Death of a Family

A friend of mine, Dave Johnson, is a policeman in San Jose, California. One morning, he was called to the scene of a family disturbance. When he arrived, he found another family that would soon be added to the casualty list.
“The woman was crying and yelling at her husband who was standing with his hands in the pockets of greasy overalls. I noticed homemade tattoos on his arm, usually a sign that someone had been in prison. I was glad that my “fill unit” had arrived.
I stepped from my patrol car. As I walked towards the two I could hear the woman yelling at her husband to fix whatever he had done to the car so she could leave. He made no reply, but only laughed at her with a contemptuous laugh.
She turned to me and asked me to make him fix the car. My fill unit broke in and we “split” the two up so that we could find a solution to the problem. I began talking to the husband who said that his wife was having an affair and she was leaving. I asked him if they had gone for counseling and he said that he was not interested. He went on to say that he was interested in only getting his “things” back. He said that his wife had hidden them from him.
I asked his wife about his things and she said she wouldn’t give them to him until she got one of the three VCRs they owned. I found out later that his “things” consisted of the narcotics he dealt in.
The other officer went to the wife’s car and began looking under the hood to see if he could spot the trouble. The husband walked over, took the coil from his pocket, and handed it to the officer. He then told his wife that she could have one of the VCRs if he could have his things. She finally agreed and went into the house.
As she entered the house, I noticed two little girls standing in the doorway, watching the drama unfold. They were about eight and ten years old. Both wore dresses and clung to a Cabbage Patch doll. At their feet were two small suitcases. My eyes couldn’t leave their faces as they watched the two people they loved tear each other apart.
The woman emerged with the VCR in her arms and went to the car where she put in into the crowded back seat. She turned and told her husband where he could find his things. They both agreed that they had equal shares of the things they had accumulated in 10 years of marriage.
Then as I stood in unbelief, I watched the husband point to the two little girls and say to the wife, “Well, which one do you want?”
Without any apparent emotion, the mother chose the older one. The girls looked at each other as the older one picked up her suitcase and then climbed into her mother’s car.
I had to stand and watch as the littlest girl, still clutching her Cabbage Patch doll in one hand and her suitcase in the other, watched her big sister and her mother drive off. I watched as tears streamed down her face in total bewilderment. The only “comfort” she received was an order from her father to go into the house as he turned to talk with some friends.
There I stood, the unwilling witness to the death of a family.

Steve Farrar, Point Man, pp. 21-23

The Dark Side of the Human Heart

His Own Heart was Lecherous

One of the most powerful stories I have ever heard on the nature of the human heart is told by Malcolm Muggeridge. Working as a journalist in India, he left his residence one evening to go to a nearby river for a swim. As he entered the water, across the river he saw an Indian woman from the nearby village who had come to have her bath.
Muggeridge impulsively felt the allurement of the moment, and temptation stormed into his mind. He had lived with this kind of struggle for years but had somehow fought it off in honor of his commitment to his wife, Kitty. On this occasion, however, he wondered if he could cross the line of marital fidelity.
He struggled just for a moment and then swam furiously toward the woman, literally trying to outdistance his conscience. His mind fed him the fantasy that stolen waters would be sweet, and he swam the harder for it. Now he was just two or three feet away from her, and as he emerged from the water, any emotion that may have gripped him paled into insignificance when compared with the devastation that shattered him as he looked at her.
“She was old and hideous...and her skin was wrinkled and, worst of all, she was a leper....This creature grinned at me, showing a toothless mask.”
The experience left Muggeridge trembling and muttering under his breath, “What a dirty lecherous woman!”
But then the rude shock of it dawned upon him—it was not the woman who was lecherous; it was his own heart.

Ravi Zacharias, Can Man Live Without God, (Word Publ, Dallas: 1994), pp. 136-137

A Safe Environment to Grow

People need a safe environment to grow. When you try to hide your flaws, you also hide your gifts.

~ Truthful Grace

Moses and Job

I taught them everything they know, but not everything I know.

I used to think like Moses. That knocked me down for a couple years and put me in prison. Then I start thinking like Job. Job waited and became the wealthiest and richest man ever 'cause he believed in God.

When God took it, he accepted it; when he brought it back, he accepted it. That's what's happening with me.

I want to say to the young people, Honor thy father and thy mother. Your days will be longer and more fruitful.

I want to say to you, Help yourself, so you can help someone else.

I've been held responsible for taxes I know nothing about.

I've been knocked down a lot of times.

Like Christ said, love thee one another. I learned to do that, and I learned to respect and be appreciative and thankful for what I had.

My expectations of other people, I double them on myself.

Sometimes you struggle so hard to feed your family one way, you forget to feed them the other way, with spiritual nourishment. Everybody needs that.

Thank God for the journey.

When I'm on stage, I'm trying to do one thing: bring people joy. Just like church does. People don't go to church to find trouble, they go there to lose it.

~ James Brown, American Musician

www.brainyquote.com

Two Kinds of Light

There are two kinds of light--the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures.

All human beings should try to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why.

Nowadays men lead lives of noisy desperation.

The wit makes fun of other persons; the satirist makes fun of the world; the humorist makes fun of himself, but in so doing, he identifies himself with people--that is, people everywhere, not for the purpose of taking them apart, but simply revealing their true nature.
~ in Edward R. Murrow television interview

Why do you have to be a nonconformist like everybody else?

I do not have a psychiatrist and I do not want one, for the simple reason that if he listened to me long enough, he might become disturbed.
~ "Carpe Noctem, If You Can", in "Credos and Curios" (1962)

~ James Thurber
US author, cartoonist, humorist, & satirist (1894 - 1961)
www.quotationspage.com

On Relationships, Exceeding Your Limits, and Making Decisions

On Exceeding Your Limits

I'm fortunate now that I coach at Duke University and we've won a lot. I have some kids who haven't failed that much. But when they get to college, they're going to fail some time. That's a thing that I can help them the most with.

In high school, in sport, I had a coach who told me I was much better than I thought I was, and would make me do more in a positive sense. He was the first person who taught me not to be afraid of failure.

Each group and each youngster is different. As a leader or coach, you get to know what they need.

I think some parents now look at a youngster failing as the final thing. It's a process, and failure is part of the process. I would like it if the teacher and the parents would connect more. I think that used to be, but we're losing a little bit of that right now.

There are kids don't want to do something because they're afraid of looking stupid to their peers. There comes a time when they start protecting themselves, instead of extending. I want to make sure that they're always trying to extend themselves.

