“I used to think
God wouldn’t talk to me, but now I know I’m just selective in what I choose to
hear.”
Bob Goff
31 July 2013
28 July 2013
The Change You Want
“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi
(1869-1948)
27 July 2013
Unsolvable Problems
"We are all faced with a series of great opportunities
brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems."
John W. Gardner
(1912-2002)
26 July 2013
Everything You Want
“You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help
enough other people get what they want.”
Zig Ziglar
(1926- )
Infinite Joy
“It would seem that Our Lord finds our
desires not too strong, but too weak. We
are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when
infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child, who wants to go on making
mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a
holiday at the sea. We are far too
easily pleased.”
C.S. Lewis
(1898-1963)
24 July 2013
Spiritual Peace
"From time to time it is also important that
religious leaders get together to show that in spirituality we share a message
of peace. Because history is marked by incidents of conflict and bloodshed in
the name of religion, it is important to work for and to demonstrate harmony
among our spiritual traditions."
Dalai Lama
22 July 2013
Blessed among Women
The Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth. She called out loudly [to Mary],
"You are blessed among women.”
Luke 1:42
Overcome
Jesus said, "I will give those who overcome, the right to eat
from the life-giving tree which is in God’s garden."
Revelation 2:7
Ask
“And whatsoever you ask in my name, I will do it for you, so
that the Father may be glorified through his Son”.
John 14:13
Shaping Circumstances
“I used to
think I could shape the circumstances around me, but now I know Jesus uses
circumstances to shape me.”
Bob Goff
21 July 2013
18 July 2013
The Brave Man
"The brave
man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."
Nelson Mandela
(1918- )
17 July 2013
Auguries of Innocence
To see a world in
a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
A robin redbreast in a cage
Puts all heaven in a rage.
A dove-house fill'd with doves and pigeons
Shudders hell thro' all its regions.
A dog starv'd at his master's gate
Predicts the ruin of the state.
A horse misused upon the road
Calls to heaven for human blood.
Each outcry of the hunted hare
A fibre from the brain does tear.
A skylark wounded in the wing,
A cherubim does cease to sing.
The game-cock clipt and arm'd for fight
Does the rising sun affright.
Every wolf's and lion's howl
Raises from hell a human soul.
The wild deer, wand'ring here and there,
Keeps the human soul from care.
The lamb misus'd breeds public strife,
And yet forgives the butcher's knife.
The bat that flits at close of eve
Has left the brain that won't believe.
The owl that calls upon the night
Speaks the unbeliever's fright.
He who shall hurt the little wren
Shall never be belov'd by men.
He who the ox to wrath has mov'd
Shall never be by woman lov'd.
The wanton boy that kills the fly
Shall feel the spider's enmity.
He who torments the chafer's sprite
Weaves a bower in endless night.
The caterpillar on the leaf
Repeats to thee thy mother's grief.
Kill not the moth nor butterfly,
For the last judgement draweth nigh.
He who shall train the horse to war
Shall never pass the polar bar.
The beggar's dog and widow's cat,
Feed them and thou wilt grow fat.
The gnat that sings his summer's song
Poison gets from slander's tongue.
The poison of the snake and newt
Is the sweat of envy's foot.
The poison of the honey bee
Is the artist's jealousy.
The prince's robes and beggar's rags
Are toadstools on the miser's bags.
A truth that's told with bad intent
Beats all the lies you can invent.
It is right it should be so;
Man was made for joy and woe;
And when this we rightly know,
Thro' the world we safely go.
Joy and woe are woven fine,
A clothing for the soul divine.
Under every grief and pine
Runs a joy with silken twine.
The babe is more than swaddling bands;
Every farmer understands.
Every tear from every eye
Becomes a babe in eternity;
This is caught by females bright,
And return'd to its own delight.
The bleat, the bark, bellow, and roar,
Are waves that beat on heaven's shore.
The babe that weeps the rod beneath
Writes revenge in realms of death.
The beggar's rags, fluttering in air,
Does to rags the heavens tear.
The soldier, arm'd with sword and gun,
Palsied strikes the summer's sun.
The poor man's farthing is worth more
Than all the gold on Afric's shore.
One mite wrung from the lab'rer's hands
Shall buy and sell the miser's lands;
Or, if protected from on high,
Does that whole nation sell and buy.
He who mocks the infant's faith
Shall be mock'd in age and death.
He who shall teach the child to doubt
The rotting grave shall ne'er get out.
He who respects the infant's faith
Triumphs over hell and death.
The child's toys and the old man's reasons
Are the fruits of the two seasons.
The questioner, who sits so sly,
Shall never know how to reply.
He who replies to words of doubt
Doth put the light of knowledge out.
