"Where Friends Send Friends"

"Where Friends Send Friends"

Friday, December 25, 2009

Blessed is the season .....

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.
Hamilton Wright Mabie



Make it a great day!


Chris Spears
Ocala Fla.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

A Different Kind of Christmas Poem .......

A Different Kind of Christmas Poem


The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.


Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,Transforming the yard to a winter delight.The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.


My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.


The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.


My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,And I crept to the door just to see who was near.Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.


A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.


"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"


For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.To the window that danced with a warm fire's lightThen he sighed and he said "It’s really all right,I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night." "It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,That separates you from the darkest of times.No one had to ask or beg or implore me,I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.


My Gramps died at Pearl on a day in December,"Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',And now it is my turn and so, here I am.


I've not seen my own son in more than a while,But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile. Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,The red, white, and blue... an American flag.I can live through the cold and the being alone,Away from my family, my house and my home.


I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.I can carry the weight of killing another,Or lay down my life with my sister and brother.


Who stand at the front against any and all,To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.""So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."


"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?It seems all too little for all that you've done,For being away from your wife and your son."


Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.To fight for our rights back home while we're gone,To stand your own watch, no matter how long.


For when we come home, either standing or dead,To know you remember we fought and we bled.Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."





Monday, December 21, 2009

Today, give a stranger ..........

Monday, December 21, 2009


Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day!


Make it a great week!


Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

Friday, December 18, 2009

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Don't wish it were easier .......

Don't wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don't wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom. -- Earl Shoaf


Make it a great day!



Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

Thursday, December 10, 2009

shape up or ship out .............

This venerable and much honored WW II vet is well known in Hawaii for his seventy-plus years of service to patriotic organizations and causes all over the country. A humble man without a political bone in his body, he has never spoken out before about a government official, until now. He dictated this letter to a friend, signed it and mailed it to the president.

Dear President Obama,

My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don't believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.

I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos'n Mate. Now I live in a "rest home" located on the western end of Pearl Harbor, allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.

One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man. So here goes.. I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.

I can't figure out what country you are the president of. You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like:
" We're no longer a Christian nation"
" America is arrogant" - (Your wife even announced to the world,"America is mean- spirited. " Please tell her to try preaching that nonsense to 23 generations of our war dead buried all over the globe who died for no other reason than to free a whole lot of strangers from tyranny and hopelessness.)

I'd say shame on the both of you, but I don't think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.

After 9/11 you said," America hasn't lived up to her ideals." Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War? I hope you didn't mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.

I don't think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.
Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man. Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don't, I'll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue. You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.


And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more.. You mean you don't want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts, who was putting up a fight? You don't mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don't want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.

One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you're the Commander-in-Chief now, son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you're thinking of.

You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president. You're not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That's not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now. And I sure as hell don't want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle.

Sincerely,

Harold B. Estes



When a 95 year old hero of the "the Greatest Generation" stands up and speaks out like this, I think we owe it to him to send his words to as many Americans as we can. Please pass it on.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Forgiveness liberates the soul.............


Tuesday, December 8, 2009



Forgiveness liberates the soul. That's why it's such a powerful weapon.
- Nelson Mandela

Make it a great day!



Thursday, November 26, 2009

God’s Thanksgiving Love ...........

Read Philippians 4:1-9, Psalm 28

God’s Thanksgiving Love


“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 John 1:12



It is very easy to be filled with overflowing joy and thankfulness at Thanksgiving when we are surrounded by loved ones enjoying a bountiful feast and thinking about all the good things we have to enjoy.

This is a good thing and a wonderful feeling, especially when we realize that God is the source of every good thing and of all our blessings.

There are millions of people who find it very hard if not impossible to find any thing to be thankful for on Thanksgiving or any other day. The overwhelming grief over departed loved ones, health issues, divorce, relational strife, and financial problems make depression the main course of the holiday meal for many.

The absence of problems like these should give all great cause to rejoice and praise God that they have been spared such sorrows.