Imagination has a great deal to do with winning.

The thing I loved the most - and still love the most about teaching - is that you can connect with an individual or a group, and see that individual or group exceed their limits.

I think you're not a human being unless you have doubts and fears.

Therefore, as a player, as a coach, even though we might have lost in a season or not won a championship, it was like a self-fulfilling prophecy that I'm going to win some time. I've never felt myself a loser.

I always won in my imagination. I always hit the game-winning shot, or I hit the free throw. Or if I missed, there was a lane violation, and I was given another one.

That's what I do now: I lead and I teach. If we win basketball games from doing that, then that's great, but I lead and teach. Those are the two things I concentrate on.

On Making Decisions

The truth is that many people set rules to keep from making decisions.

On Relationships

I have a rule on my team: when we talk to one another, we look each other right in the eye, because I think it's tough to lie to somebody. You give respect to somebody.

To me, teamwork is the beauty of our sport, where you have five acting as one. You become selfless.

The person who has inspired me my whole life is my Mom, because she taught me commitment. She sacrificed.

Throughout my life, my mom has been the person that I've always looked up to.

I had a really bad temper, when I was growing up. Sport helped me channel that temper into more positive acts.

The other thing I knew I had was a high level of competitiveness.


~ Mike Krzyzewski, American Basketball Coach, Duke University

www.brainyquote.com

on work, health and relationships

On Work

Dynasty was the opportunity to take charge of my career rather than waiting around like a library book waiting to be loaned out.

I do it because I love acting, I love working, and whether it's radio, television, films, theater, I don't care as long as I can get out there and do it.

I loathe conflict, and I loathe not getting along well with people, so I always try very hard to be on the best terms with the people I work with.

If life throws you a lemon - make lemonade.

Show me a person who has never made a mistake and I'll show you somebody who has never achieved much.

I think it has something to do with being British. We don't take ourselves as seriously as some other countries do. I think a lot of people take themselves far too seriously; I find that a very tedious attitude.

The secret of having a personal life is not answering too many questions about it.

Age is just a number. It's totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine.

On Health

The problem with beauty is that it's like being born rich and getting poorer.

And I think of that again as I've written in several of my beauty books, a lot of health comes from the proper eating habits, which are something that - you know, I come from a generation that wasn't - didn't have a lot of food.

I mean, I'm a war baby, and we had rationing, and we didn't have sugar and sweets, which is very good for you in actual fact. Because when we had a piece of fruit, we'd gulp it down. It was just great.

Yes, I remember the bombings. Yes, I remember, because - yes, I remember being in air raid shelters. Even though I was evacuated because I was very young, I remember being in air raid shelters and the tremendous feeling of compatibility with everybody.

On Relationships

I've never yet met a man who could look after me. I don't need a husband. What I need is a wife.

No, that's what I think God does to you. He gives you some great gig in which you make a whole heap of money, and you're just on top of the world and on every magazine cover, but your personal life is miserable. And for most of that time, I have to say, my personal life was pretty miserable.

Loneliness is the universal problem of rich people.

The easiest way to convince my kids that they don't really need something is to get it for them.

~ Joan Collins, British actress

www.brainyquote.com

Jonathan Edwards' dying words to his wife

When Jonathan Edwards was dying and his wife was far away in Stockbridge and he was down in Princeton, in the 1750's, he dictated a letter to his wife through his daughter Lucy:

"Give my kindest love to my dear wife and tell her that the uncommon union which has so long subsisted between us has been of such a nature as I trust is spiritual and therefore will continue forever."

quoted in a sermon by Rev. Dr. Tim Russell
Redeemer Presbyterian Church
Seeking to Renew New York City Socially, Spiritually & Culturally

Turning Around Staff Morale

When Elliot L. Shelkrot took over as president and director of the Free Library of Philadelphia, he faced crumbling buildings, leaky roofs, and decreased city funding.
He recalls:

The biggest thing was to turn around the morale of the staff, and I might say even of the board [of library trustees]. To say: "There are things we can do. Let's get on with thinking about things we can do rather than woe is me, how bad things are."

"Shelkrot has since weathered the city's fiscal meltdown and several annual budget crises--and has quietly stabilized library operations, in the eyes of many."

"Phila. library's president resigns"
The Philadelphia Inquirer, p. 1
Monday April 23, 2007

Frigid or Solid

CALVIN AS BIBLICAL COMMENTATOR

Characteristically, his worst term of condemnation for any interpretation is "frigid," by which he means not so much "remote" or "lifeless" as lacking in the power to give living faith to the church; on the other hand, his favorite word of praise is "solid," a sound and sure foundation for the church's faith.

from the General Introduction, "CALVIN AS BIBLICAL COMMENTATOR"
THE LIBRARY OF CHRISTIAN CLASSICS Volume XXIII
Newly translated and edited by JOSEPH HAROUTUNIAN, Ph.D., D.D.
Cyrus H. McCormick Professor of Systematic Theology, McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, Illinois
In collaboration with LOUISE PETTIBONE SMITH, A.M., Ph.D. Professor of Biblical History, Emeritus, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts
PHILADELPHIA THE WESTMINSTER PRESS
First published MCMLVIII
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom.txt

Atheist Beliefs

"Intelligent people are good at rationalizing how they arrived at their beliefs through unintelligent means."

~ Michael Shermer, atheist, editor of Skeptic Magazine

Words of Anger

There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence.
The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.
The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.
"You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out, it won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one."

~ Author Unknown

The Seed

An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided to do something different. He called young people in the kingdom together one day.
He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you."
The children were shocked, but the emperor continued.
"I am going to give each one of you a seed today - one very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor."
One boy, named Ling, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it, carefully. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown.
After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Ling didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.
Six months went by--still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn't say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow.
A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But his mother asked him to be honest about what happened. Ling felt sick at his stomach, but he knew his mother was right.
He took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful--in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other children laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey, nice try."
When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back.
"My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today one of you will be appointed the next emperor!"
All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front.
Ling was terrified. He thought, "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"
When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied.
All the kids were laughing and making fun of him.
The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!"
Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor?
Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds that would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers.
When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory.
If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.

So be careful what you plant, now; it will determine what you will reap tomorrow. The seeds you now scatter will make life worse or better for you or for the ones who will come after you. Someday you will enjoy the fruits or you will pay for the choices you make.

