Mankind fully alive

"The glory of God is mankind fully alive."

~ Irenaeus

Chronological Snobbery

quote from Sam O'Neal,
Managing Editor, BuildingSmallGroups.com
Wednesday, January 30, 2008

"Back in college, one of my favorite professors used to spend entire lessons railing against a practice that he called "Chronological Snobbery" (which I still think is a very cool phrase). This practice refers to placing a higher value on a theological or hermeneutical interpretation just because it's "new."
Thus, those who are guilty of chronological snobbery often ignore the practices and beliefs of the historical church in favor of whatever book happens to be most recently added to the shelf."

Happiness vs. Success

human nature: Science, technology, and life.

Happiness Sucks: Why joy is bad for you
By William Saletan
Updated Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008, at 8:02 AM ET

quote:

A study suggests extreme happiness may be bad for you.
Findings:
1) "The highest levels of income, education and political participation were reported not by the most satisfied individuals, but by moderately satisfied individuals."
2) Extremely happy people "earned significantly less money" and earned lower school grades than moderately happy people.
3) They "may not live as long," either.
Theories:
1) Happiness makes you complacent and kills your drive.
2) It makes you slow to adapt.
3) It makes you too optimistic and insufficiently vigilant about your health.
4) It may overstimulate your cardiovascular system.
Researchers' conclusions:
1) "Happiness may need to be moderated for success."
2) "Extremely high levels of happiness might not be a desirable goal."

Human nature's conclusions:
1) Success may need to be moderated for happiness.
2) Extremely high levels of success might not be a desirable goal.

studies:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/
2008-01/uoia-dwb012408.php
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/
idUSTON87744820080128

Liberating others

"As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

~ Nelson Mandela, 1994, Inaugural Speech

Failure is not fatal

Success is not final, failure is not fatal:
it is the courage to continue that counts.

~ Winston Churchill

A closed heart

The worst prison would be a closed heart.

~ Pope John Paul II

Begin again more intelligently

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.

~ Henry Ford

Distorted humor from a comedian

"Tragedy is when I cut my finger.
Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die."

~ Mel Brooks

All Is Well

Julian of Norwich was one of the great mystics of the Medieval Church.

“all will be well,
and all will be well,
and every kind of thing will be well”

Sick Secrets

"You are only as sick as your secrets."

~ Proverb

quotes from Bo Bennett

A single question can be more influential than a thousand statements.

If you want plenty of experience in dealing with difficult people, then have kids.

It is not our mistakes that define who we are; it is how we recover from those mistakes.

It's not people who resent successful people; it's resentful people who resent successful people.

Never expect people to treat you any better than you treat yourself.

Not managing your time and making excuses are two bad habits. Don't put them both together by claiming you "don't have the time".

People who come from dysfunctional families are not destined for a dysfunctional life.

Remember that it is not where you come from, or not even where you are; it is where you are going that matters most.

Show interest in ALL people, not just those from whom you want something. Making people feel important and good about themselves is just the right thing to do.

Success is not in what you have, but who you are.

The best way to lose a job is just not to care. When you do not care, it shows in everything you do.

The discipline you learn and character you build from setting and achieving a goal can be more valuable than the achievement of the goal itself.

The only place opportunity cannot be found is in a closed-minded person.

The secret to having everything you want out of life is the realization that you really don't want most of the things you think you want.

Those who improve with age embrace the power of personal growth and personal achievement and begin to replace youth with wisdom, innocence with understanding, and lack of purpose with self-actualization.

True popularity comes from acts of kindness rather than acts of stupidity.

Using rhetorical questions in speeches is a great way to keep the audience involved. Don't you think those kinds of questions would keep your attention?

Value people on their potential, not on their history.

You are not, nor ever will be, better than anyone else besides the person you are now.

~ Bo Bennett

A single influential question

"A single question can be more influential than a thousand statements."

~ Bo Bennett

Top 10 Liars' Lies

Leonard Sweet, in his Soul Cafe newsletter, included this list of "Top 10 Liars' Lies":

We'll stay only five minutes.
This will be a short meeting.
I'll respect you in the morning.
The check is in the mail.
I'm from the government, and I'm here to help you.
This hurts me more than it hurts you.
Your money will be cheerfully refunded.
We service what we sell.
Your table will be ready in just a minute.
I'll start exercising (dieting, forgiving … ) tomorrow.

