“In times of turbulence and rapid change, you must constantly be re-evaluating yourself relative to the new realities.”— Brian Tracy
"It is in my power either to serve God or not to serve him. Serving him, I add to my own good and the good of the whole world. Not serving him, I forfeit my own good and deprive the world of that good, which was in my power to create.” — Leo Tolstoy “In life you need either inspiration or desperation.” — Anthony Robbins “In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” —Albert Schweitzer “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.” — Jim Rohn “I wonder what would happen if we all agreed to read one of the Gospels until we came to a place that told us to do something, then went out to do it, and only after we had done it, began reading again?” —Peter Marshall “I seldom think about my limitations, and they never make me sad. Perhaps there is just a touch of yearning at times; but it is vague, like a breeze among flowers.” — Helen Keller “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” — Albert Einstein “I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle--victorious.” — Vince Lombardi "Money is a means to an end, not the end itself.” – Edwene Gaines
0 Comments
Quote of the day:
“Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours.”--Dale Carnegie Think about it: A man we’ll call Bill Wilkins, a Wall Street broker, woke up one morning in a hospital for drunkards. Despondently he peered up at the house doctor and groaned, “Doc, how many times have I been in this joint?” “Fifty!” “I suppose liquor is going to kill me?” “Bill,” replied the doctor solemnly, “it won’t be long now.” “Then,” said Bill, “how about a drink to straighten me out?” “I guess that would be all right, given the circumstances,” agreed the doctor. “But I’ll make a bargain with you. There’s a young fellow in the next room in a pretty bad way. He’s here for the first time. Maybe if you showed yourself as a horrible example, you might scare him into staying sober for the rest of his life.” Instead of resentment, Bill showed a flicker of interest. “Okay,” he said. “But don’t forget that drink when I come back.” The young man was certain that he was doomed, and Bill, who considered himself an agnostic, incredulously heard himself urging the lad to turn to a higher power. “Liquor is a power outside yourself that has overcome you,” he urged. “Only another outside power can save you. If you don’t want to call it God, call it truth.” Whatever the effect on the young man, Bill greatly impressed himself. Back in his own room, he forgot his bargain with the doctor. Bill never did collect the promised drink. Thinking of someone else at long last, he had given the law of unselfishness a chance to work on him. It worked so well that he lived to become a founder of a highly effective movement in healing faith—Alcoholics Anonymous. William Griffith Wilson was Bill’s real name, though in keeping with Alcoholics Anonymous tradition, most knew him simply as Bill W. How could he have ever imagined what a worldwide good would eventually come about as a result of the moment he shifted his focus from being selfish to selfless? It is in forgetting ourselves and investing in others that we often reap the greatest dividends.—Fulton Oursler There are many benefits to living a life of love for God and others. One of the main paybacks is that when we live more for others than for ourselves, we find that life has purpose. When we live a life of purpose, we are living a life that has value. Not many things in our lives are eternal. Love is. Love has eternal value; how’s that for purpose? Over time, a life lived in selfishness will bring about a deep void inside, because God created us with yearnings that can only be satisfied by something greater then ourselves, by living in loving relationship with Him and others. He created us with a need to give to others, to sacrifice for others, in order to find lasting fulfillment and purpose. A Spiritual Exercise
By Abi May Being afraid is like being trapped in a small, dark room. The darkness can be so thick it feels suffocating. You reach out, but you can’t find the exit. But find the light switch, turn on a light, and everything changes. Even a small light helps you get your bearings and shows you the way out. One thing that doesn’t help when you’re afraid or worried is pretending that the fear will go away if you ignore it. Fear must be dispelled. You need to find the way out. Try this exercise the next time you feel trapped by fear or worry. You will need four things: a room that can be darkened, a candle or lamp, a means to light the candle or turn on the lamp, and a Bible. Go to that room at a time when you won’t be disturbed. Turn on a light and close the curtains or pull the blinds. Take a few minutes to read and think about what the fear is. Now turn off the light and tell God what is bothering you. Be as detailed as you like; He has endless patience. And don’t worry that He won’t understand. Even if your fears turn out to be unfounded, they are very real to you at the moment, and He knows that. Now light the candle or turn on the lamp. This light represents God’s presence and power. You are no longer in a dark room, alone with your fears. He is with you, and His light has overcome the darkness. Thank Him for His presence and that He is always with you, no matter what. As you leave the room, turn out the light or extinguish the candle; you won’t need it as you go out into the daylight or lighted house. But take the experience with you. The next time you feel fear coming on, recall this exercise. Mentally flip the switch or light the candle, remind yourself of His comforting, unfailing presence and be at peace – Activated Magazine “The two most beautiful things in the universe are the starry heavens above our heads and the feeling of duty in our hearts.” – Bossuet.
