At the Bible Quiz Fellowship National Championship Tournament; after two days of round-robin quizzes 42 teams got their "placements" for the actual championship tournament which begins Saturday at 8.30AM.
I just did the devotional for Midland's top team, "The Messengers." I reminded them that, at the end of the day, they may receive some, ah, criticism from well-meaning friends, and perhaps relatives, about how they could have studied more, jumped better, answered more carefully etc etc etc...
Then I shared that 100 years ago today Teddy Roosevelt delivered a stellar speech, which contained the following lines. They are useful to all who attempt anything, especially, in context, anything for the Lord. As Reggie Jackson observed, "The loudest boos come from those in the free seats."
Here is a part of Roosevelt's speech:
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
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