On the other hand, all who are hurting in any way can experience the thanksgiving love of God when they rejoice and give thanks to God in their distress.

When we see Paul and Silas rejoicing and praising God when they were imprisoned, we see why Paul can say with all certainty that God’s peace will guard our minds and our hearts, and that His all sufficient grace will supply our every need.


God, thank You for the special blessings you promise when we go through the hard times with thanksgiving and praise to You.In Jesus’ name, Amen


Chris Spears
Ocala Florida


This great thought by Homilygrits

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Long before Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed ...

Read Colossians 3:12-17, 1 Chronicles 16:7-36

The Way of Thanksgiving



“There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the LORD your God has blessed you.” Deuteronomy 12:7 NIV

Long before Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed a national holiday in 1941, God had ordained a thank offering as a means of worship for His people.

Among the many things for which people of the Old Testament were exhorted to give thanks, “His love endures forever” is one of the most oft mentioned and repeated reasons for thanksgiving.

Scripture also encourages thanking God for salvation, His goodness, His unfailing love, wonderful deeds, righteousness, and for being our strength and our shield.

The thanksgiving “way” is the daily “thanks living” of our lives in response to God’s love in sending Jesus Christ to die that we might live, and to show us how to live life to the fullest in Him.

One day is not enough time to count all of the physical, material, relational and spiritual blessings of our past, present, and future lives.

Our Lord realized the importance of giving thanks. Before the feeding of the 5,000, at the last supper before partaking of both the bread and the wine, and for God answering His prayer for raising Lazarus as they took away the stone, Jesus gave thanks to the Father.


Thanksgiving is a holiday for the heart. May Thanksgiving Day be just one of 365 opportunities for living the thanksgiving way as we grow into the fullness of Christ.
Father, thank You! In Jesus’ name, Amen


Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

**Read more like this at www.Homliygrits.com **

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Words We Love to Hear ......

Words We Love to Hear

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:9 NIV


Of all the words we love to hear, words of love top the list. “I love you,” ”God loves you,” ”I forgive you,” and ”Jesus loves me” are terms of affirmation that we need on a daily basis.
We can’t tell our spouses that we love them often enough. Letting God tell of His love for us through His Word is music to our ears. It literally sets our hearts to dancing as we respond by praising God and telling Him how much we love Him.
We all love to hear words of good news and appreciation. “Thank you,” ”great job,” ”your application has been approved,” and ”you’re invited” are music to our ears.
We don’t always like to hear a lot of words spoken in love, but in time, we usually will recognize how helpful, important and necessary these have been as God uses His Word and the words of others to help us confront our sins and deal with them with confession and repentance.
We need always to make sure we are hearing truth, and not just what we want to hear. We need the gift of spiritual discernment as we filter what we hear through God’s Word to make sure we are not hearing something that merely pleases our vanity and egos, without any validation from God’s Word.
I personally can think of no sweeter words that we should love to hear more than “well done, good and faithful servant,” when we meet our Savior face to face and give an account of our stewardship of life.



Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, help us to lead lives fully pleasing to You and fruitful in every good work. In Jesus’ name, Amen


Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

**Message from Homilygrits ministries**

Monday, November 23, 2009

Interior Decorating 101 .....

Read Luke 19:11-26, Psalm 94

Interior Decorating 101

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
1 Corinthians 2:9b NIV


When we receive Jesus Christ as Savior, we receive the keys to the kingdom of eternal life in heaven in a brand new home. Actually, we are promised a mansion. This is our gift by the grace of God, through faith. We do nothing to earn it.
As wonderful as heaven will be, it is not the end of anything except sin. It is the beginning of everything in a new life for all eternity.
Since the sins of pride, envy and jealousy will be banished, there will be no concept of rank or anyone being any better than any one else.
There is much Scripture referring to rewards in heaven, treasures in heaven, and even ruler-ship in heaven. The faithful stewards who managed the lives they had been given were promised the responsibility managing cities in heaven.
We receive a great deal of love and satisfaction in responding to God’s love on this earth by loving God and others and glorifying Him. What joy there will be when Jesus says, “well done, good and faithful servant,” and proceeds to reward us with the privilege and joy of serving and glorifying Him in His heavenly kingdom!
Thank God we are not going to have to move into our new mansions with the baggage of our sins. Thank God we are going to have the rewards of our good works decorating our mansions in heaven with even greater opportunities to show our love for Him by serving Him and enjoying Him forever.
Father, help me to decorate my life with the good works you created me for here, that I might enjoy serving and glorifying You to the fullest in heaven. In Jesus’ name, Amen



Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Are You Well Spent?