~ Author Unknown

Lord's visit

Ruth went to her mailbox and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelopeagain. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. She read the letter:

Dear Ruth,
I'm going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I'd like to stop by for a visit.
Love Always,
Jesus

Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. "Why would the Lord want to visit me? I'm nobody special. I don't have anything to offer." With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets."Oh my goodness, I really don't have anything to offer. I'll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner."
She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents. "Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least." She threw on her coat and hurried out the door. A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk...leaving Ruth with a grand total of twelve cents to last her until Monday.
Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tuckedunder her arm. "Hey lady, can you help us, lady?" Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn't even noticed two figures huddled in the alleyway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags.
"Look lady, I ain't got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it's getting cold and we're getting kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us, lady, we'd really appreciate it."
Ruth looked at them both.
They were dirty, they smelled bad and, frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to. "Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I'm having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him."
"Yeah, well, OK lady, I understand. Thanks anyway." The man put his arm around the woman's shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley. As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart.
"Sir, wait!" The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them.
"Look, why don't you take this food. I'll figure out something else to serve my guest." She handed the man her grocery bag.
"Thank you lady. Thank you very much!" "Yes, thank you!" It was the man's wife, and Ruth could see now that she was shivering.
"You know, I've got another coat at home. Here, why don't you take this one."
Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman's shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street...without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest.
"Thank you lady! Thank you very much!"
Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn't have anything to offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox.
"That's odd. The mailman doesn't usually come twice in one day." She took the envelope out of the box and opened it.

Dear Ruth,
It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal. And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.
Love Always,
Jesus

The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer noticed.

~ Author Unknown

Precious Stone

There was once a wise woman traveling in the mountains who found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and she opened her bag to share her food.
The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked if she might give it to him. She did so without hesitation.
The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But only a few days later he came back to return the stone to the woman who had given it to him.
"I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is,but I'm giving it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. I want you to give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone."

~ Author Unknown

The Power of Your Words

A careless word may kindle strife.
A cruel word may wreck a life.
A timely word may level stress.
A loving word may heal and bless.

~ Author Unknown

Blessing or Curse?

A man and his companion lost their way in a forest. The companion despaired, but the man said maybe some good will come of this.
They came upon a stranger who needed the man`s help. The stranger turned out to be a prince who gave the man a beautiful horse.
His neighbors praised his good luck and said, "How blessed you are to have such a magnificent animal."
The man said, "Who`s to say whether this is a blessing or a curse?"
The next day the horse ran away, and the neighbors said, "How horrible that you were cursed with the loss of your horse."
The man replied, "Who's to say whether this is a curse or a blessing? Perhaps some good will come of it."
The next day the horse returned, leading five wild horses.
"You were right!" his neighbors exclaimed. "The curse was a blessing in disguise. Now you`re blessed with six horses."
The man replied, "Perhaps, but who's to say whether this is a blessing or a curse?"
The next day his only son tried to ride one of the wild horses. He was thrown to the ground and broke his leg.
The neighbors said, "How wise you were. Your blessing was really a curse."
The man replied, "There may be good yet. Who's to say whether this is a curse or a blessing?"
The next day soldiers came through the village and took every able-bodied boy to fight in a war where it was almost certain all would be killed. Because the man`s son was injured, he was the only one not taken.
"How blessed are you to have your son!" the neighbors said.
The man replied, "Who's to say? I don`t know whether there is a curse in every blessing, but I am sure there is a blessing in every curse."

~ Author Unknown

Thomas Edison quotes

Be courageous! Have faith! Go Forward!

Be courageous. I have seen many depressions in business. Always America has emerged from these stronger and more prosperous. Be brave as your fathers before you. Have faith! Go forward!

Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.

Discontent is the first necessity of progress.

Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.

Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration.

Great ideas originate in the muscles.

Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.

His genius he was quite content in one brief sentence to define;
Of inspiration one percent, of perspiration, ninety nine.

I am proud of the fact that I never invented weapons to kill.

I find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success.

I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world.

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.

I know this world is ruled by infinite intelligence. Everything that surrounds us- everything that exists - proves that there are infinite laws behind it. There can be no denying this fact. It is mathematical in its precision.

I never did a day's work in my life. It was all fun.

I never did anything by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work.

I start where the last man left off.

If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.

It is astonishing what an effort it seems to be for many people to put their brains definitely and systematically to work.

Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless.

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

Maturity is often more absurd than youth and very frequently is most unjust to youth.

Nearly every man who develops an idea works it up to the point where it looks impossible, and then he gets discouraged. That's not the place to become discouraged.

Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.

One might think that the money value of an invention constitutes its reward to the man who loves his work. But... I continue to find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success. ...
Anything that won't sell, I don't want to invent. Its sale is proof of utility, and utility is success.

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.

Restlessness and discontent are the first necessities of progress.

Restlessness is discontent and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.

Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won't work.

Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.

The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst has been done in turmoil.

The body is a community made up of its innumerable cells or inhabitants.

The chief function of the body is to carry the brain around.

The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work.

The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are:
Hard work, Stick-to-itiveness, and Common sense.

The value of an idea lies in the using of it.

There is far more opportunity than there is ability.

There is no expedient to which a man will not go to avoid the labor of thinking.

There is no substitute for hard work.

There will one day spring from the brain of science a machine or force so fearful in its potentialities, so absolutely terrifying, that even man, the fighter, who will dare torture and death in order to inflict torture and death, will be appalled, and so abandon war forever.

There's a way to do it better - find it.

They say President Wilson has blundered. Perhaps he has, but I notice he usually blunders forward.

To have a great idea, have a lot of them.

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.

To my mind the old masters are not art; their value is in their scarcity.

Waste is worse than loss. The time is coming when every person who lays claim to ability will keep the question of waste before him constantly. The scope of thrift is limitless.

We don't know a millionth of one percent about anything.

What a man's mind can create, man's character can control.

What you are will show in what you do.

When I have fully decided that a result is worth getting I go ahead of it and make trial after trial until it comes.

Your worth consists in what you are and not in what you have.

~ Thomas Edison
www.brainyquote.com

Hard Work and Luck

I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.

~ Thomas Jefferson

Opportunity

Behind every problem is a brilliantly disguised opportunity.

~ John Gardner

(heard at Wharton)

Leadership, Vision and Mission

Leadership - having a vision for an organization, and the ability to attract, motivate and guide followers to fulfill that mission

Fisher Howe, a leading Office of Strategic Services officer, WWII
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/10/opinion/10pinck.html
New York Times, Dec. 10, 2004

The Last Word

Remember, the last word will come from the master, not your pastor.

