Archive for January 11th, 2009
Jesus Christ, King of the Jews
In 132 CE, Simon Bar Kosiba organized and led a large guerilla army in revolt against Roman occupation. He succeeded in actually throwing the Romans out of Jerusalem and Israel and establishing, although for only a brief period, an independent Jewish state.
Jewish accounts describe Simon Bar Kosiba as being a man of superior intelligence who possessed tremendous leadership abilities and incredible physical strength. His success caused many to believe that he came from the line of David. He was nicknamed “Bar Kochba” or “Son of Star,” an allusion to the Book of Numbers (24:17). In fact, he was actually proclaimed the long awaited Messiah of Israel by the Sanhedrin. Strangely, very few people know of him or have even heard of him today.
But there is another Jewish son we have heard of. He was born poor and, like Kosiba, was also of the family of David. He, however, fought no battles, was not known for His strength, and virtually ignored the politics of His times. He never attended college, starred in any movies, or won any awards. Yet, His personality has somehow been fused into the very soul and consciousness of humanity. More books have been written about Him, more changes have resulted because of Him, more conversation and controversy has taken place because of Him than any other figure in human history. In His name, the apostles conquered the world. For His sake, martyrs sacrificed their lives. He is like a portent moving through two thousand years of history touching lives. Jesus Christ, King of the Jews!
He was an exceptional teacher,
Had received the highest degree.
From the College of Life Experience
He earned his Ph.D.
He taught what it meant to live
A life of self-sacrifice.
He was totally devoted to others,
Though He paid an exorbitant price.
He was one solitary life who
From a grace procured from above,
Sacrificed so much of Himself
Motivated by nothing but love.
He was wholly and solely committed,
Honor bond to set men free.
So He died on Calvary’s cross that day,
To redeem all humanity.
Yes, He was indeed “The Teacher,”
And “The Teacher” He will forever be;
For none who lives or has died
Can compare to such as He.
Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach which can be reviewed on her site. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, is expected to be available in July.
You are welcome to visit AMEN Ministries: Your Soul’s Service Station for spiritual refreshing, soul edification or to browse our newly expanded mini shopping mall.
Blessings to all!
January 11th, 2009
Finding the Right Quotation for Your Paper or Speech Online
Imagine the applause, the appreciation, the pats on the back you’ll get after you’ve delivered your speech. The feeling is probably like…wow! This is the kind of ‘high’ you’re looking for. And you want to achieve this level of appreciation every time you deliver a speech, right?
No problem.
Your best bet is to ‘ice’ your cake with a lot of quotes from respectable figures. Simple, you say. Well, good quotes are pretty hard to come by, given the fact that most lame quotes available are from celebrities who are either high on one thing or the other. Good quotes you want to use for your speech should be of substance, something that makes perfect sense, suits the audience, suits the mood and suits your personality. Quoting Schwarzenegger for an English Language speech is nonsensical. One of the most powerful ways to add ‘punch’ or ‘oomph’ to your speech is to add some logical and quirky ‘quotes’ into your speech.
For example, Christian Nevell Bovee noted that if you don’t have the wits to write your own quotes, quote another. “Next to being witty yourself, the best thing is being able to quote another’s wit”. And what about this quote from the 28th U.S. President, “I not only use all the brains I have, but all that I can borrow”. Using quotes from others in your speech is like borrowing another person’s brains and wits.
A popular source of quotes is this website – http://www.quotationspage.com/. It doesn’t rank highly on Google for nothing. There are thousands upon thousands of quotes in there that you can sort by author or topic. For your speech, find the topic that you’re going to speaking about, type the keyword in and you’re on your way. Recently, http://www.quotationspage.com/ implemented a new tool whereby you can compile your favorite quotes into your own quotations page which is useful for those who uses quotes in their speeches consistently.
http://www.quoteland.com/ is another popular quotation website that has tons of quotes that you can use in your speech. And who can forget http://www.brainyquote.com/ when it comes to quotes for speeches? By far, http://www.brainyquote.com/ has the most extensive list of categories to choose from in terms of quotes for speeches. This makes searching for quotes very easy indeed.
Now after finding all the quirky and funny quotes you think you like, it’s time to slip it into sections of the speech that you think it will fit into. Don’t be hasty in choosing your speech quotes because you might want to save the best few for last. It’s good to end with a good quote from someone famous.
Woodrow Wilson, the 28th U.S. President, said, “I not only use all the brains I have, but all that I can borrow.”
Dakota Caudilla, journalist, and website builder Dakota Caudilla lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.daily-quotes.net on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.
January 11th, 2009