Brave Heart

Let’s talk about a virtue I always admire…

“Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.”
– Winston Churchill

“Conscience is the root of all true courage; if a man would be brave let him obey his conscience.” 
– James Freeman Clarke

Courage is defined, in one of the online dictionary, as: “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear.”

And it can be divided into 2 forms: moral and physical.

Moral Courage is defined as ”the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, or discouragement.”

Oh Lord, be my COURAGE!!

Courageous men are usually referred to as lion-hearted and Jesus, as the Lion of Judah must be the bravest of them all.

65 Position

For the past 2 days, the no 65 had been showing up in my face with uncanny frequency. Could it be the sign from God? Not that I’m trying to be “charismatic” here, but it could just be… 

You crown the year with your bounty,
       and your carts overflow with abundance.   

Psalm 65:11 (NIV)

Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.

Psalm 65:11 (KJV)

You crown the year with Your bounty and goodness, and the tracks of Your [chariot wheels] drip with fatness.

Psalm 65:11 (Amp)

You crown the year with a bountiful harvest;
      even the hard pathways overflow with abundance

Psalm 65:11 (NLT)

You crown the year with Your goodness,
         And Your paths drip with abundance.

Psalm 65:11 (NKJ)

This is the verse that I have highlighted in my Bible for Psalm 65. Could it just be what God is trying to tell me? I certainly hope so… and Bible hope never fails.

To me it shall be… Amen!!

A Bountiful Harvest for me?

Saving Grace

But I pray to you, O LORD,
       in the time of Your favor;
       in Your great love, O God,
       answer me with Your sure salvation.

  Rescue me from the mire,
       do not let me sink;
       deliver me from those who hate me,
       from the deep waters.

 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
       or the depths swallow me up
       or the pit close its mouth over me.

Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love;
       in your great mercy turn to me.

(Psalms 69 13:16)

It is written”… a groan would reach His throne.” What about a blog entry? Does God read our blogs up there? I hope He does…

Trivials of Life

On wrinkles: Apparently, some  people think celebrities do not age like the rest of the world. Why? Just recently,  a local actress in her 40s, was on the receiving end of some unflattering comments from TV fans all because they could see her wrinkles on screen. Duh…? If a woman in her 40s is not “allowed” to have wrinkles, then what?!   

Wrinkles are a sign of wisdom… not necessarily proof of it.

On Michael Jackson: All of a sudden, everybody is a MJ fan now. Never mind if many of them have never even heard of “Billie Jean”, yet knows about every sordid details of his scandals. To be honest, I’m never a fan of MJ and didn’t really care much about him. But I do hope he is doing fine in Heaven… at least there is a good Father up there.

A more handsome and natural-looking MJ.

On Man City: It is one thing for a football club to splurge some of their new-found wealth on players, it is quite another to spend all that on 10 strikers!! City must realize they are no Real Madrid, and indeed they aren’t, not even Real would be that foolish to throw money for 10 Cristiano Ronaldos, and those strikers aren’t even in the same league to begin with…

City, a real-life example of someone playing too much of ”Championship Manager”.

On motivation speakers: In the name of “unleashing my potential”, I had walked on burning coals, broke some wooden boards with bare hands, squeezed on a tiny piece of newspapers with 30 people and even shouted myself hoarse in an attempt to convince my trainer that I AM motivation (hmm.. and I thought it was THEIR job). Honestly, I thought the PTIs back in my army days did a far better job at that.

In need of some motivation, anyone?

Save of the Day!!

Came across these 2 interesting pictures…

No matter how the devil shoots…

….Jesus SAVES!!

 

Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare
       and from the deadly pestilence.

  He will cover you with his feathers,
       and under His wings you will find refuge;
       His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

 You will not fear the terror of night,
       nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
       nor the plague that destroys at midday.

 (Psalms 93 3:6)

Golden Oldies

Michael Owen, in England colours.

I was incredulous when I read that some Liverpool fans actually think of Michael Owen as a “traitor” after his move to Manchester United.

Hmm… if my memories served me well, it WAS Liverpool that sold him to Real Madrid in the first place. And when he wanted out with the Galacticos, which club came forward to rescue him from his miseries in Spain? Not his beloved Liverpool but Newcastle United. 

After Newcastle was relegated, and with Owen looking for a  club to resurrect his career, Liverpool was once again presented with a chance to re-sign one of their living legend, for free. But again, they passed it. 

Despite being one of the most prolific striker of the country,  Owen was facing the prospect of signing for clubs like Hull City. No disrepect to them, but we all know it’s not exactly the best move for his international career. 

It was not a problem that Liverpool didn’t want to risk re-signing him, but it is not his fault either for grabbing the chance to join a club like Manchester United. 

I never expect I would ever be writing anything for Owen. But in life, you just never know. Despite his age and his reputation for injuries, I have a good feeling that he would turn out to be a success at Old Trafford.  

Just think Teddy Sheringham and Henrik Larsson.

 

Best Ever!!

 

Federer, looking good in his “Wimbledon suit”.

It is official now: Roger Federer is THE greatest tennis player (men) of all time. He has now won every Grand Slam there is and has won more of them than anybody.

It was just a year ago that the naysayers were proclaiming the decline of Federer’s career. 2 final losses to Rafael Nadal, the relinquishing of his World No 1 ranking to the same guy and winning “only” the US Open, he has lost much of his aura of invincibility.  

Things didn’t seem to improve at the beginning of this year when he suffered yet another defeat by Nadal in the Australian Open final. He broke down in tears and we were left wondering would he ever see his glory days again. 

But now, with 15 Grand Slams under his belt (and counting..) and regaining his World No 1 ranking again, Federer has made his return to the summit of tennis.   

        

Roddick, playing the game of his life at the Wimbledon final.

But Andy Roddick certainly didn’t make it easy for Federer. 

In the absence of  Nadal, the American proved to be more than a worthy opponent, pushing the Swiss ace all the way in the gruelling 5 hours final. But even in defeat, he has won everyone’s respect with his tremendous fighting spirit.

Nadal might not have done better.

But at the end of it, it was still Roger Federer’s moment and he certainly would not be denied!