Tiger Woods - Success Traits

quotes from Tiger Traits: 9 Success Secrets You Can Discover From Tiger Woods to Be a Business Champion, by Nate Booth

Unquestionably, Woods' life and achievements provide a superlative metaphor for that purpose, given Woods' current standing as the world's preeminent golfer and the enormous amount of business that gets transacted nowadays on the world's golf courses.
To drive that metaphor home, Booth presents the analogy of a nine-hole course, with each of the nine chapters or holes, representing a trait that contributes to Woods' winning ways on the links, in business and in his personal life.
Tiger's nine traits are:
* Identify and develop natural talents.
* Create a clear and compelling dream.
* Select teachers, heroes and teammates who guide, inspire and support.
* Be confident.
* Manufacture magnificent mental models.
* Let actions do the talking.
* Constantly improve in good times and bad.
* Be likable.
* Be grateful and give back.

from a review by Cecil Johnson,
Philadelphia Inquirer, April 15, 2007
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/business/20070415
_Cribbing_from_Tiger_Woods
_to_champion_his_nostrums.html

Kurt Vonnegut quotes

“In a democracy, after 100 years you have to let your slaves go. And after 150 years, you have to let your women vote.”
~ “Daily Show” appearance with Jon Stewart, 2005

“Life is ominous. It can be horrifying. Most of all, however, it is ridiculous."
~ Slaughterhouse-Five

If crying and laughing, as he once suggested, were equally valid reactions to the miseries of life, he preferred laughing, which required “less cleaning” afterward.
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“The children of a suicide will naturally think of death, the big one, as a logical solution to any problem.”

“When you’re dead, you’re dead.”
~ Mother Night, 1961

"Well, the telling of jokes is an art of its own, and it always rises from some emotional threat. The best jokes are dangerous, and dangerous because they are in some way truthful."
~ Interview, Mcsweeneys.net

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be."
~ Mother Night

"I am eternally grateful ... for my knack of finding in great books, some of them very funny books, reason enough to feel honored to be alive, no matter what else might be going on."
~ Timequake, 1997

"I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, 'The Beatles did'."
~ Timequake, 1997

~ quotes from Kurt Vonnegut, novelist


"Vonnegut tackled the most unanswerable conundrums of human life: Is there a god? What is progress? And, most significantly, why on Earth are we so unfailingly awful to each other?"
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The Gift of God: Faith

"At last meditating day and night, by the mercy of God, I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that through which the righteous live by a gift of God, namely by faith. Here I felt as if I were entirely born again and had entered paradise itself through the gates that had been flung open."

"On the heels of this new understanding came others. To Luther the church was no longer the institution defined by apostolic succession; instead it was the community of those who had been given faith. Salvation came not by the sacraments as such but by faith. The idea that human beings had a spark of goodness (enough to seek out God) was not a foundation of theology but was taught only by "fools." Humility was no longer a virtue that earned grace but a necessary response to the gift of grace. Faith no longer consisted of assenting to the church's teachings but of trusting the promises of God and the merits of Christ."

~ Martin Luther, 16th century theologian
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/
special/131christians/luther.html

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For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, "The righteous by faith will live."

~ Romans 1:16-17 NET

Unity, Liberty and Charity

"In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity."
~ Rupertus Meldenius
(German Lutheran theologian of the early seventeenth century, in a tract on Christian unity written (circa 1627) during the Thirty Years War (1618–1648), a bloody time in European history in which religious tensions played a significant role)

"maintain the unity of the Spirit" ... "till we all come to the unity of the faith"
~ Ephesians 4:3, 4:13

Changing Your World

Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn.
~ C.S. Lewis, Christian English Author and Professor

You will suddenly realize that the reason you never changed before was because you didn't want to.
~ Robert H. Schuller

If you don't change your beliefs, your life will be like this forever. Is that good news?
~ Dr. Robert Anthony

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.
~ Franklin Roosevelt

Disgust and resolve are two of the great emotions that lead to change.
~ Jim Rohn

Live out of your imagination, not your history.
~ Stephen Covey

Change your thoughts and you change your world.
~ Norman Vincent Peale

Be the change you want to see in the world.
~ Mohandas K. Gandhi

Genius is the ability to reduce the complicated to the simple.
~ C. W. Ceram

Only in growth, reform, and change, paradoxically enough, is true security found.
~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Sometimes if you want to see a change for the better, you have to take things into your own hands.
~ Clint Eastwood

You don't have to change that much for it to make a great deal of difference. A few simple disciplines can have a major impact on how your life works out in the next 90 days, let alone in the next 12 months or the next 3 years.
~ Jim Rohn

The truth of the matter is that there's nothing you can't accomplish if:
(1) You clearly decide what it is that you're absolutely committed to achieving,
(2) You're willing to take massive action,
(3) You notice what's working or not, and
(4) You continue to change your approach until you achieve what you want, using whatever life gives you along the way.
~ Anthony Robbins

To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.
~ Helen Keller

Don't just adapt to change; get out in front of it and drag it along behind you.
~ Truthful Grace

What we pretend to be

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be."

~ Kurt Vonnegut

Change Management

International Institute of Management
http://www.iim-edu.org/managementlibrary/Management_Quotations_Change.htm
Management Insights

