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Perspective
Facts
Facts are to be reckoned as true
even if we
don’t “feel” that they are. For example
you get up and look at the sun and
say
“The sun rose this morning.” But we know that the sun didn’t rise; rather
the earth rotated into the plane of the sun’s light. We have learned to accept
this as a fact
even though our feelings indicate otherwise. ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Perspective
A parent once described how her three
children would respond to a spider web in the garden. The first child would
examine the web and wonder how the spider wove it. The second would worry a
great deal about where the spider was. And the third would exclaim
“Oh
look!
A trampoline!”
There was only one spider web in the garden
only one reality. But how differently it can be perceived and understood. ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Perspective
To the poet
a pearl is a teardrop of the
sea or a drop of dew
solidified. To the ladies
it is a jewel they can wear on
their finger
neck
or ear. To the chemist
it is a mixture of phosphate and
carbonate of lime with a little gelatin. To the naturalist
it is simply a
morbid secretion of the organ that among certain bivalves produces
mother-of-pearl. To a believer
a pearl is a marvel in God’s creation. ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Perspective
The Texas Driver’s Handbook has a drawing
that helps illustrate the fact that the faster the pace of life
the less
perspective one can achieve.
When not moving
a driver enjoys a field of
vision of 180 degrees or more. At 20 m.p.h. the field of vision is reduced by
approximately two-thirds. At 40 m.p.h. the field of vision is further reduced
by two-fifths. And at 60 m.p.h. the field of vision is barely wider than the
width of the beams of the headlights. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Perspective
When the soldiers of Israel saw Goliath
they thought to themselves
“He is so big that we can never kill him.” When
David saw Goliath
he thought to himself
“He is so big that I cannot miss
him.” ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Perspective
The importance of choosing to think
positively was captured by the owner of a doughnut shop when he put this
roadside sign in front of his shop:
When along life’s journey you roll
Keep your eye on the doughnut and not on the
hole. ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Perspective
A canny Maine farmer was approached by a
stranger one day and asked how much he thought his prize Jersey cow was worth.
The farmer thought for a moment
looked the stranger over
then asked: “Are you
the tax assessor or has she just been killed by your car?” ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Presuppositions
A certain mental patient was convinced that
he was dead
so he was committed to the care of a psychiatrist. The
psychiatrist had the man read an anatomy book and watch films to show him that
dead men do not bleed. Then he took him into a room full of cadavers
where the
man saw for himself that dead men do not bleed. “All right
I’m convinced
dead
men don’t bleed
” he said.
Then the doctor took a pin and poked the
man
and a tiny drop of blood appeared. “Well
what do you know
” the man
responded. “Dead men do bleed after all.” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Presuppositions
Every period of intellectual history has
some dogma which is regarded at the time not as dogma
but merely as what is
evident.— James Cornman
An airline pilot flying over the
southeastern U.S. called the local tower and said
"We are passing over at
35
000--give us a time check." The tower said
"What airline are
you?" "What difference does it make? I just want the time."
replied the pilot. The tower responded
"Oh
it makes a lot of difference.
If you are TransWorld Airline or Pan Am
it is 1600. If you are United or
Delta
it is 4 o'clock. If you are Southern Airways
the little hand is on the
4 and the big hand is on the 12. If you are Skyway Airlines--it's Thursday."
Peter Dieson
The Priority of
Knowing God
p.91.
To: Jesus
Son of Joseph
Woodcrafter's Carpenter Shop
Nazareth 25922
From: Jordan Management Consultants
Dear Sir:
Thank you for submitting the resumes
of the twelve men you have picked for managerial positions in your new
organization. All of them have now taken our battery of tests; and we have not
only run the results through our computer
but also arranged personal
interviews for each of them with our psychologist and vocational aptitude
consultant.
The profiles of all tests are
included
and you will want to study each of them carefully.
As part of our service
we make some
general comments for your guidance
much as an auditor will include some
general statements. This is given as a result of staff consultation
and comes
without any additional fee.
It is the staff opinion that most of
your nominees are lacking in background
education and vocational aptitude for
the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept.
We would recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience in
managerial ability and proven capability.
Simon Peter is emotionally unstable
and given to fits of temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership.
