The Fearless

"Fate loves the fearless."

~ James Russell Lowell

Forgiveness

In an interview, General Norman Schwartzkopf was asked if he thought there was room for forgiveness toward Hizbollah and Hamas.
The General said, " I believe that forgiving Hizbollah and Hamas is God's function. The Israeli's job is to arrange the meeting."

Welcome in the name of Jesus

To all who are spiritually weary and seeking rest;
To all who mourn and long for comfort;
To all who struggle and desire victory;
To all who sin and need a Savior;
To all who are strangers and want fellowship;
To all who hunger and thirst after righteousness;
And to whoever will come –
This church opens wide her doors
And offers her welcome in the name
Of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ.

~ author unknown, quoted on websites of many denominations

possible author:
http://commongroundsonline.typepad.com/common_grounds_online/who_said_or_wrote_this/
"I've been told that Skip Ryan, the wonderful, grace-filled and thoughtful preacher at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville and later at Park Cities Presbyterian Church in Dallas before he stepped down last fall, was the originator. Certainly a number of PCA churches print this on their websites and worship bulletins, which makes me think maybe Skip did originate it."

"But, I'd like to look into it and try to nail it down. Do you know? If you don't know, might you know someone else who knows?"

Lead, follow, or get out of the way

"Lead, follow, or get out of the way."

~ Laurence J. Peter

"all that you know is about to change"

"all that you know is about to change"

~ The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (movie)
from the book by C.S. Lewis

The Optimist’s Creed

The Optimist’s Creed

I promise myself.….

To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person I meet.

To make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything, and make my optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature I meet.

To give so much time to improving myself that I have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in great deeds.

To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side, so long as I am true to the best that is in me.

~ Christian D. Larson

http://www.thesecret.tv/optimists-creed/optimists-creed.pdf

I wish I'd been more principled

"I wish I'd been wiser. I wish I'd been more effective. I wish I'd been more unifying. I wish I'd been more principled."

~ Bill Ayres
Philadelphia Inquirer
Wed, Nov. 5, 2008

grace is illuminated

"Effective sermons occur at the intersection of God’s Word and human need. I would argue, however, that there is a third component—the authenticity of the preacher.
This is the part that is most difficult. It is easy to take refuge in the knowledge that sermon is not about me, that the Word is a means of grace that operates independently of me, that even if I don’t do a particularly good job of communicating, God will cover. In reality, God presumably could have, as Luther often remarked, sent angels to do this task. He didn’t. There must be a reason. Could it be that we are actually part of the message, that as the Word becomes alive and real in us, grace is illuminated? Did he choose to use fallible humans because in that crucible where the message intersects with life and heart, it becomes alive in a way that neither polished media, nor professional speech writer, nor orator can ever compete with?"
"What strikes me about a lot of preaching I’ve heard lately—and I probably get more opportunities than most to hear different preachers in a variety of settings— is how seldom it seems to come from the heart."

Roger Kruger, In Jars of Clay: reflections on the art of pastoring
http://injarsofclay.com/images/Chapter3.pdf

Having your weapons out in the open

"A retired pastor I know, who had during the course of his ministry spent much time abroad, told of a German pastor who related to him the story of an encounter with the Gestapo. The Gestapo officer, intent upon intimidation, came into his offic, and, taking a seat across from him, took off his pistol belt and laid it on the desk. The pastor reached for his Bible from the bookshelf behind him and laid it on the table, saying, 'OK, now that we both have our weapons out in the open, let us proceed.'"

Roger Kruger, In Jars of Clay: reflections on the art of pastoring
http://injarsofclay.com/images/Chapter3.pdf

Move your feet!

"Do not ask the Lord to Guide your Footsteps if you are not willing to move your Feet."

~ author unknown

Every problem is an opportunity for someone to make money

"Every problem is an opportunity for someone to make money."

Dean Thomas Robertson
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Wharton Alumni Magazine, Winter 2009

How you made them feel

"They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel."

~ Carl W. Buechner

An obstacle is a hurdle and you jump over it

An obstacle is a hurdle and "you jump over it," Carson said. "Every time you see a hurdle, you jump over it and it strengthens you for the next one. And if that's the case, you lead a victorious life because whatever comes before you, you know you're going to get around it."

~ Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, world-renowned neurosurgeon and the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Children's Center
In 2008, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, this country's highest civilian honor.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/02/02/carson.bio/index.html

The consequences of hating enemies

"To keep you is no benefit. To destroy you is no loss."

~ The ideology of the communist Khmer Rouge, Cambodia

quotes from Jesus:

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Matthew 5:43-48 NRSV

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"
He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment.
And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
Matthew 22:34-40 NRSV

"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
John 13:34-35 NRSV

quote from St. Paul:

"Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Romans 12:16-21 NRSV

Managing the House

A beleaguered young mom went to an "Organizing Your Life" class. After hearing many organizing tips, she asked, "But how do you get your kids to help clean up? I have two young children, and it's usually easier to just clean up myself. That way, I know where their things are, and they get put away right. But I feel frustrated about that."

Another woman in the class answered, "In our house, we use a 'Butler Box.' Whenever something is left lying around the house where it doesn't belong—even if it's car keys or a wallet—it gets put into a large, wooden box that we call the Butler Box. Then, if anyone is looking for something that's lost and finds it in the Butler Box, he can't just grab it out. He has to do five minutes of chores around the home to get the object back."

"What a clever idea!" the first woman said. "How old were your children when you started that?"

"Children?" the second woman answered. "We don't have any children. This is for my husband."

~ Kevin Miller, Executive Vice President, Christianity Today International

The Press

"The press is like a big dog. If you don't feed it, it starts to rummage through your garbage."

~ Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey

www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/38768692.html