The upstate New York man was rich in almost every way. His estate was worth millions. He owned houses, land, antiques and cattle. But though on the outside he had it all, he was very unhappy on the inside. His wife was growing old, and the couple was childless. He had always wanted a little boy to carry on the family legacy. Miraculously, his wife became pregnant in her later years, and she gave birth to a little boy. The boy was severely handicapped, but the man loved him with his whole heart. When the boy was 5, his mom died. The dad drew closer to his special son. At age 13, the boy's birth defects cost him his life, and the father died soon after from a broken heart.

The estate was auctioned before hundreds of bidders. The first item offered was a painting of the boy. No one bid. They waited like vultures for the riches. Finally, the poor housemaid, who helped raise the boy, offered $5 for the picture and easily took the bid. To everyone's shock, the auctioneer ripped a handwritten will from the back of the picture. This is what it said: "To the person who thinks enough of my son to buy this painting, to this person I give my entire estate."

The auction was over. The greedy crowd walked away in shock and dismay. How many of us have sought after what we thought were true riches, only to find out later that our Father in heaven was prepared to give us His entire estate if we had only sought after His Son alone?

  "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."  1 John 5:12

Quips & Quotes

 A few anecdotes, quotes, and truths noted while travelling the Jesus road.

 -Brother Murray

JESUS loves you just as much now as when He was voluntarily dying on the cross for your sins! He is "the same yesterday, and today, and for ever!" (Hebrews 13:8)

The key to victory in the game of life: hang in there with Jesus! ("But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, BE YE STEDFAST, UNMOVEABLE, ALWAYS ABOUNDING IN THE WORK OF THE LORD, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." - I Corinthians 15:57-58)

Have you heard the good news? Jesus loves you!!! He died to prove it! But death couldn't hold the sinless Son of God! He rose from the dead on the third day with all power in heaven and on earth, and He invites you: "Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest!" (Matthew 11:28)

"Something beautiful, something good! All my confusion He understood! All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife, but He made something beautiful out of my life!" - The Bill Gaither Trio

"Give them all, give them all, give them all to Jesus: shattered dreams, wounded hearts, broken toys! Give them all, give them all, give them all to Jesus, and He will turn your sorrow into joy!" -Evie

"You've got to keep Jesus out in front!" -Troy Collier (1977, while serving as Executive Director of Teen Challenge of Arkansas) (now with the Lord)

"Don't get hung up with the hang-ups!" -Troy Collier (1977)

"If you let a hypocrite stand between you and God, the hypocrite is closer to God than you are." -Troy Collier (1977)

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot (now with the Lord)

"If Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice is too great for me to make for Him." - C.T. Studd (now with the Lord)

"If you don't stay in the Word (the Bible), the world will suck your brains out!" - Lewis B. Whitehead (1979), Founder of the Orange County Rescue Center, Santa Ana, California

"An inch for God is better than a mile for the devil!" - Lewis B. Whitehead

"Oh, the outrageous slings and arrows of life!" - Rob Martin (1979), Business Administrator, The Orange County Rescue Center.

"Either this book (the Bible) will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book." - Vance Havner (Baptist preacher, now with the Lord)

"God always honors the preaching of His word!" - Dr. W. Charles Harris, Central Bible College, 1977

"If you want God to use you, show Him how much you love His Word!" - Frank Lumetta (1976 or 1977)

"If what you're living for isn't worth dying for, then it's not worth living for!" - Lem Thuston (1981)

"If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything!" - Lem Thuston (1981)

"I think the reason God calls some people to be preachers is that He knows they won't make it any other way." - Lem Thuston (1981)

"Love is something you do!" - Rev. David Wilkerson (now with the Lord)

You can't outgive God! ("Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." - Jesus, in Luke 6:38)

"The Lord never panics!" - Seen on a desk plaque in the office of Lois Nelson, Dean of Women, Teen Challenge of Arkansas (1977)

"Robinson Crusoe was the only man who got all of his work done by Friday." - Seen on a desk plaque in the office of Rev. Vernon Metz, ICI, Ft. Worth, TX (1982).

"I'd rather limp to heaven than leap to hell!" - D.L. Moody

"If you wait until you're perfect before you do something for God, you'll never do anything for God!" - Dr. Opal Reddin (now with the Lord), Central Bible College, 1977

"Some are called. Some are sent. Some just got up and went." - Dr. Ben Aker, Central Bible College, 1977

"Some men die in battle; Some men die in flames; Some men die by inches, Playing their little games." - Pastor Philip Wannenmacher (now with the Lord)

"God can even use the devil. He can use the devil to keep you humble." - Pastor Ralph Wilkerson, 1979, while pastoring Melodyland Christian Center, Anaheim, California (...and God gives grace to the humble. - James 4:6)

"You can change without growing, but you can't grow without changing." - Author Unknown

"There's no limit to what you can do for God if you don't care who gets the credit." - Author Unknown

"There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of one small candle." - Author Unknown

"Trust God and watch everybody else!" - Pastor Chuck Smith (1979), Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, California

"In every life an election takes place: God is voting for you, the devil is voting against you, and you cast the deciding vote!" - Rev. Leroy B. French, preaching at Teen Challenge of Arkansas in Hot Springs (1984).

"There are two kinds of people in the world: people who love people and use things, and people who love things and use people. Which kind of people are you?" - Dr. Richard Dobbins, Founder of Emerge Ministries, (now with the Lord)

"Hurt people hurt people." - Dr. Richard Dobbins

"It's okay if the garbage is in orbit around you, but don't you go into orbit around the garbage!" - Dr. Del Tarr

"Don't push me: I'm making mistakes as fast as I can." - John W. Winter, an old friend of Teen Challenge in Perry, Ohio (now with the Lord)

"Patience is waiting on God's timing." - seen on the Marquee of the United Methodist Church, in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, August 11, 2000.