The two brothers
James and John
the sons of Zebedee
place personal interest
above company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would
tend to undermine morale. We feel that it is our duty to tell you that Matthew
had been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau; James
the son of Alphaeus
and Thaddaeus definitely have radical leanings
and they
both registered a high score on the manic-depressive scale.
One of the candidates
however
shows
great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness
meets people well
has a keen business mind
and has contacts in high places. He is highly
motivated
ambitious
and responsible. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your
controller and right-hand man. All of the other profiles are self-explanatory.
We wish you every success in your new
venture.
Sincerely
Jordan Management Consultants
Tim Hansel
Eating Problems for
Breakfast
Word Publishing
1988
pp. 194-195.
If the only tool you have is a hammer
you tend to see every problem as a nail.
Abraham Maslow quoted in Eating
Problems for Breakfast by Tim Hansel
Word Publishing
1988
p. 54.
"It is a popular conception that
to make rapid fundamental progress it is only necessary to concentrate large
quantities of men and money on a problem
" said Charles Kettering.
"Years ago when we were
developing the first electrically operated cash register I ran into this type
of thinking. My boss was going to Europe and wanted the job finished before he
took off. 'Give Kettering twice as many men so he can finish it up in half the
time.' When I objected to this idea
he asked
'Why can't you? If 10 men can
dig 10 rods of ditch in a day
then surely 20 men can dig 20 rods.'
"I replied
'Do you think if one
hen can hatch a setting of eggs in three weeks
two hens can hatch a setting in
a week and a half? This is more a job of hatching eggs than digging ditches.
Bits & Pieces
April 28
1994
p. 16.
Baseball pitcher Tug McGraw had a
wonderful philosophy of pitching. He called it his "frozen snowball"
theory. "If I come in to pitch with the bases loaded
" Tug
explained
" and heavy hitter Willie Stargell is at bat
there's no reason
I want to throw the ball. But eventually I have to pitch. So I remind myself
that in a few billion years the earth will become a frozen snowball hurtling
through space
and nobody's going to care what Willie Stargell did with the
based loaded!"
Our Daily Bread
July 26
1994.
Once there was an old man who lived in
a tiny village. Although poor
he was envied by all
for he owned a beautiful
white horse. Even the king coveted his treasure. A horse like this had never
been seen before -- such was its splendor
its majesty
its strength.
People offered fabulous prices for the
steed
but the old man always refused. "This horse is not a horse to
me
" he would tell them. "It is a person. How could you sell a
person? He is a friend
not a possession. How could you sell a friend?"
The man was poor and the temptation was great. But he never sold the horse.
One morning he found that the horse
was not in the stable. All the village came to see him. "You old
fool
" they scoffed
"we told you that someone would steal your
horse. We warned you that you would be robbed. You are so poor. How could you
ever hope to protect such a valuable animal? It would have been better to have
sold him. You could have gotten whatever price you wanted. No amount would have
been too high. Now the horse is gone
and you've been cursed with
misfortune."
The old man responded
"Don't
speak too quickly. Say only that the horse is not in the stable. That is all we
know; the rest is judgment. If I've been cursed or not
how can you know? How
can you judge?"
The people contested
"Don't make
us out to be fools! We may not be philosophers
but great philosophy is not
needed. The simple fact is that your horse is gone is a curse."
The old man spoke again. "All I
know is that the stable is empty
and the horse is gone. The rest I don't know.
Whether it be a curse or a blessing
I can't say. All we can see is a fragment.
Who can say what will come next?"
The people of the village laughed.
They thought that the man was crazy. They had always thought he was a fool; if
he wasn't
he would have sold the horse and lived off the money. But instead
he was a poor woodcutter
an old man still cutting firewood and dragging it out
of the forest and selling it. he lived hand to mouth in the misery of poverty.
Now he had proven that he was
indeed
a fool.
After fifteen days
the horse
returned. He hadn't been stolen; he had run away into the forest. Not only had
he returned
he had brought a dozen wild horses with him. Once again the
village people gathered around the woodcutter and spoke. "Old man
you
were right and we were wrong. What we thought was a curse was a blessing.
Please forgive us."
The man responded
"Once again
you go too far. Say only that the horse is back. State only that a dozen horses
returned with him
but don't judge. How do you know if this is a blessing or
not? You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story
how can you
judge? You read only one page of a book. Can you judge the whole book? You read
only one word of a phrase. Can you understand the entire phrase?
