THE VALLEYS OF LIFE
The Valleys of Life
Pastor Frank Damazio
Intro: Life is filled with changes. The green pastures may give place to dark valleys. There may be loss of health, of property, of friends. There may be the unknown trials and valleys. As we travel the paths the Lord lays out for our lives, some lead to places we would not choose. The paths that lead to the valley experiences of life are unavoidable but these experiences become rich in hidden treasures. God is present with His people in all their dangers and troubles and that presence of His is the ground of confidence. Every valley becomes a school of the Spirit to teach us, change us and sometimes break us so that we may walk in a new power and a new spirit.
I. VALLEY EXPERIENCES
A. ADVICE FROM BILL GATES
Here's some advice Bill Gates recently dished out at a high school speech about 11 things they did not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good politically correct teachings created a full generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.
• Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it.
• Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
• Rule 3: You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone, until you earn both.
• Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure.
• Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping - they called it opportunity.
• Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
• Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save ...
Pastor Frank Damazio
Intro: Life is filled with changes. The green pastures may give place to dark valleys. There may be loss of health, of property, of friends. There may be the unknown trials and valleys. As we travel the paths the Lord lays out for our lives, some lead to places we would not choose. The paths that lead to the valley experiences of life are unavoidable but these experiences become rich in hidden treasures. God is present with His people in all their dangers and troubles and that presence of His is the ground of confidence. Every valley becomes a school of the Spirit to teach us, change us and sometimes break us so that we may walk in a new power and a new spirit.
I. VALLEY EXPERIENCES
A. ADVICE FROM BILL GATES
Here's some advice Bill Gates recently dished out at a high school speech about 11 things they did not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good politically correct teachings created a full generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.
• Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it.
• Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
• Rule 3: You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone, until you earn both.
• Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure.
• Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping - they called it opportunity.
• Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
• Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save ...
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