—Leadership, Vol. 16, no. 4.

Martin Luther King Jr. quotes

following quoted from:
http://spotlight.encarta.msn.com/Features/
encnet_Features_Lists_default_article_
MLKQuotations.html?GT1=10789

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. inspired a nation to change largely through his riveting speeches. Considered one of the greatest orators in United States history, his thoughts on racial equality have been repeated by many speakers throughout the years since his assassination. His skill with words powered King's nonviolent battle for integration and equal rights. Here are 10 quotations from the eminently quotable activist.

He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.
-- "Stride Toward Freedom," 1958.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
-- "Strength to Love," 1963.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
-- "Letter from Birmingham Jail," April 16, 1963.

Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
-- "Strength to Love," 1963.

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor.
-- "Letter from Birmingham Jail," April 16, 1963.

The means by which we live have outdistanced the ends for which we live. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.
-- "Strength to Love," 1963.

Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.
-- "Letter from Birmingham Jail," April 16, 1963.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
-- "I Have a Dream," civil rights march on Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963.
(Source: The New York Times)

Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. It is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.
-- "Why We Can't Wait," 1964.

The security we profess to seek in foreign adventures we will lose in our decaying cities.
-- [Referring to U.S. Vietnam policy.] Address at Riverside Church, New York.
(Source: History Today, April 1998)

Everything is a grace

"Everything is a grace, everything is the direct effect of our Father's love —
difficulties, contradictions, humiliations, all the soul's miseries, her burdens, her needs —
everything, because through them, she learns humility, realises her weakness —
Everything is a grace because everything is God's gift.
Whatever be the character of life or its unexpected events —
to the heart that loves, all is well."

~ St. Therese of Lisieux

Losing sight of why we are doing this

quoted from
Clinton, Obama Step Back From Flap
By DAVID ESPO
Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/
ALeqM5jld3VILFDbEY6uciu_lp_YgBnGqwD8U61CJG0

Obama was the first to suggest a cooling of the rhetoric on race, calling reporters together to say he didn't want the campaign "to degenerate into so much tit-for-tat, back-and-forth that we lose sight of why all of us are doing this."
Referring to Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards, he said that while they may have disagreements, "we share the same goals. We're all Democrats, we all believe in civil rights, we all believe in equal rights."
Clinton's campaign issued a statement in the same vein about an hour after Obama spoke, saying it was time to seek common ground. "And in that spirit, let's come together, because I want more than anything else to ensure that our family stays together on the front lines of the struggle to expand rights for all Americans," she said.

Achieving Peaceful Coexistence with Neighbors

advice from Bill Adler Jr.
author - Outwitting Neighbors: A Practical and Entertaining Guide to Achieving Peaceful Coexistence with the People Next Door

quoted from a CNN article about RottenNeighbor.com
Surviving Your Nasty Neighbor
by E. Bougerol
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/
wayoflife/01/14/neighbors/index.html

No matter what category your particular complaint is in . . . Adler says nuisance neighbors fall into one of two groups: "those who are rude, brutish and just don't care, and those who are simply ignorant of your side of the story."
Adler stresses that communication is key to keeping the problem from getting downright ugly: Neighbor disputes are the No. 1 reason, in some cities and small towns, why Americans go to court, he says. . . .
"We really want to turn this into a positive thing," he says, "to help resolve issues between neighbors and make people happier where they live."
Adler agrees that getting neighbors to appreciate each other's point of view is the most effective step to resolution -- something he and his wife learned the hard way when that dog crept into their yard. "We didn't deal very well," he says. "We made mistakes we regretted."
He figured others could learn from his mistakes, and penned the book "Outwitting Neighbors: A Practical and Entertaining Guide to Achieving Peaceful Coexistence with the People Next Door." . . .
He offers these tips for coping with bad neighbors before they -- or you -- wind up before a judge (or online).