"Life is so vast
yet you judge
all of life with one page or one word. All you have is a fragment! Don't say
that this is a blessing. No one knows. I am content with what I know. I am not
perturbed by what I don't."
"Maybe the old man is
right
" they said to one another. So they said little. But down deep
they
knew he was wrong. They knew it was a blessing. Twelve wild horses had returned
with one horse. With a little bit of work
the animals could be broken and
trained and sold for much money.
The old man had a son
an only son.
The young man began to break the wild horses. After a few days
he fell from
one of the horses and broke both legs. Once again the villagers gathered around
the old man and cast their judgments.
"You were right
" they said.
"You proved you were right. The dozen horses were not a blessing. They
were a curse. Your only son has broken his legs
and now in your old age you
have no one to help you. Now you are poorer than ever."
The old man spoke again. "You
people are obsessed with judging. Don't go so far. Say only that my son broke
his legs. Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse? No one knows. We only have
a fragment. Life comes in fragments."
It so happened that a few weeks later
the country engaged in war against a neighboring country. All the young men of
the village were required to join the army. Only the son of the old man was
excluded
because he was injured. Once again the people gathered around the old
man
crying and screaming because their sons had been taken. There was little
chance that they would return. The enemy was strong
and the war would be a
losing struggle. They would never see their sons again.
"You were right
old man
"
they wept. "God knows you were right. This proves it. Your son's accident
was a blessing. His legs may be broken
but at least he is with you. Our sons
are gone forever."
The old man spoke again. "It is
impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. No one knows. Say
only this: Your sons had to go to war
and mine did not. No one knows if it is
a blessing or a curse. No one is wise enough to know. Only God knows."
Max Lucado
In the Eye of the Storm
Word Publishing
1991
pp. 144-147.
It's something like what Coach John
McKay of USC said to his team after they had been humiliated 51-0 by Notre
Dame. McKay came into the locker room and saw a group of beaten worn-out and
thoroughly depressed young football players who were not accustomed to losing.
He stood up on a bench and said
"Men
let's keep this in perspective.
There are 800 million Chinese who don't even know this game was played."
That's what you call perspective.
Steve Farrar
Family Survival in
the American Jungle
1991
Multnomah Press
p. 40.
A Different View
After all - it's just how you look at
things. A man was driving in the country one day and he saw an old man sitting
on a fence rail watching the cars go by. Stopping to pass the time of day
the
traveler said
"I never could stand living out here. You don't see
anything
and I'm sure you don't travel like I do. I'm on the go all the
time."
The old man on the fence looked down
at the stranger and drawled
"I can't see much difference in what I'm
doing and what you're doing. I sit on the fence and watch the autos go by and
you sit in your auto and watch the fences go by. It's just the way you look at
things."
Source Unknown.
Wherever you may be in the Northern
Hemisphere
bathtub water will form a vortex as it goes down the drain --
almost always spinning in a counterclockwise direction. But in the Southern
Hemisphere
the bath water will spin in a clockwise direction as it runs away.
One in a few centers of population where the tub's plughole is directly on the
equator
such as Nanuki in Kenya
will the water run away twisting as often one
way as the other or forming no vortex at all.
Magnus Pyke
Butter Side Up!
Sterling.
Dear Abby: Our son was married
January. Five months later his wife had a ten-pound baby girl. They said the
baby was premature. Tell me
can a baby this big be that early? -- Wondering
Dear Wondering: The baby was on time
the wedding was late. Forget it.
From Dear Abby.
Get the right perspective. When
Goliath came against the Israelites
the soldiers all thought
"He's so
big we can never kill him." David looked at the same giant and though
"He's so big I can't miss."
God Can Make It Happen (Victor).
How Do You Look at It?
A shoe manufacturer who decided to
open the Congo market sent two salesmen to the undeveloped territory. One
salesman cabled back: "Prospect here nil. No one wears shoes." The
other salesman reported enthusiastically
"Market potential terrific!
Everyone is barefooted."
Source Unknown.
Dear Mom and Dad
Just thought I'd drop you a note to
clue you in on my plans. I've fallen in love with a guy called Jim. He quit
high school after grade eleven to get married. About a year ago he got a
divorce.
