I have had this little poem in files for a long time. Now I get a chance to use it.
'Twas the night of Thanksgiving ~ But I just couldn't sleep,
I tried counting backwards ~ I tried counting sheep ...
The leftovers beckoned ~ The dark meat and white,
But I fought the temptation ~ With all of my might ...
Tossing and turning with anticipation
The thought of a snack became infatuation
So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore
Gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round
'Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground!
I crashed through the ceiling, Floating into the sky
With a mouthful of pudding, And a handful of pie
But I managed to yell as I soared past the trees
Happy eating to all! Pass the cranberries, Please!
May your stuffing be tasty, May your turkey be plump
May your potatoes 'n Gravy, Have nary a lump
May your yams be delicious, May your pies take the prize
May your thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
A Short History of Thanksgiving
Thanks to Patriot Post for this information:
"Tomorrow being the day set apart by the Honorable Congress for public Thanksgiving and Praise; and duty calling us devoutly to express our grateful acknowledgements to God for the manifold blessings he has granted us, the General... earnestly exhorts, all officers and soldiers, whose absence is not indispensably necessary, to attend with reverence the solemnities of the day." ---George Washington (December 17, 1777)
THE NECESSITY OF THANKSGIVING
In this era of overblown political correctness, we often hear tales of Thanksgiving that stray far afield from the truth. Contemporary textbook narratives of the first American harvest celebration portray the Pilgrim colonists as having given thanks to their Indian neighbors for teaching them how to survive in a strange new world. This, of course, is in stark contrast to the historical record, in which the colonists gave thanks to God Almighty, the Provider of their blessings.
The "First Thanksgiving" is usually depicted as the Pilgrims' three-day feast in early November 1621. The Pilgrims, Calvinist Protestants who rejected the institutional Church of England, believed that the worship of God must originate freely in the individual soul, under no coercion. The Pilgrims left Plymouth, England, on 6 September 1620, sailing to the New World on the promise of opportunity for religious and civil liberty.
For almost three months, 102 seafarers braved the brutal elements, arriving off what is now the Massachusetts coast. On 11 December, before disembarking at Plymouth Rock, the voyagers signed the Mayflower Compact, America's original document of civil government predicated on principles of self-government.
Upon landing, the Pilgrims conducted a prayer service and quickly turned to building shelters. Malnutrition and illness during the ensuing New England winter killed nearly half their number. Through prayer and hard work, with the assistance of their Wampanoag Indian friends, the Pilgrims reaped a rich harvest in the summer of 1621, the bounty of which they shared with the Wampanoag. The celebration incorporated feasting and games, which remain holiday traditions.
Such ready abundance soon waned, however. Under demands from investors funding their endeavor, the Pilgrims had acquiesced to a disastrous arrangement holding all crops and property in common, in order to return an agreed-to half of their produce to their overseas backers. (These financiers insisted they could not trust faraway freeholders to split the colony's profits honestly.) Within two years, Plymouth was in danger of foundering under famine, blight and drought. Colonist Edward Winslow wrote, "The most courageous were now discouraged, because God, which hitherto had been our only shield and supporter, now seemed in his anger to arm himself against us."
Governor Bradford's record of the history of the colony describes 1623 as a period of arduous work coupled with "a great drought... without any rain and with great heat for the most part," lasting from spring until midsummer. The Plymouth settlers followed the Wampanoag's recommended cultivation practices carefully, but their crops withered.
The Pilgrims soon thereafter thought better of relying solely on the physical realm, setting "a solemn day of humiliation, to seek the Lord by humble and fervent prayer, in this great distress." In affirmation of their faith and providing a great witness to the Indians, by evening of that day the skies became overcast and gentle rains fell, restoring the yield of the fields. Governor Bradford noted, "And afterwards the Lord sent to them such seasonable showers, with interchange of fair warm weather as, through His blessing caused a fruitful and liberal harvest, to their no small comfort and rejoicing. For which mercy, in time convenient, they also set apart a day of thanksgiving."