Are You Well Spent?

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 NIV

Almost everyone is value conscious and strives to see that their money, time and talents are well spent. To some, anything spent in pursuit of pleasure and gratification of any kind is well spent. Many find the time spent in developing their talents is too demanding and they find other things that they would rather be doing, much to their sorrow later. When it’s furnace stoking time in glory we are all going to find out

Almost everyone will agree that time spent with family is time well spent. When we invest in our children’s future by spending time with them when they are young, we will most likely be rewarded with their love and good character when they are older.

Time spent studying is time well spent at exam time, or, as in the case of studying the Word of God, when testing comes. Salvation is a free gift of God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Our heavenly home is assured. But there is coming a day when we are going to be called to give an account of how we have spent our lives.


The idea that we will be rewarded beyond salvation for well spent lives is an idea full of conjecture; but Scripture does mention rewards and blessings that we will receive at the resurrection of the just.

how well spent our lives have been. When all of the trivial pursuits and chasing after the wind endeavors have burned away, what’s left is going to define whether we have lived well spent lives. May we all seek to live lives well spent and fully pleasing to God. Father, keep me ever mindful that my life is not my own, that You created me for Your good purposes and for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen



Have a Blessed Day!

Chris Spears

** Today's message from www.homilygrits.com **

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

I think the purpose of life is ..........

Wednesday, November 18, 2009


I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is, after all, to matter: to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all. -- Leo C. Rosten


Make it a great day!


Chris Spears
Prestige Auto Sales

Monday, November 16, 2009

When it is obvious that .......

Monday, November 16, 2009



When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps. -- Confucius



Make it a great week!


Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

Friday, November 13, 2009

Friday, November 13, 2009

Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grief’s which we endure help us in our marching onward. --Henry Ford



Make it a great weekend!

Chris Spears
Prestige Auto Sales

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Many of our fears are .........


Thursday, November 12, 2009

Many of our fears are tissue paper thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them. -- Brendan Francis


Make it a great day!






Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Security is not ..........

Security is not the meaning of my life. Great opportunities are worth the risk. —Shirley Hufstedler


We are not what we know…. but rather what we are willing to learn. —Mary Catherine


Bateson Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary. —Margaret Cousins


The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible -- and achieve it, generation after generation. -- Pearl S. Buck


Chris Spears Ocala Florida

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Socialism is .........

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill -



Have a great day and may you enjoy all the success you are willing to work for!

Prestige Auto Sales

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Silence is ........

Tuesday, October 13, 2009


Silence is a source of great strength.
Lao Tzu

When to be silent is wisdom.



Make it a great day!


Chris Spears
Prestige Auto Sales

Thursday, September 24, 2009

The whole idea of motivation is a trap. ......

Thursday, September 24, 2009


The whole idea of motivation is a trap. Forget motivation. Just do it. Exercise, lose weight, test your blood sugar, or whatever. Do it without motivation. And then, guess what?After you start doing the thing, that’s when the motivation comes and makes it easy for you to keep on doing it.
-- John C. Maxwell


Make it a great day!


Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

Monday, September 21, 2009

Quality means ........

Monday, September 21, 2009



Quality means doing it right when no one is looking. --Henry Ford


Make it a quality week!



Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

Friday, September 18, 2009

He who finds diamonds must .......

Friday, September 18, 2009

He who finds diamonds must grapple in mud and mire because diamonds are not found in polished stones. They are made. -- Henry B. Wilson


Make it a great weekend!


