Ralph Waldo Emerson usually greeted Henry David Thoreau by asking, 'What has become clearer since last we met?' The late Fred Smith liked to ask that question too. A lifelong friend of Billy Graham and Zig Ziglar, Smith mentored a generation of leaders. But, more importantly, he was the real deal at home. He believed the words: 'Tell your children and grandchildren...the incredible things I am doing.' (Exodus 10:2 TLB) Fred's daughter Brenda shares some Scriptures she learned from her dad. Let's look at them: 'Love never fails...' (1 Corinthians 13:8 NAS) When Fred's doctors said he was dying, Brenda said, 'No, I'll take him home and he'll live.' She did, and he did. Many older people who die of 'natural causes' actually die of loneliness. Love is still our healthiest environment; it's God's greatest gift to us, and ours to one another. '...tribulation produces perseverance.' (Romans 5:3 NKJV) Don't miss the good in the bad. Trials can be negative or positive, depending on how you use them. Type A people expect life to run on their schedule, but tribulation has its own agenda and pace, and patience is the only antidote. 'Don't be lazy in showing your devotion. Use your energy to serve the Lord.' (Romans 12:11 GWT) The director of a big company confirms that engineers who retire without a plan to stay busy often die within 16 months. By not staying involved in life you are subconsciously giving yourself permission to die. Fred Smith's philosophy was: you can't let up, and keep up. Paul said, 'If I continue to live...my work will produce more results.' (Philippians 1:22 GWT) And the same is true for you too.
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