In 1789, after adopting the Bill of rights) to the Constitution), among the first official acts of Congress was approving a motion for proclamation of a national day of thanksgiving, recommending that citizens gather together and give thanks to God for their new nation's blessings. Presidents George Washington, John Adams and James Madison followed the custom of declaring national days of thanks, though it was not officially declared again until another moment of national peril, when during the War Between the States Abraham Lincoln invited "the whole American people" to observe "a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father... with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience."
In 1941, Congress set permanently November's fourth Thursday as our official national Thanksgiving.
"Tomorrow being the day set apart by the Honorable Congress for public Thanksgiving and Praise; and duty calling us devoutly to express our grateful acknowledgements to God for the manifold blessings he has granted us, the General... earnestly exhorts, all officers and soldiers, whose absence is not indispensably necessary, to attend with reverence the solemnities of the day." ---George Washington (December 17, 1777)
THE NECESSITY OF THANKSGIVING
In this era of overblown political correctness, we often hear tales of Thanksgiving that stray far afield from the truth. Contemporary textbook narratives of the first American harvest celebration portray the Pilgrim colonists as having given thanks to their Indian neighbors for teaching them how to survive in a strange new world. This, of course, is in stark contrast to the historical record, in which the colonists gave thanks to God Almighty, the Provider of their blessings.
The "First Thanksgiving" is usually depicted as the Pilgrims' three-day feast in early November 1621. The Pilgrims, Calvinist Protestants who rejected the institutional Church of England, believed that the worship of God must originate freely in the individual soul, under no coercion. The Pilgrims left Plymouth, England, on 6 September 1620, sailing to the New World on the promise of opportunity for religious and civil liberty.
For almost three months, 102 seafarers braved the brutal elements, arriving off what is now the Massachusetts coast. On 11 December, before disembarking at Plymouth Rock, the voyagers signed the Mayflower Compact, America's original document of civil government predicated on principles of self-government.
Upon landing, the Pilgrims conducted a prayer service and quickly turned to building shelters. Malnutrition and illness during the ensuing New England winter killed nearly half their number. Through prayer and hard work, with the assistance of their Wampanoag Indian friends, the Pilgrims reaped a rich harvest in the summer of 1621, the bounty of which they shared with the Wampanoag. The celebration incorporated feasting and games, which remain holiday traditions.
Such ready abundance soon waned, however. Under demands from investors funding their endeavor, the Pilgrims had acquiesced to a disastrous arrangement holding all crops and property in common, in order to return an agreed-to half of their produce to their overseas backers. (These financiers insisted they could not trust faraway freeholders to split the colony's profits honestly.) Within two years, Plymouth was in danger of foundering under famine, blight and drought. Colonist Edward Winslow wrote, "The most courageous were now discouraged, because God, which hitherto had been our only shield and supporter, now seemed in his anger to arm himself against us."
Governor Bradford's record of the history of the colony describes 1623 as a period of arduous work coupled with "a great drought... without any rain and with great heat for the most part," lasting from spring until midsummer. The Plymouth settlers followed the Wampanoag's recommended cultivation practices carefully, but their crops withered.
The Pilgrims soon thereafter thought better of relying solely on the physical realm, setting "a solemn day of humiliation, to seek the Lord by humble and fervent prayer, in this great distress." In affirmation of their faith and providing a great witness to the Indians, by evening of that day the skies became overcast and gentle rains fell, restoring the yield of the fields. Governor Bradford noted, "And afterwards the Lord sent to them such seasonable showers, with interchange of fair warm weather as, through His blessing caused a fruitful and liberal harvest, to their no small comfort and rejoicing. For which mercy, in time convenient, they also set apart a day of thanksgiving."
In 1789, after adopting the Bill of rights) to the Constitution), among the first official acts of Congress was approving a motion for proclamation of a national day of thanksgiving, recommending that citizens gather together and give thanks to God for their new nation's blessings. Presidents George Washington, John Adams and James Madison followed the custom of declaring national days of thanks, though it was not officially declared again until another moment of national peril, when during the War Between the States Abraham Lincoln invited "the whole American people" to observe "a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father... with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience."