We've been going steady for two months
and plan to get married in the fall. Until then
I've decided to move into his
apartment (I think I might be pregnant).
At any rate
I dropped out of school
last week
although I'd like to finish college sometime in the future. (On the
next page the letter continued)
Mom and Dad
I just want you to know
that everything I've written so far in this letter is false. NONE of it is
true. But
Mom and Dad
it IS true that I got a C- in French and flunked my
math class... and it IS true that I'm going to need some more money for my
tuition payments.
Failure can sound like success. It
just depends on the perspective. The measuring device we use to evaluate our
success or failure is often more important than the success or failure
for to
a large extent
it determines that success or failure.
Source Unknown.
Once the Devil was walking along with
one of his cohorts. They saw a man ahead of them pick up something shiny.
"What did he find?" asked the cohort.
"A piece of the
truth
" the Devil replied.
"Doesn't it bother you that he
found a piece of the truth?" asked the cohort.
"No
" said the Devil
"I will see to it that he makes a religion out of it."
Klyne Snodgrass
Between Two Truths
- Living with Biblical Tensions
1990
Zondervan Publishing House
p. 35.
To please his father a freshman went
out for track. He had no athletic ability
though the father had been a good
miler in his day. His first race was a two-man race in which he ran against the
school miler. He was badly beaten. Not wanting to disappoint his father
the
boy wrote home as follows: "You will be happy to know that I ran against
Bill Williams
the best miler in school. He came in next to last
while I came
in second."
Bits & Pieces
September 17
1992
p.
12.
When the other person acts that way
he's ugly...
When you do it
its nerves.
When she's set in her ways she's
obstinate...
When you are
it's just firmness.
When he doesn't like your friends
he's prejudiced...
When you don't like his
you're
showing good judgment.
When she tries to be accommodating
she's apple-polishing..
When you do it
you're using tact.
When he takes time to do things
he's
dead slow...
When you take ages
you are
deliberate.
When she picks flaws
she's cranky...
When you do it
you're discriminating.
Anonymous
Christopher News Notes
June 1992.
A young couple rented a vacation
cottage for a week. One afternoon the husband looked out a window at the
swimming pool and exclaimed
"Let's change our clothes and go get some
exercise!" His wife
who was washing the dishes in the kitchen and looking
out the window watching some people play tennis
quickly agreed. While she
dressed for a tennis match
he put on his swimming trunks. The window a person
chooses to look out at the world often determines that individual's perception
of reality.
Lyle Schaller
Activating the
Passive Church
p. 19.
There's a charming story that Thomas
Wheeler
CEO of the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company
tells on
himself.
He and his wife were driving along an
interstate highway when he noticed that their car was low on gas. Wheeler got
off the highway at the next exit and soon found a rundown gas station with just
one gas pump. He asked the lone attendant to fill the tank and check the oil
then went for a little walk around the station to stretch his legs.
As he was returning to the car
he
noticed that the attendant and his wife were engaged in an animated
conversation. The conversation stopped as he paid the attendant. But as he was
getting back into the car
he saw the attendant wave and heard him say
"It was great talking to you."
As they drove out of the station
Wheeler asked his wife if she knew the man. She readily admitted she did. They
had gone to high school together and had dated steadily for about a year.
"Boy
were you lucky that I came
along
" bragged Wheeler.
"If you had married him
you'd be
the wife of a gas station attendant instead of the wife of a chief executive
officer."
"My dear
" replied his wife
"if I had married him
he'd be
the chief executive officer and you'd
be the gas station attendant."
Bits and Pieces
January 9
1992
pp. 3
& 4.
When I think of perspective I am often
reminded of a conversation between me and my son in the summer he turned four.
That spring Mark had asked for a spot in the family garden to call his own. He
turned the soil
broke the clumps
and planted his favorite vegetable--corn.
Toward the middle of July
Mark was concerned that his corn was not growing
fast enough. I tried to reassure him that the corn was doing just fine by
quoting him the familiar benchmark used by farmers
"...knee high by the
fourth of July."
My lesson came with his retort:
"My knees or yours?"
Nicholas Mokelke
Bits and Pieces
September 19
1991
p. 2.
Two men looked out from prison bars.
One saw mud
one saw stars.
Source Unknown.