Chris Spears in Ocala Florida

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Customer Service is not ..........

Wednesday, September 9. 2009



Customer Service is not a department…. It’s an attitude!
-- anonymous


Make it a great day!




Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Life is what we make it .........

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be. -- Grandma Moses


Make it a great week!


Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

Friday, September 4, 2009

Lord, Teach Me Patience & Please Hurry ...........

Lord, Teach Me Patience & Please Hurry

“Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12 NLT


Have a Blessed & Patient Day!


Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

Monday, August 31, 2009

#45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written."

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:


1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. 17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."


Its estimated 93% won't forward this. If you are one of the 7% who will, forward this with the title '7%'.


I'm in the 7%.



Remember that I will always share my spoon with you! Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves.

Have a Blessed Day!


Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

Thursday, August 27, 2009

What can we find for you today?

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If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
-- Charlotte Bronte



Make it a great day all!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

True happiness is not ........

True happiness is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose. -- Helen Keller



Make it a great day!



Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

Thursday, August 13, 2009

To say yes, you have to sweat .....

Thursday, August 13, 2009




To say yes, you have to sweat and roll up your sleeves and plunge both hands into life up to the elbows. - Jean Anouilh




Make it a great day!



Chris Spears

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

You didn’t have enough faith ...........

“You didn’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”Matthew 17:20 NLT

Big-time problems require big-time problem solvers. This is why we need to appropriate by faith the full resources available through our big-time God! God showed up big-time to part the waters of the Red Sea to save the children of Israel. He showed up biggest of all as Jesus Christ – Immanuel (God with us)-to break the bondage of sin and to reconcile man to God.


We have a tendency to put limits on God and His ability to empower us to do all things through Christ and His strength. As we grow into the fullness of Christ we will stop limiting God by our unbelief, unforgiveness, ungodly living, and failure to “ask, seek, and knock.”

When we get to know God through intimacy with Christ, God shows up big-time in our lives. The faith to move mountains of sin, illness, worry, depression, or doubt, is the birth right of all who receive the new birth in Christ.

As we trust and obey God, we receive the promised blessings of answered God- glorifying prayers, friendship with God through Christ, awareness of the love of God and of others, and Jesus’ joy. God is not only big-time; He is always on time to show up in exactly the right place, in the right way, and at the right time.

Father, thank you for your unfailing love and promises that are mine by faith; give me the faith to enjoy them now and forever.
In Jesus' name, Amen


Have a blessed day!


Chris Spears

**Like the message? go to www.homilygrits.com

Monday, August 3, 2009

The sign of .........

Monday, August 3, 2009



The sign of intelligent people is their ability to control emotions by the application of reason.
-- Marya Mannes



Make it a great week all!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Ability is ........

Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you will do it. -- Raymond Chandler

Make it a great Wednesday!

Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

Thursday, July 23, 2009

............ with your life than with your lips

Thursday, July 23, 2009



You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips.
-- Oliver Goldsmith




Make it a great day!


Chris Spears
Prestige Auto Sales

U-Can-2-Ocala-Dot-Com

Monday, July 20, 2009

You don't understand anything ........


You don't understand anything until you learn it more than one way.
-- Marvin Minsky




Make it a great day!



Thursday, July 2, 2009

........ you are right!

Thursday, July 2, 2009



Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.
-- Henry Ford



Make it a great day!



Chris Spears
Ocala Fla

Monday, June 29, 2009

A Better Foreman ..........

June 29, 2009

A Better Foreman by Charles R. Swindoll
Philippians 4:8

A person is a product of his or her own thoughts. Thoughts form the thermostat which regulates what we accomplish in life. My body responds and reacts to the input from my mind. If I feed it with doubt, worry, and discouragement, that is precisely the kind of day I will experience. If I adjust my thermostat forward---to thoughts filled with vision, hope, and victory---I can count on that kind of day. You and I become what we think about.