In 1941, Congress set permanently November's fourth Thursday as our official national Thanksgiving.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Action
To be successful you don't have to do extraordinary things--just do ordinary things extraordinarily well. Put the pedal to the metal--gas it and guide it. To prove you are a man of action Glenn Bland says there are several things you can do: 1. Be a front seater; 2. Develop eye contact with everyone you meet and talk to; 3. Walk 25% faster; 4. Speak up; 5. Smile big; 6. Dress well.
The winner is a person who does what others won't or can't do in order to have what others will never have. So some people will walk--and that is all they can do--but if you can, run, charge, attack, win, as you seek your objective. The time is now, the place is here, the people are you. Go for it--attack.
In the movie, The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker tells Yoda, "I'll try." Yoda counters with, "Try, Try! There is no try. Only do! do!"
Taking a training course in success or reading a book on success will not make you any more successful than going into a drugstore will make you a pill; or going into a garage will make you a car; or going into a hat store will make you a hat. Take the things you learn and put them into action.
Zig Ziglar tells the story of going to the neighbors to have some biscuits. They came out of the oven flat and hard. The cook laughed and said, "They squatted to cook and were cooked in the squat." Zig used this as a metaphor of life. He says too many people are "cooked in the squat" by saying, "I'll get started when I ..." You can fill in the blanks.
Theodore Roosevelt said, "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."
Take your learning out of your notebook and practice it. Break down what you want to be good at into small pieces, then practice them. Never compare yourself to others..only compare your present performance with past performance. Compare in tiny increments rather than huge chunks. You create belief in yourself by paying the price--by action. That means hard work, persistency and consistency. Nothing takes the place of action.
Jim Janz tells the story of three girls going to swim. At the swimming pool one dipped a toe in the water and then went over to sunbathe. One sat at a table with a cold drink and a book. One dived in and swam. Yet, if they were asked, all three would have said they had been swimming. Isn't that much like success? Some sit looking on, some dip a toe in, and some dive in and make it work.
A man's greatest enemies are his own apathy and stubbornness. Action is the last resource of those who do not know how to dream. Fame and rest are utter opposites. Oliver Goldsmith said, "Fortune is ever seen accompanying industry." Horace Mann added, "It is good to think well, it is divine to act well."
We become what we do. We do today what others won't so we can do tomorrow what others can't. Begin to do those things you can do, or even dream you can do. Be bold in beginning. Goethe said that boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
What kind of person are you? The "yo-yo" person who is up and down and needs to be constantly pumped up? Does someone need to keep a portable air-compressor handy for you? Or, are you the "blow-blow" person who is all talk and no walk? I hope you are the "go-go" person who walks the walk. If you are this kind of person you may lose the battle but you will never lose the war. You might even lose some loyal lieutenants you love, but you will go on to win.
Imperfect action is better than perfect paralysis. It is better to light one small candle than to stand around cursing the darkness. It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do a little. Do what you can. In the film, Shenandoah, Mr. Anderson, when his youngest son was lost, said, "If we don't try, we won't do. And if we don't do, then why are we placed here upon the earth?"
The joke is told of a preacher doing his best to not be upset by a heckler. Finally the heckler stood on a stump and said, "Have your God knock me off my stump." The preacher stepped up to him, hauled off and hit him. The heckler did three flips as he fell backward. The preacher rubbed his hands together. "I don't ask my God to do anything I can do myself."
Emerson said to do the thing and you will have the power. In the Bible, as King David was dying, he said to his son, Solomon, "Be strong, and be of good courage, and do it." (Emphasis mine.)
Be prejudiced against laziness. Henry Ford said, “Bite off more than you can chew, and chew it. Do More than you can do, and do it. Hitch your wagon to a star, dare to dream, and there you are.”
Edward Everett Hale, in his Patriot's Oath, stated, "I am only one, but I am one; I cannot do everything But I can do something. And what I can do That I ought to do; And what I ought to do By the grace of God I will do."
A modern president, John F. Kennedy, said, "Things don't just happen. They are made to happen, and they are made to happen by each one of us."
