
cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot
see will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:17 (MSG) These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good
times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. 18 There's far more here than meets the eye.
The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will
last forever.
YOU CAN DO IT!
OF COURSE, YOU CAN DO IT...
IN 1867 JOSEPH WEBSTER was a fiddle player.
He WALKED INTO A LITTLE DRUGSTORE IN ELKHORN, WISCONSIN.
Webster was HEAVY and DISCOURAGED...
The owner of the drug store was a 31 year old man. His name was SAMUEL BENNETT.
Samuel always had some 5 x 7 index cards close by and he often wrote little
notes of encouragement to his friends.
Samuel listened to Joseph, his heart broken friend and picked up a pencil and wrote
down some words.
THERE IS A LAND THAT IS FAIRER THAN DAY,
AND BY FAITH WE CAN SEE IT AFAR.
FOR THE FATHER WAITS OVER THE WAY,
TO PREPARE US A DWELLING PLACE THERE.
IN THE SWEER BY AND BY,
WE SHALL MEET ON THAT BEAUTIFUL SHORE.
IN THE SWEER BY AND BY,
WE SHALL MEET ON THAT BEAUTIFUL SHORE.
Joseph Webster read the words and picked up his fiddle and started playing
and singing the words. Some people came by and heard the music and the song.
Some more friends came in and they made a quartet and they sang:
IN THE SWEET BY AND BY...
WE SHALL SING ON THAT BEAUTIFUL SHORE,
THE MELODIOUS SONGS OF THE BLESS,
AND OUR SPIRIT SHALL SORROW NOT MORE,
NOT A SIGH FOR THE BLESSINGS OF REST.
TO OUR BOUNTIFUL FATHER ABOVE,
WE WILL OFFER OR TRIBUNE OF PRAISE.
FOR THE GLORIOUS GIFT OF HIS LOVE,
AND THE BLESSINGS THAT HALLOWS OUR DAYS.
We have this song today as a gift of ENCOURAGEMENT to a depressed, heavy hearted
friend.
Conclusion:
Alabama's legendary football coach of the Crimson Tide said:
I AM A PLOWHAND FROM ARKANSAS, THAT HAS LEARNED HOW TO HOLD A TEAM
TOGETHER. I HAVE LEARNED TOLIFT SOME MEN UP.
I HAVE LEARNED HOW TO CALM SOME MEN DOWN.
UNTIL FIANLLY WE HAVE ONE HEARTBEAT TOGETHER, WE ARE A TEAM.
I SAY 3 THINGS OVER AND OVER.
1. If anything goes bad, I DID IT!
2. If anything goes semi-good, WE DID IT!
3. If anything goes real good, then YOU DID IT!
His servant, Wade martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