Take a minute to give your imagination a workout. Consider your mind a factory---a busy, bustling workshop of action and production. That's not far from the truth. Your mind is a thought factory. Every day on that internal assembly line it produces thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of thoughts. Production in your thought factory is under the charge of two foremen. The names on their hard hats are Mr. Gainground and Mr. Slideback. Mr. Gainground, as you'd imagine, oversees the production of positive thoughts. At the pull of a lever, wholesome, encouraging, reassuring plans and positive ideas roll down the belt and into the showroom.

That other foreman, Mr. Slideback, has responsibilities too. Over in a darker, damp wing of the plant, Gainground's counterpart manufactures negative, depreciating, worrisome thoughts. Both foremen are well qualified for their respective duties. Gainground specializes in producing reasons why you can face life triumphantly, why you can handle whatever comes your way, why you're more than a conqueror. Old Slideback earned his Master's at Inadequate U. He's full of reasons why you cannot succeed, why you're pitifully unable, why you should cave in, bow down, and surrender to the tangled thicket of inferiority, failure, and discouragement.

Both foremen, however, are instantly obedient. They await your signal to snap to attention. Provide yourself with a positive signal and Mr. Gainground throws himself into action. Pulling all the right switches, Gainground so gears production that one encouraging, edifying thought after another floods your mind and fills your life. As long as production is under his firm control, not even the slightest mist of misgiving may be observed hovering under the factory ceiling.
Foreman Slideback, however, awaits a negative signal (which he would prefer to call "reality" or "common sense") and he's off and running. At peak production, Slideback's assembly line cranks out discouraging, bad-news thoughts faster than the mind can process them. He will soon have you convinced that you can't or won't or shouldn't. Given sufficient time, he will drain your energy, squelch your confidence, and transform you into a frowning tight-lipped fatalist.
Neither Dale Carnegie nor Norman Vincent Peale originated such a message as this---God did. Listen to three biblical counselors:


Solomon, referring to attitudes: "For as he thinks within himself, so he is" (Proverbs 23:7).
Paul, referring to thoughts: "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute . . . dwell on these things" (Philippians 4:8).


Peter, referring to the mind: "Therefore, prepare your minds for action" (1 Peter 1:13).
Thoughts, positive or negative, grow stronger when fertilized with constant repetition. That may explain why so many who are gloomy and gray stay in that mood, and why others who are cheery and enthusiastic continue to be so, even in the midst of difficult circumstances. Please do not misunderstand. Happiness (like winning) is a matter of right thinking, not intelligence, age, or position. Our performance is directly related to the thoughts we deposit in our memory bank. We can only draw on what we deposit.


What kind of performance would your car deliver if every morning before you left for work you scooped up a handful of dirt and put it in your crankcase? The fine-tuned engine would soon be coughing and sputtering. Ultimately, it would refuse to start. The same is true of your life. Thoughts about yourself and attitudes toward others that are narrow, destructive, and abrasive produce wear and tear on your mental motor. They send you off the road while others drive past.
You need only one foreman in your factory. The name is Mr. Gainground, and he's anxious to assist you. In fact, he is immediately available to all the members of God's family. His real name is the Holy Spirit---the Helper. If Mr. Slideback has been too busily engaged as foreman on your mental assembly line, then fire him! You'll be astounded by how smoothly the plant will run under new leadership.




Have A Blessed Day!!

Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Start by doing what’s necessary .......


Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; suddenly you are doing the impossible! -- St. Francis of Assisi




Make it a great day!



Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Just A Little Bit More ....

Just A Little Bit More

“O God, I beg two favors from You before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny You and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.” Proverbs 30:7-9 NLT

To the greedy, how much is enough is always “just a little bit more.” Even the ungreedy often have a difficult time distinguishing between wants and needs.

We live in a consumer-driven economy that is based on creating a demand and then supplying that demand, and everything is made to look and sound so appealing.

Whether the world or the devil is doing the tempting, it is hard to resist the promise of the beer ads for fun and adventure, the car ads for the hemi, or for more power, more of everything, shampoo for beautiful hair, etc. All we have to do is discard our old and try the new and improved.