To rest is to rust. The place for peace and harmony is at a funeral. That is not what people want. People want success and success only comes through action. A dead branch cannot give new life. An unlit match cannot light a stick of dynamite. Convince a man of what he wants and he will move heaven and earth to get it.
Don't be a procrastinator--be an activator. Don't let the energy crisis be your own. Some people have gludus plumus disease--lead in the britches. To make ends meet--get off yours.
Things don't just happen--someone makes them happen.
Take action--NOW!
The winner is a person who does what others won't or can't do in order to have what others will never have. So some people will walk--and that is all they can do--but if you can, run, charge, attack, win, as you seek your objective. The time is now, the place is here, the people are you. Go for it--attack.
In the movie, The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker tells Yoda, "I'll try." Yoda counters with, "Try, Try! There is no try. Only do! do!"
Taking a training course in success or reading a book on success will not make you any more successful than going into a drugstore will make you a pill; or going into a garage will make you a car; or going into a hat store will make you a hat. Take the things you learn and put them into action.
Zig Ziglar tells the story of going to the neighbors to have some biscuits. They came out of the oven flat and hard. The cook laughed and said, "They squatted to cook and were cooked in the squat." Zig used this as a metaphor of life. He says too many people are "cooked in the squat" by saying, "I'll get started when I ..." You can fill in the blanks.
Theodore Roosevelt said, "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."
Take your learning out of your notebook and practice it. Break down what you want to be good at into small pieces, then practice them. Never compare yourself to others..only compare your present performance with past performance. Compare in tiny increments rather than huge chunks. You create belief in yourself by paying the price--by action. That means hard work, persistency and consistency. Nothing takes the place of action.
Jim Janz tells the story of three girls going to swim. At the swimming pool one dipped a toe in the water and then went over to sunbathe. One sat at a table with a cold drink and a book. One dived in and swam. Yet, if they were asked, all three would have said they had been swimming. Isn't that much like success? Some sit looking on, some dip a toe in, and some dive in and make it work.
A man's greatest enemies are his own apathy and stubbornness. Action is the last resource of those who do not know how to dream. Fame and rest are utter opposites. Oliver Goldsmith said, "Fortune is ever seen accompanying industry." Horace Mann added, "It is good to think well, it is divine to act well."
We become what we do. We do today what others won't so we can do tomorrow what others can't. Begin to do those things you can do, or even dream you can do. Be bold in beginning. Goethe said that boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
What kind of person are you? The "yo-yo" person who is up and down and needs to be constantly pumped up? Does someone need to keep a portable air-compressor handy for you? Or, are you the "blow-blow" person who is all talk and no walk? I hope you are the "go-go" person who walks the walk. If you are this kind of person you may lose the battle but you will never lose the war. You might even lose some loyal lieutenants you love, but you will go on to win.
Imperfect action is better than perfect paralysis. It is better to light one small candle than to stand around cursing the darkness. It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do a little. Do what you can. In the film, Shenandoah, Mr. Anderson, when his youngest son was lost, said, "If we don't try, we won't do. And if we don't do, then why are we placed here upon the earth?"
The joke is told of a preacher doing his best to not be upset by a heckler. Finally the heckler stood on a stump and said, "Have your God knock me off my stump." The preacher stepped up to him, hauled off and hit him. The heckler did three flips as he fell backward. The preacher rubbed his hands together. "I don't ask my God to do anything I can do myself."
Emerson said to do the thing and you will have the power. In the Bible, as King David was dying, he said to his son, Solomon, "Be strong, and be of good courage, and do it." (Emphasis mine.)
Be prejudiced against laziness. Henry Ford said, “Bite off more than you can chew, and chew it. Do More than you can do, and do it. Hitch your wagon to a star, dare to dream, and there you are.”
Edward Everett Hale, in his Patriot's Oath, stated, "I am only one, but I am one; I cannot do everything But I can do something. And what I can do That I ought to do; And what I ought to do By the grace of God I will do."
A modern president, John F. Kennedy, said, "Things don't just happen. They are made to happen, and they are made to happen by each one of us."