Change Management - 1

You change for only two reasons: you learn enough that you want to or you hurt enough that you have to. --Randall D. Worley
Dear God, grant me the courage to change the things I can, serenity to accept the things I cannot change and wisdom to know the difference. –Reinhold Neibuhr
Every organization must be prepared to abandon everything it does to survive in the future.- Peter Drucker
To change and to change for the better are two different things. --German proverb
The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking. --Albert Einstein
Change yourself and your work will seem different. --Norman Vincent Peale - "Positive Thinking Every Day"
Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. --George Bernard Shaw
When you're green you're growing, when you're ripe you rot. --Ray Kroc (McDonald's)
Change is 'rut prevention'. --Peg Wood
Capitalize on change. --Conway Twitty
Act yourself into a new way of thinking. Think yourself into a new way of acting. --Unknown
Logic will not change an emotion, but action will. --Zig Ziglar
Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts. --Arnold Bennett
Ask the God who made you to keep remaking you. --Norman Vincent Peale
Examine what you believe to be impossible, and then change your beliefs. --Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
Be the change you want to see in the world. --Mohandas K. Gandhi
Change can either challenge or threaten us...Your beliefs pave your way to success or block you. --Marsha Sinetar
Change is not only likely, it's inevitable. --Barbara Sher
Change is the law. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. --John F. Kennedy
You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight. --Jim Rohn
We change, whether we like it or not. --Ralph Waldo Emerson
We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is already disappearing. --R. D. Laing
Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. --Franklin Roosevelt
Change is the one thing we can be sure of. --Naomi Judd
Change your thoughts and you change your world. --Norman Vincent Peale
Disgust and resolve are two of the great emotions that lead to change. --Jim Rohn
Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt. Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from your talent. --Nolan Ryan
Every life form seems to strive to its maximum except human beings. How tall will a tree grow? As tall as it possibly can. Human beings, on the other hand, have been given the dignity of choice. You can choose to be all or you can choose to be less. Why not stretch up to the full measure of the challenge and see what all you can do? --Jim Rohn
Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. -Norman Vincent Peale
Every situation, properly perceived, becomes an opportunity... --Helen Schucman
Experience is the hardest kind of teacher. It gives you the test first, and the lesson afterward. --Unknown
Face reality as it is . . . not as it was or as you wish it to be. Be candid with everyone. Don't manage, lead change before you have to . . . If you don't have a competitive advantage, don't compete . . . Control your own destiny or someone else will. --Jack Welch
We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: inspiration or desperation. --Jim Rohn
Forget about the consequences of failure. Failure is only a temporary change in direction to set you straight for your next success. --Denis E. Waitley
Genius is the ability to reduce the complicated to the simple. --C. W. Ceram
Growth means change and change involves risks, stepping from the known to the unknown. --George Shinn
He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery. --Harold Wilson
I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better. --G. C. Lichtenberg
If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living. --Gail Sheehy
If you don't change your beliefs, your life will be like this forever. Is that good news? --Dr. Robert Anthony
If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain. --Maya Angelou
If you don't like how things are, change it! You're not a tree. --Jim Rohn
If you employed study, thinking, and planning time daily, you could develop and use the power that can change the course of your destiny. --W. Clement Stone

Change Management - 2

It is happily and kindly provided that in every life there are certain pauses, and interruptions which force consideration upon the careless, and seriousness upon the light; points of time where one course of action ends and another begins. --Samuel Johnson
It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory. --W. Edwards Denning
I used to say, "I sure hope things will change." Then I learned that the only way things are going to change for me is when I change. --Jim Rohn
I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself. --Aldous Huxley
Live out of your imagination, not your history. --Stephen Covey
Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions. --Oliver Wendell Holmes
Men do change. --John Steinbeck
None of us knows what the next change is going to be, what unexpected opportunity is just around the corner, waiting a few months or a few years to change all the tenor of our lives. --Kathleen Norris, Hands Full of Living
Once you become predictable, no one's interested anymore. --Chet Atkins
Only in growth, reform, and change, paradoxically enough, is true security found. --Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Part of betting on yourself is decreasing your association with losers and increasing your association with winners. --Dr. Robert Anthony
People have to face regrets. Becoming mature means learning to accept what you cannot change, facing unresolved sorrows and learning to love life as it really happens, not as you would have it happen. --Barbara Sher - "I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was"
People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy after. --Goldsmith
People wish to be settled; but it is only as far as they are unsettled that there is any hope for them. --Ralph Waldo Emerson
Relentless, repetitive self talk is what changes our self image. --Denis E. Waitley
Resistance is thought transformed into feeling... change the thought that creates the resistance, and there is no resistance. --Bob Conklin
Sometimes if you want to see a change for the better, you have to take things into your own hands. --Clint Eastwood
Such is the state of life that none are happy but by the anticipation of change. The change itself is nothing; when we have made it the next wish is to change again. --Samuel Johnson

The Checklist of Change 1. Take your time. 2. Arrange temporary structures. 3. Don't act for the sake of action. 4. Recognize why you are uncomfortable. 5. Take care of yourself in little ways. 6. Explore the other side of change. 7. Get someone to talk to. 8. Find out what is waiting in the wings of your life. 9. Use this transition as the impetus to a new kind of learning. 10. Recognize that transition has a characteristic shape. --William Bridges - "Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes: Strategies for coping with the difficult, painful, and confusing times in your life."

The foolish and the dead alone never change their opinions. --James Russell Lowell
The only people who don't change their minds are incompetent or dead. --Everett Dirksen
There are two ways of meeting difficulties. You alter the difficulties or you alter yourself to meet them. --Phyliss Bottome
There is no force so powerful as an idea whose time has come. --Everett Dirksen
There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered. --Nelson Mandela
The truth of the matter is that there's nothing you can't accomplish if: (1) You clearly decide what it is that you're absolutely committed to achieving, (2) You're willing to take massive action, (3) You notice what's working or not, and (4) You continue to change your approach until you achieve what you want, using whatever life gives you along the way. --Anthony Robbins
They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. --Andy Warhol
This business is always changing. If you're going to be a leader, you've got to take chances. --Ronnie Milsap
This one step -- choosing a goal and sticking to it -- changes everything. --Scott Reed
Those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, usually do. --An Ad for Apple Computers
Today, more than ever, the successful manager must be a change seeker - always having a constructive discontent with existing practices. An organization without change seekers will become rigid and atrophied. --Lou Boland, Boland Services (circa 1965)
To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable. --Helen Keller
We are chameleons, and our partialities and prejudices change place with an easy and blessed facility, and we are soon wonted to the change and happy in it. --Mark Twain, Mark Twain at Your Fingertips
When you sit on something trying to preserve it, you die and become sterile. --Garth Brooks
Where we stand is not as important as the direction in which we are moving. --Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
You can at any time decide to alter the course of your life -- no one can take that away. --Clark Moustakas
You change what you are and where you are by changing what goes into your mind. --Zig Ziglar
You don't have to change that much for it to make a great deal of difference. A few simple disciplines can have a major impact on how your life works out in the next 90 days, let alone in the next 12 months or the next 3 years. --Jim Rohn
You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of. You don't have charge of the constellations, but you do have charge of whether you read, develop new skills, and take new classes. --Jim Rohn
You've got to continue to grow, or you're just like last night's cornbread -- stale and dry. --Loretta Lynn
You will suddenly realize that the reason you never changed before was because you didn't want to. --Robert H. Schuller

Don't just adapt to change

Don't just adapt to change; get out in front of it and drag it along behind you.