Five tips for keeping the peace
1. Know your neighbors. Upon moving in, knock on doors, introduce yourself and establish a rapport. That way, when a problem does arise, you'll both want to resolve it peacefully.
2. Bring problems up immediately. Don't delay. The longer you wait, the bigger the problem can get -- literally, in some cases (a new puppy, a tree that blocks your sunlight, an add-on to property).
3. Ask around. Most problems bother more than one neighbor. Gather support to build your case, and consider talking to the offending party as a group.
4. Be nice. Bring your neighbor cookies or a bottle of wine. It sets the stage for an amicable discussion. And if you've been confrontational, apologize. Nothing's more
powerful -- and chances are, they'll apologize back.
5. Be proactive. Try to deal with conflict on your own before taking things to the next level. Unless the offense is truly egregious, reporting a neighbor to the police or another relevant agency is the wrong first move.

Move to Improve

"You've got to move to improve."

~ heard on Oprah, 1/14/08

Social System of Lions

Physical Characteristics
The lion is a magnificent animal that appears as a symbol of power, courage and nobility on family crests, coats of arms and national flags in many civilizations. Lions at one time were found from Greece through the Middle East to northern India, but today only a very small population remains in India. In the past lions lived in most parts of Africa, but are now confined to the sub-Saharan region. Mature male lions are unique among the cat species for the thick mane of brown or black hair encircling the head and neck. Both male and female lions roar, a sound which can be heard as far as 8 km away.

Habitat
Lions are found in savannas, grasslands, dense bush and woodlands.

Behavior
The lion is an exception to the usual solitary existence of most cat species. It has developed a social system based on teamwork, division of labor and an extended but closed family unit. The average pride consists of about 15 individuals: 5 to 10 females, their young, and 2 or 3 territorial males. These are usually brothers or pride mates who have formed a coalition to protect their females. Because a nursing lioness will come into heat a few weeks after the loss of cubs, males with newly won prides will often kill existing cubs, enabling them to sire their own. When resting, lions seem to enjoy good fellowship with lots of touching, head rubbing, licking and purring.
Litters consist of two or three cubs that weigh about 3 pounds each. Some mothers carefully nurture the young; others may neglect or abandon them, especially when food is scarce. Usually two or more females in a pride give birth about the same time, and the cubs are raised together. A lioness will permit cubs other than her own to suckle, sometimes enabling a neglected infant to survive. Capable hunters by 2 years of age, lions become fully grown between 5 and 6 years and normally live about 13 years.

Diet
Cooperative hunting enables lions to take prey as large as buffaloes, rhinos, hippos and giraffes. However, scavenged food provides more than 50% of their diets—lions will often take over kills made by other carnivores. Females do 85-90% of the hunting, usually by setting up an ambush into which they drive the prey. The kill is not shared equally within a pride, and at times of prey scarcity, high juvenile mortality rates occur, as hungry females may not even share with their offspring.

source: African Wildlife Foundation
http://www.awf.org/content/
wildlife/detail/lion

An idea lives on

"A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on."

~ John F. Kennedy

Pastors are close to God's heart

from Chris Blumhofer, Associate Editor, BuildingChurchLeaders.com:

Be careful what you say about pastors," my father once told me. "The Lord sees his servants as the apple of his eye."
Those words have haunted me at various moments in my adult life. I often recollect them after my critical tongue has unjustly lashed out against a ministry or a leader. As a pastor once reminded me: "Words spoken—even when retracted—remain said." When we criticize or gossip about those whom God has called to lead, we risk attacking a person or a work that's close to his heart.

Reach more

"The more you preach, the fewer you reach."

~ VeggieTales creator and founder Phil Vischer

Ice around my heart

"All this while I've been packing ice around my heart. How do I make it melt?"

~ Ada Monroe, Cold Mountain
(referring to her feelings on meeting her sweetheart after he returns from war)

"Overcomer"

Lord, you know
I'm pushing on
to run this race.
I fix my eyes on You
in everything I face.
Even when my feelings
say it isn't so
Your truth that beats
inside my heart
won't let me go.
With every step of faith
You strengthen me.
Along every mile of trust
You're remaking me.
'Tho a trail of tears
mark the path
that I've come,
until in Your arms
I'll continue to run.