To rest is to rust. The place for peace and harmony is at a funeral. That is not what people want. People want success and success only comes through action. A dead branch cannot give new life. An unlit match cannot light a stick of dynamite. Convince a man of what he wants and he will move heaven and earth to get it.
Don't be a procrastinator--be an activator. Don't let the energy crisis be your own. Some people have gludus plumus disease--lead in the britches. To make ends meet--get off yours.
Things don't just happen--someone makes them happen.
Take action--NOW!
Monday, November 19, 2007
I Am A Square
I am a square. I love our flag and what it stands for. I stand in a parade or anytime the flag goes by. I joy in singing the Star Spangled Banner, and though I am no longer on the playing field, at a football game I get déjà vu and teary-eyed as the National Anthem is played and the players stand in a line on the field. I love saying the pledge of allegiance—with all of its words.
I came from a military family. My great-grandfather John D. T. McAllister was a major in the Nauvoo Legion. My Father, Clarence Moss, served in World War II. My brother , Erwin, served in Korea. I and two of my brothers, David and Mike, served in the Utah National Guard. I have two sons, Ken and Dennis, that served also in the Utah National Guard. My son, Ken, retired from full time service recently.
I enlisted in the Utah National Guard right out of high school at the tail end of the Korean War. I served 5 years of active duty and retired from the military in 1987 with 32 years of reserve and active duty time. The last 17 years of my service was as a military LDS chaplain. After my retirement, I was called back to active duty during the Gulf war and served for over a year, establishing nine (9) family assistance centers in Utah to take care of the financial, social, and legal needs of families who had a family member serving in Desert Storm.
I love this country. I love heroes.
My father was a hero to me. I hope I can adequately honor his name. In the Book of Mormon, Captain Moroni was one of my heroes. He declared on the Title of Liberty, In defense of "our wives and children, our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace.
I relate to Mormon. He led the army at age 16. I enlisted at 18. He fought his last battle at 74. I am presently almost 74.
The early patriots of our country are heroes of mine. I could talk of many, but I will limit my remarks to three:
THOMAS JEFFERSON: Author of the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE: He declared boldly, at threat of being hanged for saying it: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.:
PATRICK HENRY on the floor of the Virginia House of Burgesses—IS LIFE SO DEAR OR PEACE SO SWEET AS TO BE PURCHASED AT THE PRICE OF CHAINS AND SLAVERY. FORBID IT, ALMIGHTY GOD. I KNOW NOT WHAT COURSE OTHERS MAY TAKE, BUT AS FOR ME, GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH.
NATHAN HALE: standing on the gallows in the British camp, a noose around his neck, about to be hanged as a spy for George Washington, "MY ONLY REGRET IS THAT I HAVE BUT ONE LIFE TO GIVE FOR MY COUNTRY."
I believe that without question, our founding fathers were raised up by Heavenly Father to lay the groundwork for this great republic. I believe that Heavenly Father chose them from the Noble and Great Ones in the pre-earth life and they were sent to earth at that time for that specific purpose.
On September 16, 1877, Wilford Woodruff, spoke in the Tabernacle concerning the importance of redeeming the dead. At the conclusion of his talk he related that the signers of the Declaration of Independence had recently come to him saying, "You have had the use of the Endowment House for a number of years, and yet nothing has ever been done for us. We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we remained true to it and were faithful to God."
His August 21st journal entry of the same year reads: "I … went to the Temple of the Lord this morning and was Baptized for 100 persons who were dead including the signers of the Declaration of Independence…. When Br McAllister had Baptized me for the 100 Names I Baptized him for 21, including Gen Washington & his forefathers and all the Presidents of the United States that were not in my list except Buchanan Van Buren &Grant. Sister Lucy Bigelow Young went forth into the font and was Baptized for Martha Washington and her family and seventy of the Eminent women of the world."
His journal entries speak not only to the baptism of the Declaration of Independence signers, but that George Washington, John Wesley and Christopher Columbus were all ordained as High Priests. On March 19, 1894, he recorded a dream: "I met with Benjamin Franklin….. I spent several hours with him and talked over our Endowments. He wanted some more work done for him than had been done which I promised him."
