Received a card today from an elderly couple with whom Vicki went to church as a kid. The wife had seen my article in the Magnolia Messenger and sent a copy, along with our wedding invitation she found recently while doing some cleaning. What a surprise! Was a very nice gesture and card.

The article, "X-treme Thrills," was published in the Nov/Dec, 2002 edition of the MM (a paper for Mississippi churches with tens of thousands of subscribers). I should have thought to request that the editor add a link to Forthright Magazine, since he was kind enough to include my photo, snail mail, email address, and part of my letter to him.

"There is no failure in life other than not trying. If you want something badly enough, make an attempt. If you want to paint, get a brush and do it. If you want to sing, sing. A lot of people get scared. They're afraid to fail. Take that word out of your vocabulary. You don't 'fail.' You've 'tried your best.'" --Jane Seymour, Actress

by Randal Matheny

Every single publisher rejected Robert Kiyosaki's book proposal. So he published it himself. He sold the first copies from a friend's gas station. Within two years, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" made the New York Times Bestseller List and remains there today.

Your obstacles will stop you, or you will make them the stepping stones to success. The difference is your belief. Your inner strength will determine how far you go. Diligence powered by the certainty of your cause will move heaven and earth.

Losers let others define how far they may reach. Winners set and reach the highest levels.

This is no pep talk or positive thinking rally. It is life. God has set principles at work in the world. Recognizing and using them is the essence of wisdom. Even pagans may perceive and benefit from the way God's world works while they deny him.

The greatest wisdom is to make God's cause our cause and believe his Word that he will guarantee our success. That may not mean the New York Times Bestseller List, but it will certainly mean a life crowned with fruit that remains.

"If you will not believe, you surely shall not last" (Isaiah 7:9 NASU).