The strongest poison ever known
Came from Caesar's laurel crown.
Nought can deform the human race
Like to the armour's iron brace.
When gold and gems adorn the plow,
To peaceful arts shall envy bow.
A riddle, or the cricket's cry,
Is to doubt a fit reply.
The emmet's inch and eagle's mile
Make lame philosophy to smile.
He who doubts from what he sees
Will ne'er believe, do what you please.
If the sun and moon should doubt,
They'd immediately go out.
To be in a passion you good may do,
But no good if a passion is in you.
The whore and gambler, by the state
Licensed, build that nation's fate.
The harlot's cry from street to street
Shall weave old England's winding-sheet.
The winner's shout, the loser's curse,
Dance before dead England's hearse.
Every night and every morn
Some to misery are born,
Every morn and every night
Some are born to sweet delight.
Some are born to sweet delight,
Some are born to endless night.
We are led to believe a lie
When we see not thro' the eye,
Which was born in a night to perish in a night,
When the soul slept in beams of light.
God appears, and God is light,
To those poor souls who dwell in night;
But does a human form display
To those who dwell in realms of day.
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
A robin redbreast in a cage
Puts all heaven in a rage.
A dove-house fill'd with doves and pigeons
Shudders hell thro' all its regions.
A dog starv'd at his master's gate
Predicts the ruin of the state.
A horse misused upon the road
Calls to heaven for human blood.
Each outcry of the hunted hare
A fibre from the brain does tear.
A skylark wounded in the wing,
A cherubim does cease to sing.
The game-cock clipt and arm'd for fight
Does the rising sun affright.
Every wolf's and lion's howl
Raises from hell a human soul.
The wild deer, wand'ring here and there,
Keeps the human soul from care.
The lamb misus'd breeds public strife,
And yet forgives the butcher's knife.
The bat that flits at close of eve
Has left the brain that won't believe.
The owl that calls upon the night
Speaks the unbeliever's fright.
He who shall hurt the little wren
Shall never be belov'd by men.
He who the ox to wrath has mov'd
Shall never be by woman lov'd.
The wanton boy that kills the fly
Shall feel the spider's enmity.
He who torments the chafer's sprite
Weaves a bower in endless night.
The caterpillar on the leaf
Repeats to thee thy mother's grief.
Kill not the moth nor butterfly,
For the last judgement draweth nigh.
He who shall train the horse to war
Shall never pass the polar bar.
The beggar's dog and widow's cat,
Feed them and thou wilt grow fat.
The gnat that sings his summer's song
Poison gets from slander's tongue.
The poison of the snake and newt
Is the sweat of envy's foot.
The poison of the honey bee
Is the artist's jealousy.
The prince's robes and beggar's rags
Are toadstools on the miser's bags.
A truth that's told with bad intent
Beats all the lies you can invent.
It is right it should be so;
Man was made for joy and woe;
And when this we rightly know,
Thro' the world we safely go.
Joy and woe are woven fine,
A clothing for the soul divine.
Under every grief and pine
Runs a joy with silken twine.
The babe is more than swaddling bands;
Every farmer understands.
Every tear from every eye
Becomes a babe in eternity;
This is caught by females bright,
And return'd to its own delight.
The bleat, the bark, bellow, and roar,
Are waves that beat on heaven's shore.
The babe that weeps the rod beneath
Writes revenge in realms of death.
The beggar's rags, fluttering in air,
Does to rags the heavens tear.
The soldier, arm'd with sword and gun,
Palsied strikes the summer's sun.
The poor man's farthing is worth more
Than all the gold on Afric's shore.
One mite wrung from the lab'rer's hands
Shall buy and sell the miser's lands;
Or, if protected from on high,
Does that whole nation sell and buy.
He who mocks the infant's faith
Shall be mock'd in age and death.
He who shall teach the child to doubt
The rotting grave shall ne'er get out.
He who respects the infant's faith
Triumphs over hell and death.
The child's toys and the old man's reasons
Are the fruits of the two seasons.
The questioner, who sits so sly,
Shall never know how to reply.
He who replies to words of doubt
Doth put the light of knowledge out.
The strongest poison ever known
Came from Caesar's laurel crown.
Nought can deform the human race
Like to the armour's iron brace.
When gold and gems adorn the plow,
To peaceful arts shall envy bow.
A riddle, or the cricket's cry,
Is to doubt a fit reply.
The emmet's inch and eagle's mile
Make lame philosophy to smile.
He who doubts from what he sees
Will ne'er believe, do what you please.
If the sun and moon should doubt,
They'd immediately go out.
To be in a passion you good may do,
But no good if a passion is in you.