"Whatever you don't give to God, the devil will steal from you!" - Pastor Harold Thompson (1987), while pastoring First Assembly of God in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

"Keep those prayers and intercessions coming in, folks!" - My friend, Larry Metz

"It's a great life, when you know the Lord!" -Pastor Philip Wannenmacher (now with the Lord)

"Don't worry about what people think: they don't!" - Pastor Philip Wannenmacher

"The jury hasn't come in with a verdict on any of us yet!" - Rev. Charles Greenaway (now with the Lord)

"I'm gonna make it, I'm gonna make it: I may not look like much when I get there, but I'm gonna make it!" - Rev. Charles Greenaway

"Culture shock? Culture shock? I grew up in shock!!!" - Rev. Charles Greenaway

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" - Pastor James B. Yeary (now with the Lord)

"We'll just have to put it in the Lord's hands." - Rev. Marjorie Brown, my mom (now with the Lord)

"Don't chafe!" - Rev. Murray N. Brown, Sr., my dad (now with the Lord)

"I gave up looking for the perfect church a long time ago, because I figured that if I ever did find a perfect church, it would cease to be perfect as soon as I joined it." - Rev. Murray N. Brown, Sr. (now with the Lord)

"Major on the majors, not the minors!" & "Define your terms!" - Dr. Terry Lewis, in Intro. to Theology, at Central Bible College, in Springfield, Missouri (1976)

"The plain thing is the main thing!" - Pastor Ken Keene

"Empty box-cars make the most noise." - Dr. Ben Aker, Central Bible College

"In Jesus, it's victory all the way!" - Dr. Thomas F. Harrison (now with the Lord), Central Bible College

"No-one ever became the man of the hour by watching the clock." - On the marquee of Boulevard Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri (1981)

"Only Jesus can satisfy your soul!" - Old gospel song.

"If you want to get something done, find somebody who's busy." - Dr. Raymond T. Brock (now with the Lord)

"God will love you all the way to hell, and you will still go there, if you don't settle some things." -Kenneth Copeland

"What we deserve is hell, so anything less than that must be mercy." - Kevin Garland

"One plus God equals a majority!" - author unknown (See Psalms 27 & Romans 8:31)

"Little is much when God is in it!" - from a Gospel song

 Just a thought...

It's not God's will for anyone to go to hell! ("The Lord is... not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." - 2 Peter 3:9) If a person goes to hell, he or she does so AGAINST the will of God! -MNBJr

I'd rather be a peanut in heaven than a big shot in hell. -MNBJr

JESUS is my best friend, and He is LORD of all! WOW!!! -MNBJr

"Are you tired of running into walls? Then go through the open door: JESUS!" -MNBJr

"There is only one way of escape, one exit, off the hell-bound train: JESUS! All the other exits are imaginary." -MNBJr

Are you having a hard time trying to have a good time? Give your time to God! ["But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God! My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me." - Psalms 31:14-15] -MNBJr -

God is pro-choice! YOU CHOOSE: Heaven? or Hell? -MNBJr

Stay busy doing the "DO's", and you won't have time for the "DON'T's"! (Read Matthew 25) -MNBJr

That other person's sin won't send you to hell, but your own sin can! -MNBJr

God always knows what He is doing. That's what sets Him apart from the rest of us. (smile) -MNBJr

You will never meet anyone (man, woman, boy or girl) for whom Jesus did not die (I John 2:2 and Hebrews 2:9,14-15). Since He loved them that much, what should our attitude be? -MNBJr

Take TIME for God: He has reserved ETERNITY for you. -MNBJr

The most important question anyone will ever answer: "What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?" (Matthew 27:22) -MNBJr

The score in the game of life is 1-0, and Jesus is the One! There is victory in Jesus for you right now, if you will only believe and receive it in the name of Jesus, that name that is above every other name!!! -MNBJr

There will be no unbelievers in hell, only those who waited too long to believe! ("The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel!" - Jesus, in Mark 1:15) -MNBJr

There is only one way to walk with God: HUMBLY! ("He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" - Micah 6:8) -MNBJr

If you don't deny yourself, you will deceive yourself! (Read Mark 8:34 & James 1:22) -MNBJr

No-one and no thing is worth going to hell for! -MNBJr

You've got to have a "no-matter-what" commitment, because if you don't, there will always be a "what". -MNBJr

Life is not so much what happens TO you, but rather what you MAKE happen by what you hang onto in your own heart ("Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." - Proverbs 4:23). -MNBJr

God wants to do more than just help us have a better life in the here and now; He wants to help us get ready for the forever side! -MNBJr

You'd better get on the stick, before the stick gets on you! -MNBJr

I've heard it said that "a good marriage is the union of two good forgivers."

I've also heard it said that to God our character is much more important than our comfort.

The temptation to sin must be cut off at the pass. Where's that? Between the ears and behind the eyeballs. ["For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;" - 2 Corinthians 10:3-5] -MNBJr

Spiritual Math 101: "Good" minus "God" equals "zero"! - MNBJr

The "L" Factor:

1) We need to get the "L" out of "gold" and get into "God"!

2) We need to get the "L" out of the "world" and get into the "Word".

3) We need to get the "L" out of "Hollywood" and get into "holy wood": the cross! - MNBJr