“He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.” — Clarence Budington Kelland “Trials, temptations, disappointments—all these are helps instead of hindrances, if one uses them rightly. They not only test the fiber of a character, but strengthen it. Every conquered temptation represents a new fund of moral energy. Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.” — James Buckham “The man who moved a mountain was the one who began carrying away small stones.” — Chinese proverb "By using prosperity affirmations, you are not trying to make God give you anything. You are only trying to open your mind to receive the abundance He has already given.” – Catherine Ponder “It's easy to carry the past as a burden instead of a school. It's easy to let it overwhelm you instead of educate you.” — Jim Rohn “It isn’t until you come to a spiritual understanding of who you are – not necessarily a religious feeling, but deep down, the spirit within – that you can begin to take control.” — Oprah Winfrey “It is not your customer's job to remember you; it is your obligation and responsibility to make sure they don't have the chance to forget you.” — Patricia Fripp “It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste.” — Henry Ford "When a man moves away from nature his heart becomes hard.” — Lakota" Quote of the day:
“A truly charming person never has time for envy, self-pity, or gossip.” — Loretta Young Think about it: There once was a woman who did not like what a certain old and wise teacher would say to her. One day the old woman’s words were more than she could bear. It was the truth, but it made her so angry that she really began to butt. She went everywhere telling lies and evil stories about her teacher. She tried very hard to turn people against her with her terrible talk and gossip. But the more she talked, the sadder she became. At last she was very unhappy, and began to feel sorry for all the lies she had told. Finally, in tears, the woman went to the teacher’s home to ask her to forgive her. “I have told so many lies about you”, she said. “Please forgive me.” The old woman did not answer her for a long time. She seemed to be deep in thought. At last she said, “Yes, I will forgive you, but first you must do something for me.” “What do you want me to do?” she said, a little surprised. “Come with me up to the roof and I will show you.” she said, looking straight into her eyes, “but first I need to get something from my room.” When the teacher returned from her room, she carried a big feather pillow under her arm. The poor woman could hardly hide her growing curiosity and keep from asking what the pillow was for, and why they were going up to the roof. However, she kept silent. A little out of breath, they finally reached the top floor. The wind blew softly. From the roof they could see far into the countryside that stretched out beyond the village. Suddenly, without saying anything, the teacher ripped open the pillow and dumped all of the feathers out. The soft breeze blew, picked them up and carried the feathers everywhere: Out onto the other roofs, into the streets, under the cars, up into the trees, out into the backyards where the children were playing, and even out to the big highway, and on and on, farther still into the distance. The teacher and the woman watched the feathers flutter away for some time. At last the old teacher turned to the woman and said, “Now I want you to go and pick up all those feathers for me.” “Pick up all of those feathers?” she gasped. “But that is impossible!” “Yes, I know.” said the teacher. “Those feathers are like your lies about me. What you have started you cannot stop, even if you are sorry. You may be able to tell a few people that you told lies about me, but the winds of gossip have carried your lies everywhere.” The next time you are tempted to gossip or tell lies about others think about this story and remember you can never get the feathers back. By Christina Lane
In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was known as a master trickster, and the most cunning of men. Eventually, the gods were so displeased with his craftiness and deceitfulness that they condemned him in the afterlife to push a huge boulder up a steep hill. The boulder was enchanted so that Sisyphus was never able to complete the task: whenever he neared the top, the boulder always rolled back down—endlessly. That’s just a story, of course, but it’s an impression we can sometimes relate to. We feel like we are pushing a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back down, and sometimes it can even feel like it rolls right over us on its way down. Like Sisyphus, some of us are also stuck in a discouraging cycle of expending a lot of effort with hardly any results to show for it, or getting stuck repeatedly in a difficult or unwholesome situation. But there is hope that we can break out of that cycle, and as believers, we have the extra power and strength of God to help us carry our burdens. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean God is going to magically solve all our problems. That’s where faith comes in. With faith in God’s ability to help with our burdens, we can grow and learn through the things that come our way, and come out victorious in the end. With faith we can reach the top of the hill, and be able to move on eventually. "The circulation of confidence is better than the circulation of money.” — James Madison
"Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.” — William Shakespeare “Always continue the climb. It is possible for you to do whatever you choose, if you first get to know who you are and are willing to work with a power that is greater than ourselves to do it.”—Ella Wheeler Wilcox "Give up on the idea of trying to find yourself. Instead, realize that you are creating yourself every day." — Author Unknown “I am a part of all that I have met.” — Alfred Tennyson “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” — Walt Disney “In life, as in a football game, the principle to follow is: hit the line hard.” — Theodore Roosevelt “Literature is my Utopia. Here I am not disenfranchised. No barrier of the senses shuts me out from the sweet, gracious discourses of my book friends. They talk to me without embarrassment or awkwardness.” —Helen Keller “Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.” —Martin Luther King Jr. Quote of the day:
“There aren't any great men. There are just great challenges that ordinary men like you and me are forced by circumstances to meet.”-- William F. Halsey Think about it: The story is told of Genghis Khan (the great Mongol warrior who conquered more than twice as much land as any other person in history), and how he led his men to a victory over all odds. During one of the Mongols’ campaigns, an enemy army several times their size was waiting for them on the other side of a mountain pass. That pass was the only way to get through the otherwise extremely treacherous mountains. It was a well-planned trap. So what did Genghis do? He gathered his elite and sent them OVER the mountain. Yes, the way that couldn’t be traveled, and which the enemy did not even consider as an option. In the freezing cold, with low visibility and the danger of being sighted always before them, these dedicated men made it over the top and came down the other side. Did they get to the bottom and set up camp, satisfying their hunger and soothing their tired muscles? No, they went straight into battle, leading the charge, and the enemy was thrown into confusion, shocked to see the impossible done. The struggle over the mountain and into battle served more than one purpose: If we stretch further than we feel comfortable stretching wonderful things are possible. I’m sure none of those warriors were eager to face the cold and inhospitable mountain, but they did. So can we. Also, when we reach a goal, don’t stop there’s often more to achieve just around the corner. Yes, it disconcerted the enemy, but more than that, it made those warriors realize what they were capable of. Don’t you think their confidence and morale soared from then on? Can you imagine the stories they told? They gained vision for the future. Let’s share that vision and those tales of glory in order to uplift others. Maybe they will face a similar struggle, or perhaps theirs will be completely different. Either way, let’s think on our experiences and share them for the benefit of others! By Joyce Suttin,
One of my most pleasant childhood memories is lying on the bench beneath Grandma’s grape arbor on a hot summer day, and munching on fresh grapes. Years later, when I was moving to a vineyard in Italy, I envisioned many comfy benches to lie on. To my shock, we arrived to what looked like barren fields. Only the tiniest stubbly heads appeared above the roots. It was explained to me that the vines were cut back to the ground each year after the harvest to increase their yield. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but it was a fruitful field. When the growing season began, I was amazed at how quickly the roots gave birth to new vines beneath the warm Tuscan sun. Their tendrils reached out quickly through the fields, and where there had been barren earth, suddenly there was lush new growth that would produce juicy green grapes. I am a very poor gardener because I hate to prune my plants. I let my rose bushes grow to ungainly heights. I shoo away every tree trimmer who comes to the door wanting to trim our trees. I let my perennials grow wild. I like the runaway growth of living things and don’t like to be the judge of what to cut. But it is pretty clear that in order to bear fruit, trimming is needed. The same is true in our lives. Sometimes we need some cutting or pruning too, to continue to be productive. There are times the rug gets ripped out from under us. The unexpected knocks us for a loop; tragedy, illness, betrayal or failure give us a sucker punch, and we feel all of those beautiful leafy branches being ripped away, until all that is left is a stubbly, chopped-up root in some seemingly barren ground. But then, the time is right. The sun shines down. Rain falls. And the miracle of new life and growth begins again. – Adapted from Motivated Magazine. "Everyone who is successful must have dreamed of something.” – Maricopa
"Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand.” — North America Indian Proverb "Better a hundred enemies outside the house than one inside.” — North America Indian Proverb “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.” — Mark Twain "Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion.” —Dalai Lama “If you kicked the one who causes you most of your troubles, you would not be able to sit down for six weeks.” – Mark Twain “Hard work has made it easy. That is my secret. That is why I win.” —Nadia Comaneci “Follow your instincts. That’s where true wisdom manifests itself.” —Oprah Winfrey “Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light.” — Helen Keller |
AuthorThe goal of the blog is to provide interesting, motivational, soul feeding material. All to help remind us that God loves us all and wants a personal relationship with each of us and will take care of us in times of trouble. I aspire to be a force for good by providing you with positive input. I encourage you to share the blog with others. Archives
August 2023
Categories
All
|