May 23, 2009

My Commencement Address

On Friday, May 22, 2009, I had the distinct privilege of delivering the keynote address at the commencement exercises of Heritage Christian School in Sharpsburg Georgia. The general theme of the speech was the same as it has been for the past two or three speeches I have given at such events - "Young people, don't waste your life". The sad reality is that it is possible for a person to waste their entire life. I remember seeing a plague on a wall as a boy that summarized life really well: "Only one life will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last". If we were all created to glorify God with our lives, then any life lived outside of Christ is wasted.

During the last half of my speech, I gave the graduates some "Words of wisdom from Pastor Ron that no one else will tell you". Below is a list of thoughts that I have accumulated over the years. Some are my own and many are from others I gathered from reading other speeches. I consider these to be the best of the best.

1. Always respect your elders. You're never too old to get a whipping.

2. Don't expect anyone else in life to support you financially but yourself.

3. Enjoy the time of your youth as long as you can. It won't last long.

4. Don't spend time watching reality shows. They're not real.

5. Don't subscribe to beauty magazines. You will never measure up.

6. Thank people who have helped you along the way.

7. Remember compliments and forget insults.

8. You never have the right to be right all the time.

9. Learn to get over "it" whatever "it" is.

10. The tassel is always worth the hassle.

11. It takes courage to grow up and become who you are supposed to be.

12. If at first you don't succeed, go back and do it like your mother said to do it in the first place.

13. Never live down to expectations. Go out and do something significant with your life.

14. The future lies before you like a field of driven snow. Be careful how you tread it, for every step will show.

15. High school is the mouse race to prepare you for the rat race.

16. As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in schools.

17. Your mother and father are a hundred times smarter than you are regardless of their education.

18. Choose your life mate carefully. It will result in either 95% of your happiness or 95% of your misery.

19. You are not as smart as you think you are. Learn to admit it.

20. Never, ever settle for "average" or "the norm".

21. Protect your name. It's the only one you will ever have.

22. Having your whole life in front of you doesn't mean what you think it does. Live each day as if it were your last.

23. Don't come back from college thinking your smarter than everyone else.

24. Learning to do right and actually doing right is a process learned over time. Shock your parents by doing right sooner than they expected.

25. Learn to say "I'm sorry" before you get caught.

26. Spend more time with your grand parents. You will not find greater wisdom anyplace else on earth.

27. Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.

28. It's far more important to make a life rather than a living.

29. A true friend will never encourage you to do wrong.

30. Don't make a habit of having to repeat life lessons. They're hard enough the first time around.

31. Make the decision before the crisis comes.

32. Remember in the dark what God taught you in the light.


Pastor Ron McCurry

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May 15, 2009

Wisdom From Noah's Ark

Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah's Ark. ...

One : Don't miss the boat.
Two : Remember that we are all in the same boat.
Three : Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
Four : Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
Five : Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
Six : Build your future on high ground.
Seven : For safety sake, travel in pairs.
Eight : Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
Nine : When you're stressed, float a while.
Ten : Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals!
Eleven : No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting...

Pastor Ron McCurry

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May 12, 2009

Some Famous Oxymorons

According to Wikipedia, a oxymoron is a "figure of speech that combines two normally contradictory words". Even the word "oxymoron" is itself an oxymoron because it contains two Greek words: "oxy" which means "sharp" and "pointed" and "moros" which means "dull". Below is a list of some of the more famous oxymorons as well as some of my favorites:

Ill Health                                      Constant Change                          Boneless Ribs

Pretty Ugly                                   Good Grief                                  Hot Ice

Half Dead                                     Loud Whisper                              Cold Sweat

Jumbo Shrimp                              Tough Love                                 Freezer Burn

Black Light                                   Top Floor                                    Live Recording

Turkey Ham                                 Timeless Moment                         Small Crowd

Almost Everything                         Terribly Good                              Safety Hazard

Smart Bomb                                  Steel Wool                                  United Nations

Instant Replay                                A Little Big                                 True Story

Just for fun, check out the following web sites: oxymorons.info and wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxymoron.

Pastor Ron McCurry

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May 2, 2009

Graduation Day - Congrats Are In Order!

The month of May brings not only flowers after the April showers, it brings graduation for thousands of high school and college students across the country. Today, I had the privilege of attending my youngest (Andrea - age 25) child's college graduation for the second time in two years - this time with her Master's degree from Augusta State University. She also graduated with honors. She must have gotten that ability from her mother. Pam and I are so proud of everything she has accomplished thus far in her short life. As we sat there waiting for the ceremony to begin, I could not help but think, "what happened to my baby girl?" Where did the years go? You know you are getting old when you start making those kind of statements. Still, looking back on it, I really have no idea how I cannot account for much of the last 25 years. It happened so fast.

I despise the word "graduation". The word itself suggests some kind of ending to something. I assure you that graduation is not the end of anything. I prefer the word, "commencement" because it suggests a beginning of sorts. Those who complete their course of studies will get a strong dose of reality after leaving the high school or college campus. It will not take long for them to discover that outside of those walls lies a real and a cruel world just waiting to swallow another victim. As I sat there in the audience, I felt a fresh new keen awareness of the limitations I now have as a father in sheltering my daughter from the world. I will now be forced to rely upon everything we have put in her during the past 25 years concerning faith, decency, kindness to others, generosity, and a billion others things. Turning loose and trusting what you have done in the past as a parent to get your children through to the future is not easy.

Although Pam and I were not perfect parents, we did our very best to raise all of our children in the fear of the Lord. When it comes down to it, that is really all God expects any of us to do. No more and no less. When we were imperfect, we know God was perfect. When we made mistakes and did or said the wrong thing, God's grace graciously overruled our shortcomings. Our prayer for our daughter is that she will continue to allow God to lead and guide her life to become all that she can be in Christ.

Andrea, we love you more than words could ever express. We thank you for the invaluable contribution you have made in our lives and are looking forward to seeing God's hand on your life.

Love always,
Ron and Pam (Dad and Mom)