Quote of the day:
"Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.” – Author unknown Reflection: Here’s a recipe for a good new year: Take twelve fine, full-grown months; see that these are thoroughly free from old memories of bitterness, rancor and hate; cleanse them completely from every clinging spite; pick off all specks of pettiness and littleness; in short, see that these months are freed from all the past. Have them fresh and clean as when they first came from the great storehouse of time. Cut these months into thirty or thirty-one equal parts. Do not attempt to make up the whole batch at one time (so many people spoil the entire lot this way), but prepare one day at a time. Into each day put equal parts of faith, patience, courage, work (some people omit this ingredient and so spoil the flavor of the rest), hope, fidelity, tolerance, kindness, rest (leaving this out is like leaving the oil out of the salad dressing-don't do it), prayer, meditation and one well-selected resolution. Put in about one teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play and a heaping cupful of good humor. Happy New Year!
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Quote of the day:
“May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us." — Mother Teresa Reflection: The above quote is also my prayer for you for the New Year. I hope that the inspirational material that I have sent out this year has been a blessing and help to you and your friends. Happy New Year! Quote of the day:
"I truly believe that if we keep telling the Christmas story, singing the Christmas songs, and living the Christmas spirit, we can bring joy and happiness and peace to this world.” — Norman Vincent Peale Reflection: Over these last few days I’ve been meditating on the significance of Christmas and what a wonderful day it is. Christmas celebrates the most important birth in human history, when God the Son physically entered into the world as both God and man in Jesus. Never before or since has such a unique and important person been born. Jesus’ birth, His coming to earth, His becoming human, was all about the salvation of humankind. His birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven were all about salvation—yours, mine, and everyone else’s. The message of Christmas is the message of John 3:16, and I would add verse 17 as well: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.” Whoever believes.—That the world might be saved through Him. Salvation is available to all. It’s God’s gift to us—Jesus—God’s Christmas gift to mankind. “It’s God’s gift to us—Jesus—God’s Christmas gift to mankind.” Merry Christmas! Quote of the day:
"Christmas is most of all a celebration of God's love for each of us.” – Author Unknown Reflection: It’s Christmas time—such a wonderful time of year! I love this time of the year, because as Christmas approaches, people tend to appreciate others more. They’re more aware of the importance of family and friends, and they’re often more giving and willing to help the poor and needy. Generally speaking, there’s more love in the air during the Christmas season. I just love it! But as the quote says, “Christmas is most of all a celebration of God's love for each of us.” Christmas is a celebration of Jesus’ birth, Jesus being God’s gift of love to us. One of the things Jesus came to do on earth is to heal the brokenhearted. Sometimes Christmas can be difficult for people as it may bring up unhappy memories of a death of a loved one, a divorce, an unhappy childhood, the loss of a job, to name a few unhappy circumstances. Is this you? Is this year a difficult Christmas for you? Are you brokenhearted over a circumstance that has left you in pain? If the answer is yes, if you're experiencing deep sorrow, I invite you to receive God’s gift of love to you in the form of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to mend the turmoil you feel inside. He came to heal your broken heart and to bring good news to the afflicted. Open your heart to Him, and receive His free gift of relief from your sadness. God loves you.
Quote of the day:
“We are most like beasts when we kill. We are most like men when we judge. We are most like God when we forgive.” — Chuck Swindoll Reflection: Whenever we are hurt by someone, we have a choice to make: Will you use your energy and emotions for retaliation or for resolution? You can't do both. Many people are reluctant to show mercy because they don't understand the difference between trust and forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past. Trust has to do with future behavior. Forgiveness must be immediate, whether or not a person asks for it. Trust must be rebuilt over time. Trust requires a track record. If someone hurts you repeatedly, you are to forgive them instantly, but you are not expected to trust them immediately, and you are not expected to continue allowing them to hurt you. They must prove they have changed over time. The bottom line is you don’t have to trust someone to forgive them. Is there someone you need to separate the trust issue from the forgiveness issue? Quote of the day:
“Joy can be real only if people look upon their life as a service, and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness.” — Leo Tolstoy Reflection: This quote reminds me of a Fairytale I once heard. A fairy visited this world in order to find out what type of people were really truly happy. She came to a large estate where very rich people lived. The grounds were perfectly manicured and laden with magnificent gardens. They had thorough-bred horses and posh cars, expensive paintings, and an array of luxuries almost beyond imagination. And yet they were not happy. In fact, the fairy found only one happy person in the entire great household, the servant boy who did all sorts of odd jobs. The boy was always found singing away from morning to night as he performed his chores. His wise mother had taught him that to be of use to others was the best and highest thing that anyone could do and in so doing, she had given him a priceless gift of greatness, for he knew how to make others happy. This is just a fairytale but the point is clear that when we make others happy, we in turn find true happiness. Are you happy? If not, the answer might be in this question: Are you pursuing your own gain only, or do you make an effort to be of help to others? Quote of the day:
“Giving starts the receiving process.” – Jim Ron Reflection: Darrern Hardy says, “That is a quote from my mentor, Jim Rohn. When I first heard Jim say this, I thought he meant giving created indebtedness on the part of the receiver—that you gave so you could get back. But I had it all wrong. Jim taught me that the real gift—the lasting benefit of giving—is what the act itself does for you. In essence, giving to others is the greatest gift you can give yourself. “Giving feels good, but there’s more to it than that. Helping others incites physical and emotional responses within us. When we direct our energy and focus on meeting other’s needs, we push aside our brooding and negative emotions, especially those that contribute to stress induced psychological and physical illness. Studies reveal that when we help others, we release extra amounts of endorphins into our system, and we get what researchers call a ‘helper’s high.’” Why not get a “helper high” for yourself by giving to someone today? If you need help with knowing who to give to, checkout the Radical Giving site. Quote of the day:
"The joy of brightening our lives, bearing each other's burdens, easing other's loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas.” -- W. C. Jones Reflection: It is this spirit which glorifies true Christmas giving. Christmas is a wonderful day. It works miracles of love all over the world. But the true glory of Christmas is seen in what it does among the poor, in prisons and hospitals and orphanages and refuges of all kinds, where it brings its portion for those for whom nothing has been prepared. Love is very sweet when it pours out its gifts for those who love us. But love reaches the finest moments when it brings its blessings to those who perhaps do not love us, or those who will never thank us, nor remember what we have done, nor return gratitude for our kindness. Is there someone you can manifest your Christmas giving to that cannot repay you? Quote of the day:
“You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them.” -- Malcolm Forbes Reflection: Someone sent me this true story by Malcolm Forbes illustrating his quote. A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, walked timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President's Outer office. “We'd like to see the president,” the man said softly. “He'll be busy all day,” the secretary snapped. 'We'll wait,' the lady replied. For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They didn't, and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted. “Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave,” she said to him! He sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them. The president, stern faced and with dignity, strutted toward the couple. The lady told him, “We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here but about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus.” “Madam,” he said gruffly, “We can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery.” “Oh, no,” the lady explained quickly. “We don't want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard.” The president rolled his eyes and exclaimed, “A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard.” The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, “Is that all it cost to start a university? Why don't we just start our own?” Her husband nodded. Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away, travelling to Palo Alto, California where they established the university that bears their name, Stanford University. The saying, “you can’t judge a book by its cover” is certainly true. Not only in this story, but in life in general, you cannot know what someone is like by looking only on their outward appearance. How do you treat people who you think can do nothing for you? |
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
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