A canny Main farmer was approached by
a stranger one day and asked how much he thought his prize Jersey cow was
worth. The farmer thought for a moment
looked the stranger over
then said:
"Are you the tax assessor
or has she been killed by your car?"
Source Unknown.
In How Life Imitates the World
Series
Dave Bosewell tells a story about Earl Weaver
former manager of
the Baltimore Orioles. Sports fans will enjoy how he handled star Reggie
Jackson.
Weaver had a rule that no one could
steal a base unless given the steal sign. This upset Jackson because he felt he
knew the pitchers and catchers well enough to judge who he could and could not
steal off of. So one game he decided to steal without a sign.
He got a good jump off the pitcher and
easily beat the throw to second base. As he shook the dirt off his uniform
Jackson smiled with delight
feeling he had vindicated his judgment to his
manager.
Later Weaver took Jackson aside and
explained why he hadn't given the steal sign. First
the next batter was Lee
May
his best power hitter other than Jackson. When Jackson stole second
first
base was left open
so the other team walked May intentionally
taking the bat
out of his hands.
Second
the following batter hadn't
been strong against that pitcher
so Weaver felt he had to send up a pinch
hitter to try to drive in the men on base. That left Weaver without bench
strength later in the game when he needed it.
The problem was
Jackson saw only his
relationship to the pitcher and catcher. Weaver was watching the whole game.
We
too
see only so far
but God sees the bigger picture. When he sends us a
signal
it's wise to obey
no matter what we may think WE know.
Marty Masten.
When other people take a long time to
do something
they're slow; when we take a long time
we're thorough. When they
don't do something
they're lazy; when we don't
we're too busy. When they
succeed
they're lucky; when we do
we deserve it.
Bits and Pieces
November
1989
p. 16.
During WWII General Creighton Abrams
found himself and his troops surrounded on all sides. With characteristic
optimism
he told his officers
"For the first time in the history of this
campaign
we are now in a position to attack the enemy in any direction."
Source Unknown.
A young couple decided to start their
own business. He was an engineer and she was an advertising copywriter. They
wound up buying a small salmon cannery in Alaska. They soon discovered they had
a problem. Customers opening a can of their salmon discovered that the fish was
gray. Sales sagged. Investigation revealed that the problem was a result of the
way they processed the fish. "This is a technical problem
" said the
wife
"and you're an engineer. You have to find a way to fix this." A
month later
the husband announced that they would have to replace some
machinery and make other changes. It was going to take at least 10 months to do
the job and it was going to cost a lot of money.
"We have to do something sooner
than that
" said the wife
"or we're going to go under." For the
next two days she pondered the problem and came up with this solution: There
was nothing wrong with the salmon--it tasted fine. The problem lay in its
looks. So she changed the label on the can. In bold letters
right under the
brand name
the labels thereafter announced
"The only salmon guaranteed
not to turn pink in the can."
Bits and Pieces
June
1990
p. 9-10.
Perspective
like punctuation
makes a
vast difference in meaning: he is a young man yet experienced in vice and
wickedness he is never found in opposing the works of sin he takes delight in
the downfall of his neighbors he never rejoices in the prosperity of his
friends he is always ready to help in destroying the peace of society he takes
no pleasure in serving the Lord he is uncommonly active in spreading hatred
among his friends he takes no pride in helping to promote the cause of
Christianity he has never been careless in trying to tear down the church he
makes no effort to overcome his evil passions he strives hard to build up
Satan's kingdom he lends no aid to the support of the Gospel among heathen
people he contributes largely to the devil he will never go to heaven he must
go where he will receive his just reward
Source Unknown.
A man read an ad in the newspaper
"Hunting dog for sale
$2
500.00
but well worth it." He called the
number and the man told him that he had to see the dog in action. The next
morning they met and went hunting early. The dog flushed two birds from a clump
of bushes and when they fell into the water
he walked on top of the water
grabbed the birds
and walked back on top of the water. The man was amazed
and
bought the dog on the spot. The next day he persuaded his brother to go hunting
with him. They flushed a couple of birds and the dog again walked on top of the
water
retrieved the birds
and walked back to their boat on top of the
water.
He asked his brother what he thought
of the dog and the brother replied
"So
you bought a dog who can't
swim."
Source Unknown.