~ Truthful Grace

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn.

There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way."

Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.

Telling us to obey instinct is like telling us to obey 'people.' People say different things: so do instincts. Our instincts are at war... Each instinct, if you listen to it, will claim to be gratified at the expense of the rest.

You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.

Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, "What! You too? I thought I was the only one!"

Eros will have naked bodies; Friendship naked personalities.

If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.

It's so much easier to pray for a bore than to go and see one.

It is hard to have patience with people who say "There is no death" or "Death doesn't matter." There is death. And whatever is matters. And whatever happens has consequences, and it and they are irrevocable and irreversible. You might as well say that birth doesn't matter.

No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.

Part of every misery is, so to speak, the misery's shadow or reflection: the fact that you don't merely suffer but have to keep on thinking about the fact that you suffer. I not only live each endless day in grief, but live each day thinking about living each day in grief.

~ C.S. Lewis, Christian English Author and Professor

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If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.

While there is a chance of the world getting through its troubles, I hold that a reasonable man has to behave as though he were sure of it. If at the end your cheerfulness in not justified, at any rate you will have been cheerful.

What really matters is what you do with what you have.

You have learned something. That always feels at first as if you had lost something.

If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.

The only true measure of success is the ratio between what we might have done and what we might have been on the one hand, and the thing we have made and the things we have made of ourselves on the other.

Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative.

Affliction comes to us, not to make us sad but sober; not to make us sorry but wise.

Crime and bad lives are the measure of a State's failure, all crime in the end is the crime of the community.

In England we have come to rely upon a comfortable time-lag of fifty years or a century intervening between the perception that something ought to be done and a serious attempt to do it.

In politics, strangely enough, the best way to play your cards is to lay them face upwards on the table.

Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo.

Some people bear three kinds of trouble - the ones they've had, the ones they have, and the ones they expect to have.

The path of least resistance is the path of the loser.

The path of social advancement is, and must be, strewn with broken friendships.

~ H.G. Wells, English Author

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Judge Not

Anytime you point the finger of blame someone, remember that there are 4 fingers pointing back at you.

~ author unknown

Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.

~ Jesus Christ, Matthew 7:1

Changing what I can

Grant me the stubbornness to change what I can, the laziness to accept what I cannot, and enough beer to sit around and endlessly discuss the difference between the two.

~ Dick Dunn

Evils

Imaginary evils are incurable.

~ Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Austrian novelist

Between two evils, choose neither; between two goods, choose both.

~ Tryon Edwards, American theologian

One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation.

~ Thomas Reed, American politician

I would rather be ignorant than knowledgeable of evils.

~ Aeschylus, Greek poet

There's too much tendency to attribute to God the evils that man does of his own free will.

~ Agatha Christie, English writer

If there is a God, whence proceed so many evils?
If there is no God, whence cometh any good?

~ Boethius, philosopher

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Sayings from Buddha

A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker.

A jug fills drop by drop.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.

All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.

All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?

Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals.

An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.

An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.

Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence.

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.

Ennui has made more gamblers than avarice, more drunkards than thirst, and perhaps as many suicides as despair.

Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.

Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.

Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time. Hatred ceases through love. This is an unalterable law.

Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.

He is able who thinks he is able.

He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.

He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes.

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.

However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?

I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.

I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.

In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.

In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then beleive them to be true.

It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.

It is better to travel well than to arrive.

Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.

Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.

On life's journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.

The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.

The mind is everything. What you think you become.

The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.

The tongue like a sharp knife... Kills without drawing blood.

The virtues, like the Muses, are always seen in groups. A good principle was never found solitary in any breast.

The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.

The wise ones fashioned speech with their thought, sifting it as grain is sifted through a sieve.

The world, indeed, is like a dream and the treasures of the world are an alluring mirage! Like the apparent distances in a picture, things have no reality in themselves, but they are like heat haze.

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.

There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it.

There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.

Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.

To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.

To keep the body in good health is a duty...otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.

To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one's own in the midst of abundance.

Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea of Unity are already two.

Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.

We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.

We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.

What is the appropriate behavior for a man or a woman in the midst of this world, where each person is clinging to his piece of debris? What's the proper salutation between people as they pass each other in this flood?

What we think, we become.

Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.

When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil, one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear.

Without health life is not life; it is only a state of langour and suffering - an image of death.

Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.

You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.

You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.

Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.

~ Buddha

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We'll love you just the way you are if you're perfect.

"We'll love you just the way you are if you're perfect."

~ Alanis Morissette

The One I Feared the Most, Helped Me the Most

"The one I feared the most, helped me the most."

~ author unknown

It Became My Life

from Quilt of Holes:

Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, "Every time you gave over your life to Me it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you."

Answering Critics

Never answer a critic, unless he's right.

~ Bernard M. Maruch

Tell it all, tell it early and tell it himself

comment on John and Elizabeth Edwards' press conference on the return of her breast cancer:

"Some of this has to do with the new reality of politics. Whatever happens, it is now best for a candidate to tell it all, tell it early and tell it himself. It's far better for Edwards and his wife to tell the story in the way they want to tell it than to have the blogs kind of speculating how ill she is."

~ Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior scholar at the University of Southern California's School of Policy, Planning and Development

The President

All the President is, is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing and kicking people to get them to do what they are supposed to do anyway.

~ Harry S. Truman

Christ has no hands but ours

Following World War II some German students volunteered to help rebuild a cathedral in England, one that had been badly damaged by the Luftwaffe bombings. As the work progressed, they weren't sure how to best restore a large statue of Jesus with has arms outstretched and bearing the familiar inscription, "Come unto Me."

They were able to repair all the damage to the statue except for Christ's hands which had been completely destroyed. Should they even attempt to rebuild these?

Finally, the workers reached a decision that still stands today. They decided to leave the hands off and changed the inscription to read: "Christ has no hands but ours."

Christian Leadership

Ezekiel 34

• Strengthen the weak
• Heal the Sick
• Bind up the injured
• Bring back the strays
• Search for the lost
• Make a covenant of peace
• Judge with justice
• Send down showers of blessings

Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. … Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. And they were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered.
Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I shall demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep. … I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. … I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.
Is it too slight a thing for you that you should feed in the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of the pastures? Or that you should drink of the clear waters, that you must foul the rest with your feet? … Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them, Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and with shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, until you have scattered them abroad, therefore, I will deliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another.