We are blessed to live in a land prepared by God where our moral agency is nurtured by the arms of our Constitution.
PRESIDENT HINCKLEY AMONISHED US AS A PEOPLE TO "speak up for moral standards in a world where filth, sleaze, pornography and their whole evil brood are seeping over us in a flood."
It is up to us, in these troubled times as we honor to remember the sacrifices made then and teach our children of the divine direction received as this country was created and built to be one nation under God.
Edmund Burke, a member of the British House of Commons, who supported the American colonies in their initial struggle against King George, once said, "all that is necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.
I came from a military family. My great-grandfather John D. T. McAllister was a major in the Nauvoo Legion. My Father, Clarence Moss, served in World War II. My brother , Erwin, served in Korea. I and two of my brothers, David and Mike, served in the Utah National Guard. I have two sons, Ken and Dennis, that served also in the Utah National Guard. My son, Ken, retired from full time service recently.
I enlisted in the Utah National Guard right out of high school at the tail end of the Korean War. I served 5 years of active duty and retired from the military in 1987 with 32 years of reserve and active duty time. The last 17 years of my service was as a military LDS chaplain. After my retirement, I was called back to active duty during the Gulf war and served for over a year, establishing nine (9) family assistance centers in Utah to take care of the financial, social, and legal needs of families who had a family member serving in Desert Storm.
I love this country. I love heroes.
My father was a hero to me. I hope I can adequately honor his name. In the Book of Mormon, Captain Moroni was one of my heroes. He declared on the Title of Liberty, In defense of "our wives and children, our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace.
I relate to Mormon. He led the army at age 16. I enlisted at 18. He fought his last battle at 74. I am presently almost 74.
The early patriots of our country are heroes of mine. I could talk of many, but I will limit my remarks to three:
THOMAS JEFFERSON: Author of the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE: He declared boldly, at threat of being hanged for saying it: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.:
PATRICK HENRY on the floor of the Virginia House of Burgesses—IS LIFE SO DEAR OR PEACE SO SWEET AS TO BE PURCHASED AT THE PRICE OF CHAINS AND SLAVERY. FORBID IT, ALMIGHTY GOD. I KNOW NOT WHAT COURSE OTHERS MAY TAKE, BUT AS FOR ME, GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH.
NATHAN HALE: standing on the gallows in the British camp, a noose around his neck, about to be hanged as a spy for George Washington, "MY ONLY REGRET IS THAT I HAVE BUT ONE LIFE TO GIVE FOR MY COUNTRY."
I believe that without question, our founding fathers were raised up by Heavenly Father to lay the groundwork for this great republic. I believe that Heavenly Father chose them from the Noble and Great Ones in the pre-earth life and they were sent to earth at that time for that specific purpose.
On September 16, 1877, Wilford Woodruff, spoke in the Tabernacle concerning the importance of redeeming the dead. At the conclusion of his talk he related that the signers of the Declaration of Independence had recently come to him saying, "You have had the use of the Endowment House for a number of years, and yet nothing has ever been done for us. We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we remained true to it and were faithful to God."
His August 21st journal entry of the same year reads: "I … went to the Temple of the Lord this morning and was Baptized for 100 persons who were dead including the signers of the Declaration of Independence…. When Br McAllister had Baptized me for the 100 Names I Baptized him for 21, including Gen Washington & his forefathers and all the Presidents of the United States that were not in my list except Buchanan Van Buren &Grant. Sister Lucy Bigelow Young went forth into the font and was Baptized for Martha Washington and her family and seventy of the Eminent women of the world."
His journal entries speak not only to the baptism of the Declaration of Independence signers, but that George Washington, John Wesley and Christopher Columbus were all ordained as High Priests. On March 19, 1894, he recorded a dream: "I met with Benjamin Franklin….. I spent several hours with him and talked over our Endowments. He wanted some more work done for him than had been done which I promised him."
We are blessed to live in a land prepared by God where our moral agency is nurtured by the arms of our Constitution.
