Weekly Thought - January 23, 2012
Fred attempted to capture everything he thought, or found of
interest in his reading and hearing. His
work pattern for most of his life was sleeping, waking up at 2, working until 5
and then either going for donuts on his motorcycle, or in later years, going
back to sleep. Consequently, there are
thousands and thousands of pieces of paper in BWF files.
The website (breakfastwithfred.com) now contains the Weekly
Thought archive from 2008. It is our aim
to continue mining the files in order to bring you fresh facets of Fred's
wisdom.
Thanks for your interest in Ron Glosser's book, The Genealogy of Friendship. Please email us for purchase information.
Oswald and Me
I find no difficulty in naming my most significant
book. It is Oswald Chambers' My Utmost For His Highest.
I have read it since December 1955 when Grant and Orean
Howard gave it to Mary Alice and me which started a chain of our gifting it to
others. My mentor and friend, Maxey
Jarman, wrote "I'll always be grateful for the introduction that you gave me to
Oswald Chambers." We plant seeds when we
give vital books; we see delightful and fruitful harvests from these gifts.
His thought has become part of my reflexive thought. As the mind of Christ transforms us, so do
the minds of our favorite authors. They
take up residence in us.
Let me give 5 key thoughts that influence my attitude toward
life given by Chambers.
1) Sit loose to things. Enjoy them, work for them, use them, but sit
loose to them.
2) Lust says I
must have it now. Psychiatrists tell
us the most common evidence of American immaturity is the inability to delay
gratification. Lust is refusing the
natural rhythm of life and failing to mature.
3) Scripture is
too often abused. Chambers says, "So
often we sharpen a verse of Scripture and jab another with it." I see those who
know chapter and verse use it to intimidate the less instructed.
4) If we do not
stand in small things, we will fail in the large. It is so easy to think we would be true and
courageous in the weighty matters when we are making exceptions to the
Christian code in smaller daily routines.
5) Go through
the white funeral. The physical
death is the black funeral, but the death self is the white funeral. Out of this comes the complete resurrection
of life, unhampered by the problems of human ego and self-righteousness.
My Utmost For His
Highest is not entertaining, nor even exciting ---- it is compelling.
This week think about: 1) What books influence me? 2) Who
has molded my thinking? 3) What book have I shared with others?
Words of Wisdom: "As the mind of Christ transforms us, so do
the minds of our favorite authors."
Wisdom from the Word: "Let
the wise also hear and
gain instruction ,and let
the discerning acquire guidance!" (Proverbs
1:5 NET Bible)
Oswald and Me
By Fred Smith