~ Ezekiel 34:1-22, NASB

Matthew 25:31-46, NASB

But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'
Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.'
Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?'
Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'
These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

Good News from the Barrio

"A gospel that doesn't unsettle,
a word of God that doesn't get under anyone's skin,
a word of God that doesn't touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed,
what gospel is that?"

~ El Salvadoran archbishop Oscar Romero

Seven Basic Story Plots

According to the Internet Public Library, they are:
[wo]man vs. nature
[wo]man vs. man
[wo]man vs. the environment
[wo]man vs. machines/technology
[wo]man vs. the supernatural
[wo]man vs. self
[wo]man vs. god/religion

Ronald Tobias, author of "Twenty Basic Plots" believes the following make for good stories: quest, adventure, pursuit, rescue, escape, revenge, riddle, rivalry, underdog, temptation, metamorphosis, transformation, maturation, love, forbidden love, sacrifice, discovery, wretched excess, ascension, and decision.

Overlap must be common under this theory. For example, "Rocky" is a story of the "underdog," who goes through a "transformation" and falls in "love" while on a "quest."

Ask Yahoo 3/9/2007
http://ask.yahoo.com/20070305.html

To Be What We Are

"If we want to be anything other than what God has made us to be, we are wasting our time. It will not work.

"The greatest accomplishment in life is to be what we are, which is God's idea of what he wanted us to be when he brought us into being; and no ideas of ours will ever change it. Accepting that gift is accepting God's will for us, and in its acceptance lies the path to growth and ultimate fulfillment."

~ from The Heart of the World by Fr. Thomas Keating
http://www.centeringprayer.com/
heart/heart12.htm

An outrageous old woman

I want to be an outrageous old woman
who never gets called an old lady.
I want to get leaner & meaner,
sharp edged & earth colored,
till I fade away from pure joy.

Good Morning!

This is God.
I will be handling all your problems today.
I do not need your help,
so have a nice day.

"I'm glad I'm not me."

One of the themes of Bob Dylan's life was the tension between outsiders' attempts to figure him out, and his resistance to being figured.

Dylan's comment on after reading one egregious profile:
"I'm glad I'm not me."

from Dont Look Back - Bob Dylan documentary

Faith of Our Fathers

If you stop believing what your professor told you had to be true and if you start thinking for yourself you may come to some conclusions you hadn't expected. You may find the Bible makes more sense than you thought or were told to think. Allow yourself to be ruined, ruined with regard to what you always thought could be true. Can you believe what you don't understand? You and I believe everyday what we don't understand unless it comes to the issue of salvation.
~ Dr. Woodrow Kroll

There is simply no historic foundation for the position that the Framers intended to build the 'wall of separation' that was constitutionalized in Everson. The 'wall of separation between church and state' is a metaphor based on bad history, a metaphor which has proved useless as a guide to judging. It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned.
~ Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, William Rehnquist

In 1796 the US Supreme Court issued this ruling, "By our form of government, the Christian religion is the established religion, and all sects and denominations of Christians are placed on equal footing." Some 57 years later, after Congress was petitioned to separate Christian principles from government, in 1853 the House Judiciary Committee issued their formal report, including these words: "In this age there is no substitute for Christianity. This was the religion of the founders of the republic, and they expected it to be the religion of their dependents. The great vital, conservative elements in our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and divine truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ."
~ Dr. Gerald Beavan

"It is the duty of nations, as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God and to recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord."
~ President Abraham Lincoln

Trust in yourself and you are doomed to disappointment; trust in money and you may have it taken from you; but trust in God, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity.
~ D.L. Moody

Faith and love are apt to be spasmodic in the best of minds. Men and women live on the brink of mysteries and harmonies into which they never enter and with their hand on the door latch they die outside.
~ GK Chesterton

*******

I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [Jesus Christ]: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God."
That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell.
You must make your choice. Either this Man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse .... You can shut Him up for fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that option open to us. He did not intend to.
~ From Case for Christianity, by C.S. Lewis

"Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life (John 17:3)."
~ The Laws and Statutes of Harvard College in 1643

"All scholars shall live religious, godly, and blameless lives according to the rules of God's Word, diligently reading the Holy Scriptures, the fountain of light and truth; and constantly attend upon all the duties of religion, both in public and secret."
~ Two central requirements in Yale College 1745 charter

************

"I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book."
~ President Abraham Lincoln

"For we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword throughout the world."
~ John Winthrop, Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1630

"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."
~ President George Washington

"The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose it."
~ Napoleon

"That Book accounts for the supremacy of England."
~ Queen Victoria

"If there is anything in my thought or style to commend , the credit is due my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principals taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity."
~ Daniel Webster (Founding Father)

"The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed."
~ Patrick Henry (original member of the Continental Congress)

"The Bible is the anchor of our liberties."
~ President U.S. Grant

"It is impossible to enslave mentally or socially a Bible-reading people. The principals of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom."
~ Horace Greeley (Editor)

"That Book is the rock on which our Republic rests."
~ President Andrew Jackson

"In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength."
~ Gen. Robert E. Lee

"Bible reading is an education in itself."
~ Lord Tennyson (Poet)

"So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society. I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once every year."
~ President John Quincy Adams

"The existence of the Bible, as a Book for the people, is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced. Every attempt to belittle it is a crime against humanity."
~ Immanuel Kant (Philosopher)

"The New Testament is the very best Book that ever or ever will be known in the world."
~ Charles Dickens (Author)

"All human discoveries seem to be made only for the purpose of confirming more and more strongly the truths contained in the Sacred Scriptures."
~ Sir William Herschel (Astronomer)

"There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history."
~ Sir Isaac Newton (Scientist)

"Let mental culture go on advancing, let the natural sciences progress in even greater extent and depth, and the human mind widen itself as much as it desires; beyond the elevation and moral culture of Christianity, as it shines forth in the Gospels, it will not go."
~ Goethe (Author)

"I have known ninety-five of the world's great men in my time, and of these eight-seven were followers of the Bible. The Bible is stamped with a Specialty of Origin, and an immeasurable distance separates it from all competitors."
~ W.E. Gladstone (Prime Minister)

"Whatever merit there is in anything that I have written is simply due to the fact that when I was a child my mother daily read me a part of the Bible and daily made me learn a part of it by heart."
~ John Ruskin (art critic and social commentator)