Heb 12:1-22, 2 Cor. 4:8-9

~ Michelle A. Meade

The Art of Life

The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.

~ William Hazlitt

If you understand, the job is yours

Back when the telegraph was the fastest method of long-distance communication, a young man applied for a job as a Morse Code operator. Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address that was listed.

When he arrived, he entered a large, busy office filled with noise and clatter, including the sound of the telegraph in the background. A sign on the receptionist's counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office. The young man filled out his form and sat down with the seven other applicants in the waiting area. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in.

Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. They muttered among themselves that they hadn't heard any summons yet. They assumed that the young man who went into the office made a mistake and would be disqualified.

Within a few minutes, however, the employer escorted the young man out of the office and said to the other applicants, "Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has just been filled."

The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and one spoke up saying, "Wait a minute, I don't understand. He was the last to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That's not fair!"

The employer said, "I'm sorry, but the last several minutes while you've been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message in Morse Code: 'If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours." None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. The job is his.

http://www.geekculture.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb/
ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=15;t=003551

Drawing a bigger circle

Roy Lloyd, a Lutheran minister, once interviewed Mother Teresa. He said that one of his questions and one of her answers stands out in his mind as "a bright sun burning in my mind."

He asked her, "What's the biggest problem in the world today?"
And she answered, without hesitation, "The biggest problem in the world today is that we draw the circle of our family too small. We need to draw it larger every day."

You could really enjoy life

A wealthy businessman was horrified to see a fisherman sitting beside his boat, playing with a small child.
"Why aren't you out fishing?" asked the businessman.
"Because I caught enough fish for one day," replied the fisherman.
"Why don't you catch some more?"
"What would I do with them?"
"You could earn more money," said the businessman. "Then with the extra money, you could buy a bigger boat, go into deeper waters, and catch more fish. Then you would make enough money to buy nylon nets. With the nets, you could catch even more fish and make more money. With that money you could own two boats, maybe three boats. Eventually you could have a whole fleet of boats and be rich like me."
"Then what would I do?" asked the fisherman.
"Then," said the businessman, "you could really enjoy life."
The fisherman looked at the businessman quizzically and asked, "What do you think I am doing now?"

~ Author Unknown

Who Will You Listen To?

An old fable that has been passed down for generations tells about an elderly man who was traveling with a boy and a donkey.

As they walked through a village, the man was leading the donkey and the boy was walking behind. The townspeople said the old man was a fool for not riding, so to please them he climbed up on the animal's back.

When they came to the next village, the people said the old man was cruel to let the child walk while he enjoyed the ride. So, to please them, he got off and set the boy on the animal's back and continued on his way.

In the third village, people accused the child of being lazy for making the old man walk, and the suggestion was made that they both ride. So the man climbed on and they set off again.

In the fourth village, the townspeople were indignant at the cruelty to the donkey because he was made to carry two people. The frustrated man was last seen carrying the donkey down the road.

~ Traditional

Only Peers

People only want to hear jokes about their disabilities from people who are their peers.

Doonesbury
"I thought humor helped."
B.D.: "Not from you -- from peers."

~ Gary Trudeau
Jan. 2, 2008
http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/
index.html?uc_full_date=20080102

I'll Take Two

A week before Christmas a man in his sixties went into a big toy shop and began looking around at the various displays. He returned several times to a counter that featured a little train set. He was particularly fascinated by the great sounding whistle that came from the engine as the train scurried around its oval track.
Finally, he said to the clerk who was demonstrating the toy: "I'll take one."
Whereupon the clerk said, "Your grandson will love it."
"Then I'll take two," the man replied.

~ Author Unknown

Going Ahead

With lies you may go ahead in the world,
but you can never go back.

~ Russian Proverb

A Guide to a Happy Life - Lloyd Shearer

A Guide to a Happy Life
by Lloyd Shearer, 1989

No one will ever get out of this world alive. Resolve therefore to maintain a reasonable sense of values.
Take care or yourself. Good health is everyone's major source of wealth. Without it, happiness is almost impossible.
Resolve to be cheerful and helpful. People will repay you in kind.
Avoid angry, abrasive persons. They are generally vengeful.
Avoid zealots. They are generally humorless.
Resolve to listen more and to talk less. No one ever learns anything by talking.
Be chary of giving advice. Wise men don't need it and fools won't heed it.
Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the wrong. Sometime in life you will have been all of these.
Do not equate money with success. There are many successful moneymakers who are miserable failures as human beings. What counts most about success is how a person achieves it.