Satan will often plant seeds of dissatisfaction with our jobs and even our marriages to get us looking for “just a little bit more” happiness.

Sometimes we are so focused on seeking “just a little bit more” that we have it made and don’t even know it until we mess up and realize too late how good we really had it.

Generosity is one of the best antidotes for greed that has ever been invented. It also opens up the flood gates of God’s blessings with which He wants to bless us.

What we really need to understand is that our worth and wealth is not based on what we have but on Who we have. We can always be greedy for “just a little bit more” of Jesus!

Father, help me to be like Paul and learn to be content and filled with Your peace and joy, no matter what my worldly circumstances.. In Jesus’ name, Amen.


Chris Spears
Ocala Fla.


** Message provided by Homily Grits ............

Monday, June 15, 2009

Federal Withholding Taxes ........

Federal Withholding Taxes

“I tell you, use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. In this way, your generosity stores up a reward for you in heaven.” Luke 16:9 NLT

The genius who started the withholding of income and payroll taxes in 1943 deserves a spot in the bureaucratic hall of fame, if there is one. Before this bright idea came along during World War II, people just blithely ignored filing returns and paying taxes. This innovation revolutionized our government.

Although God will not withhold any good thing from those who do right, Scripture is very clear that He does withhold some rewards until we get to heaven. He says that those who pray in public, and those who do good works in public in order to get praise from men are going to get only that. However, those who do these things in secret will get rewards from God.

We could learn a lot about storing up treasures in heaven from the governments payroll deduction idea. Instead of putting it into the bank or spending it on, wood, hay, and stubble that has no lasting value, we should think about making regular deposits of our time, talents, and treasures into God’s bank account. This will assure that we don’t get overcome by greed or destroyed by selfishness.

We should never give to get or get the idea that we can earn our way to heaven. Heaven is a free gift that we cannot buy or earn. We receive eternal life by God’s grace. We should always give in gratitude for this marvelous gift God has given us.

The rewards that God promises when we give has nothing to do with where we are going, but may have a lot to do with what we will be doing when we get there. How much is in your
heavenly withholding account?

Father, may my heart yearn to hear Your “well done,” and may my offerings of my life be acceptable to You. Jesus’ name, Amen.


Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

(message by: Homily Grits Ministries )

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Emergency Power Source ............

Emergency Power Source


“For the Kingdom of God is not just fancy talk; it is living by God’s power.” 1 Corinthians 4:20 NLT

Portable power generators sell like popcorn before every impending hurricane. Hospitals, airports, and many other buildings and businesses spend billions installing emergency power generators to use in case of primary power failure.

As good as these alternatives may be in providing emergency back up power, they can’t begin to compare with the emergency power source believers have in the resurrection power of God.

This resurrection power comes with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and has never been known to fail. This power turned defeated and dejected disciples into the transformers of the world as God gave them the power to preach, witness, perform miracles, and spread the Gospel throughout the known world. They were able to consider it all joy to suffer persecution and martyrdom for the cause of Christ.

As great as this power is for emergencies, it was never intended to be merely a back up source to our own strength and reason. It has been given as a basic, everyday, always available, primary source of empowerment for living out our lives growing into the fullness of Christ.

The power that brought us into saving faith is the power that will keep us there. It is that “very present help in time of trouble,” our “bridge over troubled waters,” that will transform us into the likeness of Christ by the renewing of our minds.

Our power source needs constant refueling from the Word of God, prayer, and the fellowship of other believers in order to have sufficient reserve power during peak demands. Are you “plugged in”?


Father, thank you for giving me the faith to appropriate the powerof your presence and the truth of your promises into my every day life.. In Jesus’ name, Amen.




Chris Spears
Ocala FLorida


Message provided by: Homily Grits Ministries

Monday, June 8, 2009

The Gong Show ...........