PRESIDENT HINCKLEY AMONISHED US AS A PEOPLE TO "speak up for moral standards in a world where filth, sleaze, pornography and their whole evil brood are seeping over us in a flood."
It is up to us, in these troubled times as we honor to remember the sacrifices made then and teach our children of the divine direction received as this country was created and built to be one nation under God.
Edmund Burke, a member of the British House of Commons, who supported the American colonies in their initial struggle against King George, once said, "all that is necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.
SO YOU WANT TO BE A SPEAKER
It has been said that every speaker gives three talks: the talk he prepared, the talk he gives, and the talk he wished he had given. To consolidate these three talks into one fabulous presentation, I would offer the following suggestions.
1) Your preparation.
Some of your best preparation is to be observant. Take a keen interest in life and the people you meet. Keep your senses sharp as you observe the drama of your ever-changing life.
Keep abreast of what is happening around you. Read everything positive you can get your hands on. This will help you be a conversationalist. What is happening in your community? Who is in the news? What is happening now that will influence the future. What has happened in the past that has an influence on the people of today. You can observe the negative as well as the positive—but be careful you don’t bite into the negative things that are happening. Jim Rohn says to "keep up your interest in people. Why do they do what they do?"
Be fascinated by the people around you. Observe the drama of life—not in black and white but in glorious color and 3D. Not only will you observe what is happening around you, but you will want to know why it is happening and how it happens. Be like a child, curious, asking questions, observing everything around you with eyes and ears open wide!
As you meet people, put a smile on your face. Someone once told the story of Babe Ruth. He was called the "home-run king" but he was also the strike-out king. But even when he struck out he came back to the bench with a smile on his face and a wave to the crowd. People loved him. He was asked why he smiled when he struck out. He answered, "I’m just that much closer to my next home run. Just stick around. It won’t be long. One will be sailing over the fence." What is your attitude? How fascinated are you with your life and of those around you. We all know that nothing works every time. Even positive thinking is not a guarantee of success. But if you approach every task with a smile your day and your ability to interact with others improves. As that improves, your ability to speak automatically improves with it.
All of us get frustrated at times, whether at work, play, or even our attempts at influencing an audience through speaking. If you are feeling frustrated, ask yourself; "What happened? I thought I would do better than that." Get excited about what you did, even if it fell flat. Make the necessary corrective steps and try again. I’m not sure I even like the word "try." It would be better to say, "Do it again." I love that segment in Star Wars where Luke Skywalker says to Yoda, "I’ll try." Think of Yoda’s response: "Try! Try! There is no try. Only do! Do!"
Just as you are sometimes frustrated, others are frustrated also. Observe the drama in others—their frustration, their joy, their sorrows, their happiness. Be sensitive to others’ needs. Your sensitivity will give you huge food for your speaking. Do your best to understand where people are coming from. Walk in their shoes for awhile.
Jim Rohn says, "Don’t be lazy in preparing; don’t be lazy in laying the groundwork that will make all of the difference in how your presentation turns out."
2) Your presentation
Now that you have done all of the preparation, your next step is to step in front of that audience and grab their attention. "Come out punching!" Get your audience’s attention. Don’t waste time with trivialities. Get right to your subject. Make a startling statement. Stand on your head. Do something that will get them in sync with you.
Know your audience. What are they there for? What do they want to learn from you? If you are the expert, show it! Make each segment of your talk answer the question: "Who Cares?" This will help you say something of value to your audience.
Use humor if appropriate. Don’t tell a joke for the joke’s sake. Your humor must fit you and your topic. Go for laughs that naturally come from your content. Avoid old, tired jokes. Avoid shady jokes. Listen to yourself as you watch you in the mirror. Does the joke add to your presentation, or should it be cut. Be brutally honest with yourself.
Use an outline format to organize your material. Most speakers put their presentation in three parts.
a) Tell them what you are going to tell them.
b) Tell them.
c) Tell them what you told them.
Such a presentation has a beginning, a middle, and an end. It is a great structure which will help you the speaker—but it also will help the audience understand. Keep your outline simple. Say what you want to say, in the way you want to say it, in the time you are allowed to say it, and your audience will benefit.