Overcome Yourself

If you overcome someone else you are strong.
If you overcome yourself you are mighty.

~ Author Unknown

Apply yourself to great things

Those who apply themselves too closely to little things
often become incapable of great things.

~ Francois DeLaRochefoucard

How much you suffer from your anger and grief

Consider how much more you often suffer from your anger and grief, than from those very things for which you are angry and grieved.

~ Marcus Antonius

Do It Right

It's easier to do a job right than to explain why you didn't.

~ Martin Van Buren

Winners Take Chances

Winners take chances.
Like everyone else, they fear failing,
but they refuse to let fear control them.

Winners don't give up.
When life gets rough, they hang in
until the going gets better.

Winners are flexible.
They realize there is more than one way
and are willing to try others.

Winners know they are not perfect.
They respect their weaknesses
while making the most of their strengths.

Winners fall, but they don't stay down.
They stubbornly refuse to let a fall
keep them from climbing...

Winners don't blame fate for their failures
nor luck for their successes.
Winners accept responsibility for their lives.

Winners are positive thinkers
who see good in all things.
From the ordinary, they make the extraordinary.

Winners believe in the path they have chosen
even when it's hard,
even when others can't see where they are going.

Winners are patient.
They know a goal is only as worthy
as the effort that is required to achieve it.

Winners are people like you.
They make the world a better place to be.

~ Nancy Simms

Secret Sorrows

Believe me, every man has his secret sorrows,
which the world knows not;
and oftentimes we call a man cold, when he is only sad.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The end of all our exploring

We shall not cease from exploration; and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and to know the place for the first time.

~ T.S. Elliot, "Little Gidding"

The Rose

It's the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance.
It's the dream afraid of waking
that never takes a chance.
It's the one who won't be taken
who cannot seem to give.
And the soul afraid of dying
that never learns to live.

~ "The Rose" by Bette Midler

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong; as they sometimes will
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill
When the funds are low and the debts are high
and you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
when care is pressing you down a bit -
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with it's twists and turns
as everyone of us sometimes learns
and many a person turns about
when they might have won had they stuck it out.

Don't give up though the pace seems slow.
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the struggler has given up
when he might have captured the victors cup;
and he learned too late
when the night came down
how close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out -
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

~ Author Unknown

So Much Good - So Much Bad

There is so much good in the worst of us
and so much bad in the best of us
that it ill behooves any of us
to find fault with the rest of us.

~ Author Unknown

Worst Predictions

quotes of some of the worst predictions of all time:

Laura Lee, The Futurist, (September/October, 2000), p. 20–25

"Inventions have long since reached their limit, and I see no hope for further developments."
—Roman engineer Julius Sextus Frontinus, A.D. 100

"The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon."
—John Eric Ericksen, surgeon to Queen Victoria, 1873

"Law will be simplified [over the next century]. Lawyers will have diminished, and their fees will have been vastly curtailed."
—journalist Junius Henri Browne, 1893

"It doesn't matter what he does, he will never amount to anything."
—Albert Einstein's teacher to Einstein's father, 1895

"It would appear we have reached the limits of what it is possible to achieve with computer technology."
—computer scientist John von Neumann, 1949

"The Japanese don't make anything the people in the U.S. would want."
—Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, 1954

"Nuclear powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality within 10 years."
—Alex Lewyt, president of the Lewyt Vacuum Cleaner Company, quoted in the New York Times, June 10, 1955

"Before man reaches the moon, your mail will be delivered within hours from New York to Australia by guided missiles. We stand on the threshold of rocket mail."
—Arthur Summerfield, U.S. Postmaster General under Eisenhower, 1959

"By the turn of the century, we will live in a paperless society."
—Roger Smith, chairman of General Motors, 1986

"I predict the internet … will go spectacularly supernova and in 1996 catastrophically collapse."
—Bob Metcalfe, InfoWorld, 1995