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The Message for Aug 26, 2018John 6:56-69Don’t QuitRob Miller, PastorYou’ve heard this saying I’m sure —?“Winners never quit and quitters never win!”? The famous football coach Vince Lombardi would say that to his players all the time. I can see this life principle being true in so many situations. You won’t win - if you quit too soon.We’ve perhaps all been there at one time or another. Life throws something at us or gives us an opportunity to try something different and before long it gets tough – too difficult – too hard to keep going. When the going gets tough - we are tempted to quit – and many people do.If you feel that way from time to time then you are not alone. On the other hand -- we can be inspired to keep on keeping on when we hear about entrepreneurs, inventors, and leaders and how they overcame their failures and hardships and rejections. Here are 10 people who can inspire us when the going gets tough… 3075940139065001) Thomas EdisonHe was not as intelligent as history books may have led us to believe. His grade school teachers told him that he was “too dumb to learn anything and there was no hope for him.”He stopped going to school at age 12. He failed a thousand times with his inventions. He got fired from his first two jobs — one time after leaking acid on his boss’ desk. He didn’t give up though and he didn’t let those failures drag him down.He ignored the criticism and became the most successful inventor of the 20th century. His inventions led to the motion picture camera and the creation of the light bulb.If Thomas Edison had given up, we would probably still be using candles. One of his famous quotes was this, “Every wrong attempt discarded, is another step forward.”3265805114935002) Harland David Sanders (AKA Colonel Sanders)Colonel Sanders is the founder of the KFC Restaurant (Kentucky Fried Chicken). KFC is one of the biggest fast-food corporations worldwide.It wasn’t an instant success. Colonel Sanders started his dream at the age of 65. For most people, this is the time to retire and enjoy the remaining years of life. Colonel Sanders turned this the other way around.After getting his retirement benefits, he used his first social security check, $105, to start a business. Many people would complain after receiving this little amount. Not him. He believed that restaurant owners would love his original fried chicken recipe and he’d get a small percentage of the sales.He drove around Kentucky, knocking on doors, sleeping in his car. To look formal, he always wore his signature white suit. People ignored his offer and said, “NO,” 1,009 times, but that didn’t stop him until he got a “Yes!”340614085090003) Steve Jobs At the age of 19, Steve Jobs, decided to drop out of Reed College and moved to India with his friend Dan Kottke (Kitty – Kay). They went to India to find Philosophical Enlightenment. While there Steve learned the power of intuition – which would then influence his work.He was a visionary perfectionist. But, at the age of 30, his own company (Apple Inc.) fired him. Imagine the company you’ve built from scratch, turning against you, leaving you humiliated, depressed, and unemployed… 11 years after Apple fired him, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy – at that time Microsoft was soaring.The Apple Company was desperate and crawled back to Steve — begging him to come back. He did and made Apple one of the leading pioneers for new gadgets and new technologies.3208655186690004) Albert EinsteinEarly on he was not considered to be a genius but lazy.His communication skills did not develop until he was four. His parents thought that something was terribly wrong with him. From elementary school to college, his teachers and professors labeled him as insubordinate, sloppy, and lazy. They believed that he would never amount to anything.But, what appeared to be laziness in school, was actually boredom. He was not the type who memorized the facts written in the book. He preferred to analyze things. Why is the sky blue? Why does the needle of a compass point in same direction? Why do things fall to the ground? Unfortunately, these things were not taught in school.He didn’t let his failures, shortcomings, or flaws overshadow his potentials.At the age of 11, he became friends with Max Talmud – a 21 year old medical student who introduced Einstein to several books about science and philosophy. Einstein flourished in this new learning environment, and before Max knew it, Einstein had surpassed what Max could teach him.280479566675005) Abraham LincolnAbe encountered tons of failures - one after another. He could’ve quit many times, but he chose not to. Before becoming a president, he encountered all kinds of setbacks. Including these: his mother died his first business failed he ran for state legislature and lost he got fired from his job he wanted to go to law school, but he couldn’t get in he started another business by borrowing money from his friends by the end of the year, he faced bankruptcy. In 1834, he ran for state legislature again and won. A year after that, he got engaged to be married. His bride died shortly after their engagement and Abe had a nervous breakdown. He was bed-ridden for six months.After that, he tried politics again and faced defeat a number of times. But he didn’t quit. In 1860 he was elected president of the United States. His legacy lives on - he changed a nation despite adversities and failures. He was one of the greatest presidents of all time.295719519685006) Oprah WinfreySometimes our failures become stepping stones to greatness. Most of us had a wonderful childhood; but not Oprah. When she was 9, she was sexually abused by her cousins and even friends of her mom. At the age of 14, she got pregnant and her son died during infancy. After graduating from Tennessee State University she landed a job in radio and television broadcasting. Her first position was an evening news anchor for Baltimore WJZ-TV, but got fired shortly after that. Not because she didn’t have the talent, but because the company thought she was “unfit” for TV. This experience was humiliating and embarrassing. She was sexually harassed through it all. But she didn’t allow these obstacles, trials, and challenges to defeat her. She converted these misfortunes into success.Oprah became a talk show host for AM Chicago, and the ratings sky rocketed within a month. In 1986, The Oprah Winfrey Show came to life. Back then, most talk show hosts focused on trashy topics. Oprah focused on the middle class, and self-help topics. Her witty humor and warm welcome gained the sympathy of the viewing audience.Her talent and skills at being a talk show host brought her a net worth of 2.9 billion dollars.304482510795007) Henry FordFailure isn’t failure if you can learn from it. Henry Ford failed - and failed a lot - and he learned from these failures. He went on to build a successful company that’s still going strong today.Henry Ford viewed failure as an opportunity to begin (and try) again, only more intelligently the next time. He managed to overcome significant setbacks before arriving at the winning formula that made him so successful in the auto industry. He faced bankruptcy right before launching the Ford Motor Company.He experienced failure after failure before his first Model T was ever made. Despite failing as a business man, he was determined to be successful. Through persistence and determination, he became one of the richest men in his lifetime.2853055-114300008) J.K. RowlingShe was a nobody. At one time she lived in an apartment in England that was infested with rats! She was a single mother who struggled to make ends meet. Her life was tough.Being unemployed, she had to juggle between a baby and her typewriter when she was writing her first book. She didn’t even have the privilege to do this in the comfort of her home, but in a cafe.She wrote a series that is loved around the world. Her first book, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” faced twelve rejections from the publishers before it became a success. 299720063309500She is a great example that anyone can attain success even against all odds. Her net worth is over $1 billion.9) Franklin RooseveltBefore becoming the 32nd president of the United States, Teddy Roosevelt faced all kinds of hardships. He was born into a life of wealth and privilege, but that did not prevent him from facing hard times. After graduating from a prestigious school in 1910 he entered a life of politics. In 1921, he was infected with polio. His body was paralyzed and he lost the use of his legs. He went through a period of extreme depression, but did not give up. In 1928, while being confined to a wheelchair he tried to re-enter politics again and became the president of the United States for 4 terms – the only president to do so.Franklin Roosevelt experienced a spiritual healing during the years of his illness. Before that, he was arrogant and insensitive. Afterwards, he became a warm and caring person with a deeper philosophy about life. Instead of letting his impairment make him appear weak, he emerged as a better person.25501603651250010) Walt DisneySometimes it can feel like the whole universe is against you -- that your whole life is a complete mess. That was Walt Disney. Life was not easy for him.He experienced so many failures, but didn’t give up. He had a wild imagination. And yet… He was fired as a newspaper editor - because according to his boss – “he lacked imagination and his ideas were no good.” He tried to start a business, but faced bankruptcy before it even got off the ground. He was literally and figuratively broke. All he had was his dreams and aspirations.He never got tired of trying new ideas until he reached success; and once he did, it was overwhelming. Walt Disney managed to win 22 Academy Awards and established the first Disneyland in California in 1955. The Walt Disney Company brings in billions of dollars annually from movies, theme parks, and merchandise around the world. All because of a dream - a dream that came true.Our theme for today is - Don’t Quit. Is there something you are thinking about quitting? A job? A marriage? An exercise program? A commitment? A diet? A church? A __________? Think long and hard before you do. Maybe, just maybe, it’s too soon to quit!Consider this… The faithful are never quitters and quitters are never faithful. That’s what we learn in our reading for today. When it comes to following Jesus and living the kind of life he calls us to live - Don’t quit.Read Text John 6:56-69When it comes to following Jesus and living the kind of life he calls us to live in and through the community of faith – don’t quit! Jesus has the words for life now and forever. Amen. ................
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