The Gong Show

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.” Lamentations 3:22 NLT

There was a short-lived TV show in the 70’s where contestants would be allowed to perform until getting “gonged”and cut off at anytime. Most of the contestants were pretty terrible and deserved to get the gong, but it was actually kind of cruel to try to entertain us at the expense of the inept performances of others.

In many ways, life in this world is kind of like the gong show. Some of our loftiest dreams and highest ambitions often get “gonged.”

Athletic abilities some times get gonged by injury. Dreams of becoming a doctor or an astronaut often get gonged by the lack of money for training, lack of ability, or lack of talent.
Some marriages end up with one partner getting gonged by the other for any number of reasons.


All of us have or will have experienced the gong of failure in some manner or another during the course of our lives. We may get gonged financially, relationally, physically, or mentally sometimes in spite of our best efforts, often as consequences of our worst efforts.

Many times we get gonged by circumstances over which we have absolutely no control.
The good news is that these gongs are not fatal, that God can (and often does) turn what we perceive to be bad to good. His promises to never forsake us, to supply our every need, and to provide His all-sufficient grace to cover our weaknesses and failures are promises that can never be gonged.


He promises to gong the devil himself and cause him to flee when we stand firm and resist with the full armor of God.

Father, thank you for teaching, strengthening, and drawing me closer to You through the “gongs” of my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.


Have a great week!!!!

Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

(passage donated by Homily Grits Ministries)

Friday, June 5, 2009

Do not throw away ............

“Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.” -- Hebrews 35, 36 NLT


This is hard for many people to comprehend, but God not only promises that He will never leave nor forsake us but also promises that if we are truly His, we will never forsake Him.
When we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior, we also receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit as a guarantee that “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:27).
We may stumble and fall and succumb to the temptations of the flesh and of the devil from time to time, but if we are truly saved, we can be sure that God will never allow us to perish by forsaking Him.
If we persist in intentional and deliberate sins, we at some point have to ask whether we were truly saved. We know from Scripture that all who call Jesus Lord are not saved.
One of the most hurtful darts of satan is the one making us doubt our salvation when we sin. As long as we have godly sorrow and the cleansing of confession and repentance, we can be sure that we are saved and that God loves us, forgives us, and accepts us, not because of our sins, but in spite of them– not on what we did or didn’t do but on what Christ did for us. Father, let me always know the security of Your love.In Jesus’ name, Amen.



Have A Blessed Day!

Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

Friday, May 29, 2009

Do all the good you can, and ..............

Do all the good you can, and make as little fuss about it as possible. -- Charles Dickens



Make it a great day!



Chris Spears
Ocala, Florida

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

When I let go ...........

Wednesday, May 27, 2009


When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. -- Lao Tzu



Make it a great day!



Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

It is more exciting to ..............

Tuesday, May 26, 2009


It is infinitel y more exciting to live a life of catastrophic failures than a life of could-haves, should-haves and would-haves. -- M.H Meng


Hope you all had a great Memorial Day Holiday!


Chris Spears
Ocala Florida

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Pedal ..............

Pedal


The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD.Psalm 37:23


Recommended Reading Jonah 1-3


An unknown author once described his journey of giving God control of his life as a tandem bike ride with Christ in the front. He said, "When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable. But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long trails up mountains, and through rocky places at breakneck speeds; it was all I could do to hang on!! Even though it looked like madness, He said, "Pedal!" I was worried and anxious and asked, "Where are You taking me?" He laughed and didn't answer, and I started to learn to trust. And I'm beginning to enjoy the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion, Christ. And when I'm sure I just can't do anymore, He just smiles and says..."Pedal."


Though we may fear and doubt where God is taking us, when we give Him control, our life will never be the same. We'll begin to find adventure in the midst of adversity, and peace during times of pain. All we have to do is let Him steer our life while we simply pedal.


Give your life to God; He can do more with it than you can!

Dwight L. Moody





Make it a great day .............





Chris Spears

Prestige Auto Sales

Ocala Florida


Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Chris & Kelley Spears are most proud today ......