.
1) Your preparation.
Some of your best preparation is to be observant. Take a keen interest in life and the people you meet. Keep your senses sharp as you observe the drama of your ever-changing life.
Keep abreast of what is happening around you. Read everything positive you can get your hands on. This will help you be a conversationalist. What is happening in your community? Who is in the news? What is happening now that will influence the future. What has happened in the past that has an influence on the people of today. You can observe the negative as well as the positive—but be careful you don’t bite into the negative things that are happening. Jim Rohn says to "keep up your interest in people. Why do they do what they do?"
Be fascinated by the people around you. Observe the drama of life—not in black and white but in glorious color and 3D. Not only will you observe what is happening around you, but you will want to know why it is happening and how it happens. Be like a child, curious, asking questions, observing everything around you with eyes and ears open wide!
As you meet people, put a smile on your face. Someone once told the story of Babe Ruth. He was called the "home-run king" but he was also the strike-out king. But even when he struck out he came back to the bench with a smile on his face and a wave to the crowd. People loved him. He was asked why he smiled when he struck out. He answered, "I’m just that much closer to my next home run. Just stick around. It won’t be long. One will be sailing over the fence." What is your attitude? How fascinated are you with your life and of those around you. We all know that nothing works every time. Even positive thinking is not a guarantee of success. But if you approach every task with a smile your day and your ability to interact with others improves. As that improves, your ability to speak automatically improves with it.
All of us get frustrated at times, whether at work, play, or even our attempts at influencing an audience through speaking. If you are feeling frustrated, ask yourself; "What happened? I thought I would do better than that." Get excited about what you did, even if it fell flat. Make the necessary corrective steps and try again. I’m not sure I even like the word "try." It would be better to say, "Do it again." I love that segment in Star Wars where Luke Skywalker says to Yoda, "I’ll try." Think of Yoda’s response: "Try! Try! There is no try. Only do! Do!"
Just as you are sometimes frustrated, others are frustrated also. Observe the drama in others—their frustration, their joy, their sorrows, their happiness. Be sensitive to others’ needs. Your sensitivity will give you huge food for your speaking. Do your best to understand where people are coming from. Walk in their shoes for awhile.
Jim Rohn says, "Don’t be lazy in preparing; don’t be lazy in laying the groundwork that will make all of the difference in how your presentation turns out."
2) Your presentation
Now that you have done all of the preparation, your next step is to step in front of that audience and grab their attention. "Come out punching!" Get your audience’s attention. Don’t waste time with trivialities. Get right to your subject. Make a startling statement. Stand on your head. Do something that will get them in sync with you.
Know your audience. What are they there for? What do they want to learn from you? If you are the expert, show it! Make each segment of your talk answer the question: "Who Cares?" This will help you say something of value to your audience.
Use humor if appropriate. Don’t tell a joke for the joke’s sake. Your humor must fit you and your topic. Go for laughs that naturally come from your content. Avoid old, tired jokes. Avoid shady jokes. Listen to yourself as you watch you in the mirror. Does the joke add to your presentation, or should it be cut. Be brutally honest with yourself.
Use an outline format to organize your material. Most speakers put their presentation in three parts.
a) Tell them what you are going to tell them.
b) Tell them.
c) Tell them what you told them.
Such a presentation has a beginning, a middle, and an end. It is a great structure which will help you the speaker—but it also will help the audience understand. Keep your outline simple. Say what you want to say, in the way you want to say it, in the time you are allowed to say it, and your audience will benefit.
.
Friday, November 16, 2007
I was just reading this evening about the Espesso machine by On Demand Books, a company co-founded by former Random House editorial director Jason Epstein. This machin can print and bind a paperback book in 4 minutes. When this thing is operational, it will be able to produce a book at about a penny a page. WOW! We have had printing on demand (POD) for some time, but this takes the cake. If you wanted one copy of a book, it will do the cover and all of the pages simultaneously and then put it together, trim it, and put the cover on.
This could revolutionize the book-publishing industry.
This could revolutionize the book-publishing industry.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