The whore and gambler, by the state
Licensed, build that nation's fate.
The harlot's cry from street to street
Shall weave old England's winding-sheet.
The winner's shout, the loser's curse,
Dance before dead England's hearse.
Every night and every morn
Some to misery are born,
Every morn and every night
Some are born to sweet delight.
Some are born to sweet delight,
Some are born to endless night.
We are led to believe a lie
When we see not thro' the eye,
Which was born in a night to perish in a night,
When the soul slept in beams of light.
God appears, and God is light,
To those poor souls who dwell in night;
But does a human form display
To those who dwell in realms of day.
William Blake
(1757-1827)
Suffering and Pain
‘Joy and woe are woven fine,
A clothing for the soul divine.
Under every grief and pine
Runs a joy with silken twine.
A clothing for the soul divine.
Under every grief and pine
Runs a joy with silken twine.
It is right it should be so;
Man was made for joy and woe;
And when this we rightly know,
Thro' the world we safely go.’
Man was made for joy and woe;
And when this we rightly know,
Thro' the world we safely go.’
After William Blake
Malcolm Muggeridge
Something Beautiful for God – Mother Teresa
15 July 2013
Dreams
"At first dreams seem impossible, then improbable, then
inevitable."
Christopher Reeve
(1952-2004)
14 July 2013
Three Powerful Resources
“Never forget the three powerful resources you always have
available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness.”
Jackson Brown, Jr.
(1940- )
Change It
“If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it,
change your attitude.”
Maya Angelou
(1928- )
13 July 2013
Existence
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most
people exist, that is all.”
Oscar Wilde
(1854-1900)
(1854-1900)
Delight in Recognition
“Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others and the delight
in the recognition.”
Alexander Smith
(1830-1867)
12 July 2013
Prove You Belong Here
"We all belong here, but we all have to show proof that we
belong here.”
Julius Malema
(1981- )
11 July 2013
Freedom
“When you question your stressful thoughts, the freedom that comes
out of that, graces the world for all of us.”
Byron Katie
(1942- )
Generosity
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
Winston Spencer Churchill
(1874-1965)
10 July 2013
Ordinary People
“I use to think I had to be somebody important to accomplish
things, now I know Jesus uses ordinary people more.”
Bob Goff
Forgetfulness
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou
(1928- )
09 July 2013
Christians and Atheists
“Christians and atheists have been at each other's throats for so long they're
like an old married couple constantly having the same argument.”
Anonymous
Life Gets Better
"Your life does not get better by chance,
it gets better by change."
Jim Rohn
(1930-2009)
08 July 2013
Actions Speak Louder than Words
“The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his
actions.”
Confucius
(551-479 BC)
Happenings
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others
make it happen.”
Michael Jordan
(1963- )
The Mistakes of Others
“Learn from the mistakes of others, you can't live long enough to
make them all yourself”
Eleanor Roosevelt
(1884-1962)
Cryptic Love Letters
"Maps encourage boldness. They're like cryptic love letters.
They make anything seem possible."
Mark Jenkins
(1970-)
Forget and Smile
"Better by far you should forget and smile than you should
remember and be sad."
Christina Rossetti
(1830-1894)
Don't Look Down
"May I never miss a sunset or a rainbow because I am looking
down."
Sara June Parker
(1965-)
07 July 2013
06 July 2013
05 July 2013
Go Back to Earth
"The other
day I dreamed that I was at the gates of heaven. And St. Peter said, 'Go back to Earth. There are no slums up
here.'"
Mother Teresa
of Calcutta
(1910-1997)
Doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it
The first thing I
want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.
Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be
quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is
the way our Saviour God wants us to live. He wants not only us but everyone
saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we've learned: that there's
one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us - Jesus, who
offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all
free.
Eventually the news
is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting
this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by
simple faith and plain truth. Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I
want mostly is for men to pray - not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising
holy hands to God. And I want women to get in there with the men in humility
before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and
becoming beautiful doing it. I don't let women take over and tell the men
what to do.
They should study to
be quiet and obedient along with everyone else. Adam was made first, then Eve;
woman was deceived first - our pioneer in sin! - with Adam right on her heels.
On the other hand, her childbearing brought about salvation, reversing Eve. But
this salvation only comes to those who continue in faith, love, and holiness,
gathering it all into maturity. You can depend on this.
1 Timothy 2:10-15
Beautiful for God
“By the end of the day today, think of a
short or long-term project you can begin and are capable of accomplishing that
will be “beautiful
for God.””
Maria Theresa of Calcutta
(1910-1997)
04 July 2013
Never Forget
Promise
me you'll never forget me because if I thought you would, I'd never leave.
Winnie the Pooh
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