Chris & Kelley Spears are most proud today as Savannah received several awards at school during the end of year program at St. Johns for 1st grade. She was measured in 6-8 different categories along with her classmates and was the only one in her class to get honors in every category. It was Savannah winning the "Most Christian Citizenship Award" that was voted on by her classmates, that made us the most proud. We thank God for her daily!





Tuesday, May 19, 2009

It's better to ......

Tuesday, May 19, 2009



It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. -- Chinese proverb



Make it a great week!


Chris Spears
Ocala, Florida

Saturday, May 16, 2009

I've learned .....

I've learned.....That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.....That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned....That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned...That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned....That the Lord didn't do it all in one day.What makes me think I can?

I've learned...That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned....That the less time I have to work, the more things I get done..

Make it a great day!

Chris Spears
Ocala, Florida

Thursday, May 14, 2009

If we are facing in the right direction ............

Thursday, May 14, 2009



If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking. -- Buddhist Proverb



Make it a great day!


Chris Spears
Prestige Auto Sales

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Diamonds are nothing more .......

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs. -- Malcolm Forbes


Make it a great day!

Chris M. Spears
Ocala, Florida

Prestige

Ucan2

Veterans Park

Monday, May 11, 2009

Confidence on the outside .........

Monday, May 11, 2009


Confidence on the outside begins by living with integrity on the inside. -- Brian Tracy




Make it a great day!



Chris Spears
Ocala, FLorida

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Saturday, May 9, 2009

When nothing seems to help, ..........

Saturday, May 9, 2009

When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that last blow that did it, but all that had gone before. -- Jacob A. Riis

Make it a great weekend!

Chris Spears
Prestige Auto Sales
Ocala, Florida

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"U-Can-2"

Thursday, May 7, 2009

If you're caught ..............

Thursday May 7, 2009



If you're caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a 1-iron. Not even God can hit a 1-iron. ~quote about Golf by Lee Trevino


Make it a great day!



Saturday, May 2, 2009

The Truth ............

Saturday May 2nd, 2009



The naked truth is always better than the best dressed lie. -- Ann Landers



Make it a great day!


Chris Spears
Prestige Auto Slaes
Ocala, FLorida

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The fishermen know .........

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore. -- Vincent Van Gogh

Make it a great day!


Chris Spears
Prestige Auto Sales
Ocala, Florida

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

It is the responsibility of ...............

Tuesday, April 28, 2009



It is the responsibility of every adult to make sure that children hear what we have learned from the lessons of life and to hear over and over that we love them. -- Marian W. Edelman



Make it a great day!



Chris Spears
Ocala, Florida


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U - Can - 2 - Ocala

Monday, April 27, 2009

Count It All Joy ...........

Count It All Joy

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.James 1:2

Recommended ReadingMatthew 5:11-12

Second Corinthians 5:7 contains a principle that flies in the face of modern human sensibility: "For we walk by faith, not by sight." Modern man says, "I'll believe it when I see it," while the spiritual man says, "I believe God's Word whether I see it or not." The biblical position is not just believing in the absence of evidence, it is believing in the face of evidence to the contrary.

Take James 1:2, for instance. How are we to have joy in the midst of trials? How are we to count suffering as a blessing when it doesn't look or feel like a blessing? Is that just a game; just an example of mind over matter? No! It's an example of walking by faith rather than by our senses. When things are difficult, we should ask first, "What has God said?" (He has said that trials are a reason for joy.) Next, we should "count it" so. That is, we should say to ourselves, "I choose to believe that the situation I'm in is a potential source of joy in my life, regardless of how it feels, because that's what God has said. I next choose to conform my behavior to my belief."

If you are in the midst of a trial right now, choose to walk by faith. Choose to "count it all joy."
To added affliction He addeth His mercy, to multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

Annie Johnson Flint

Read-Thru-the-Bible1 Chronicles 9:1 - 11:47

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Make it a great day!

Being defeated is often only a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent. -- Marilyn vos Savant


Make it a great day!



Chris Spears
Prestige Auto Sales