"The Bible has been the Magna Charta of the poor and oppressed. The human race is not in a position to dispense with it."
~ Thomas Huxley (Author & Scientist)

"The whole hope of human progress is suspended on the ever growing influence of the Bible."
~ W.H. Seward (Secretary of State)

"America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness, which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scriptures. Part of the destiny of Americans lies in their daily perusal of this great book of revelations. That if they would see America free and pure they will make their own spirits free and pure by this baptism of the Holy Spirit."
~ President Woodrow Wilson

For Christians, the life and death of Jesus are the ultimate expressions of love, and the supreme demonstrations of God's mercy, faithfulness, and redemption. Since Christ's miraculous Resurrection on Easter, more than 2,000 years ago, Christians have expressed joy and gratitude for this wondrous sacrifice and for God's promise of freedom for the oppressed, healing for the brokenhearted, and salvation.
~ President George W. Bush

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here."
~ Patrick Henry (original member of the Continental Congress)

******

A Woman Has Delivered the Word of God

For all of those who believe that a woman should not deliver the Word of God,
I have an announcement to make.
IT IS TOO LATE. She already has. His name is JESUS.
To all women who are called and are about to deliver the Word,
I have only one and the only thing that a man should say as you deliver.
PUSH!!

~ Author Unknown

Who Is Wise?

Who is wise? He that learns from every One.
Who is powerful? He that governs his Passions.
Who is rich? He that is content.
Who is that? Nobody.

~ Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)

A Divine Valentine

A Valentine may play a love song for you, but our Creator sings you the sweetest song in the universe.

Our Creator...will rejoice over you with gladness. He will keep you quiet with his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

A Valentine may give you flowers, but our Creator sent you the most beautiful rose of all, Yeshua.

I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
Song of Solomon 2:1

A Valentine may take you out to dinner, but our Creator has invited you to the most amazing feast ever given.

Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!
Revelation 19:9

A Valentine may bring you chocolate, but our Creator provides you with something even sweeter, His Word.

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Psalm 119:103

A Valentine may be far away, but our Yeshua is with you always.

I am with you always.
Matthew 28:20

A Valentine may give you something, but our Creator has given you everything.

Our Creator gives us richly all things to enjoy.
1 Timothy 6:17

A Valentine may love you for a lifetime, but our Creator loved you before you were born and will love you for all eternity!

Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love... with lovingkindness I have drawn you.
Jeremiah 31:3.

Adapted from Holly Garth from Dayspring.

A Sense of Duty

A sense of duty is useful in work, but offensive in personal relations. People wish to be liked, not be endured with patient resignation.

~ Bertrand Russell

He who loves one woman well

"He, who loves many women, understands none of them;
he, who loves one woman well, understands all of them."

~ the Spanish romantic

God Values Who You Are

"The world values what you do, what you own, and how you look;
God values who you are and who you can become."

~ Sister Patrice Murphy

Hard is not Hopeless

"The situation in Iraq is dire. The stakes are high. There are no easy choices. The way ahead will be very hard. But hard is not hopeless."

~ Lt. Gen David Petraeus

Falling from Grace

"When we remain in the grace of God, we have no fear. Our anger, doubts, and fears arise when we fall from grace and thrash around under our own limitations."

~ Truthful Grace

Loving Someone

with regard to a family dispute:

"You can never go wrong by loving someone."

~ Truthful Grace

Doing to yourself

If somebody else else did to you the things you do to yourself, you'd call the police.

~ quoted by a friend from a Stephen Sondheim play seen recently in New York

Intergenerational Healing Prayers

The following are short versions of the prayers suggested by Fr. Robert de Grandis for healing back into the generations. His book, Intergenerational Healing can be found in any good Christian bookshop and offers excellent insights into the area of the faults, failings and actions of our ancestors having effects on the present and even onto future generations. His healing ministry in the Lord and the Holy Spirit has been hugely successful and he gained much from the work of Dr. Kenneth McAll (Healing the Family Tree) and He covers many different areas of unlove and negativity.

"In the Name of Jesus, I take authority and I bind all powers and forces in the air, in the ground, in the water, in the underground, in nature and in fire.
You are the Lord over the entire universe and I give you the Glory for Your creation.
In Your name, Lord, I bind all demonic forces that have come against me and my family and I seal all of us in the protection of Your Precious Blood that was shed for us on the Cross."

"Mary our Mother, we seek your protection and intercession with the Sacred Heart of Jesus for me and my family, and surround us with your mantle of love to discourage the enemy."

"Saint Michael the Archangel and our Guardian Angels
come defend me and my family in battle against all the evil ones that roam the earth.
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in our hour of need.
Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snare of the devil.
May God restrain him, we humbly pray.
And to thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Hosts,
cast satan down to hell and with him all the wicked spirits
who wander through the world for the ruin of souls."

"In the Name of Jesus, I bind and command all the powers and forces of evil to depart right now away from us, our homes and our lands.
And we thank You Lord Jesus for You are a faithful and compassionate God. Amen."

"Heavenly Father, I ask You now to go back though all in my bloodline,
my husband's/wife's bloodline,
and the bloodlines connected to all of my family and relatives
and forgive the wrongs, heal the illnesses, bind the evil deeds.
I ask You Lord to break the chains, associations and links any of these may have to us here in the present.
On their behalf Lord, I seek Your forgiveness, your healing and a pouring out of your Divine Love so that Your Love may now pour forth through the years and touch us in the here and now.
So that Your Divine and Healing Love will take the place of all the past hurts, angers, hates, unlove of You, destructive emotions or actions and evil ties of our ancestors.
So that Your Precious Blood and Divine Love and Healing will heal us of the residue we carry from our ancestors.
In true faith I thank You Lord because You have said
'Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened to you'. Today Lord I knock, I seek, I ask.
All praise and thanks to You my loving Father."

http://www.circleofprayer.com/healing-prayers.html

Healing Prayer at Bedtime

Lord Jesus,through the power of the Holy Spirit,
go back into my memory as I sleep.
Every hurt that has ever been done to me,
heal that hurt.
Every hurt that I have ever caused another person,
heal that hurt.
All the relationships that have been damaged in my whole life
that I am not aware of,
heal those relationships.
But, Lord,if there is anything that I need to do,
if I need to go to a person
because he or she is still suffering from my hand,
bring to my awareness that person.
I choose to forgive,
and I ask to be forgiven.
Remove whatever bitterness may be in my heart, Lord,
and fill the empty spaces with your love.
Amen.