VERSE TO PONDER
"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law."
~Romans 13:8
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/29/2015
LEARN TO LAUGH
"Learn to laugh; it sure beats crying all the time. Scripture makes it clear that there is certainly a time to cry in life. The truth is, we will experience many times in life when we will cry, but we will also experience times when we will laugh.
"Look for humor even in the negative things that happen. We can focus on either the negative or positive things of life; the choice is ours.
"Spend time today looking for opportunities to laugh in the most unusual of places. Sometimes it is in the midst of situations that normally result in weeping that God provides the gift of laughter. Choose to laugh today and choose to help others do the same.
~André K. Dugger, from the book Dear God
"Learn to laugh; it sure beats crying all the time. Scripture makes it clear that there is certainly a time to cry in life. The truth is, we will experience many times in life when we will cry, but we will also experience times when we will laugh.
"Look for humor even in the negative things that happen. We can focus on either the negative or positive things of life; the choice is ours.
"Spend time today looking for opportunities to laugh in the most unusual of places. Sometimes it is in the midst of situations that normally result in weeping that God provides the gift of laughter. Choose to laugh today and choose to help others do the same.
~André K. Dugger, from the book Dear God
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/28/2015
SMILE! :)
"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people."
-- Victor Borge
"Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects."
-- Arnold Glasow
"Laughter is by definition healthy."
-- Doris Lessing
"The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter."
-- Mark Twain
"What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul."
-- Yiddish Proverb
"Laughter is an instant vacation."
-- Milton Berle
http://www.mikeysFunnies.com
"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people."
-- Victor Borge
"Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects."
-- Arnold Glasow
"Laughter is by definition healthy."
-- Doris Lessing
"The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter."
-- Mark Twain
"What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul."
-- Yiddish Proverb
"Laughter is an instant vacation."
-- Milton Berle
http://www.mikeysFunnies.com
Monday, April 27, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/27/2015
TAKE THE CASE OF COURAGE
"No quality has ever so much addled the brains and tangled the definitions of merely rational sages. Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die. "He that will lose his life, the same shall save it," is not a piece of mysticism for saints and heroes. It is a piece of everyday advice for sailors or mountaineers. It might be printed in an Alpine guide or a drill book. This paradox is the whole principle of courage; even of quite earthly or quite brutal courage. A man cut off by the sea may save his life if he will risk it on the precipice. He can only get away from death by continually stepping within an inch of it.
"A soldier surrounded by enemies, if he is to cut his way out, needs to combine a strong desire for living with a strange carelessness about dying. He must not merely cling to life, for then he will be a coward, and will not escape. He must not merely wait for death, for then he will be a suicide, and will not escape. He must seek his life in a spirit of furious indifference to it; he must desire life like water and yet drink death like wine.
"No philosopher, I fancy, has ever expressed this romantic riddle with adequate lucidity, and I certainly have not done so. But Christianity has done more: it has marked the limits of it in the awful graves of the suicide and the hero, showing the distance between him who dies for the sake of living and him who dies for the sake of dying. And it has held up ever since above the European lances the banner of the mystery of chivalry: the Christian courage, which is a disdain of death; not the [Oriental] courage, which is a disdain of life."
~Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936), Orthodoxy, London, New York: John Lane Company, 1909, p. 170
"No quality has ever so much addled the brains and tangled the definitions of merely rational sages. Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die. "He that will lose his life, the same shall save it," is not a piece of mysticism for saints and heroes. It is a piece of everyday advice for sailors or mountaineers. It might be printed in an Alpine guide or a drill book. This paradox is the whole principle of courage; even of quite earthly or quite brutal courage. A man cut off by the sea may save his life if he will risk it on the precipice. He can only get away from death by continually stepping within an inch of it.
"A soldier surrounded by enemies, if he is to cut his way out, needs to combine a strong desire for living with a strange carelessness about dying. He must not merely cling to life, for then he will be a coward, and will not escape. He must not merely wait for death, for then he will be a suicide, and will not escape. He must seek his life in a spirit of furious indifference to it; he must desire life like water and yet drink death like wine.
"No philosopher, I fancy, has ever expressed this romantic riddle with adequate lucidity, and I certainly have not done so. But Christianity has done more: it has marked the limits of it in the awful graves of the suicide and the hero, showing the distance between him who dies for the sake of living and him who dies for the sake of dying. And it has held up ever since above the European lances the banner of the mystery of chivalry: the Christian courage, which is a disdain of death; not the [Oriental] courage, which is a disdain of life."
~Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936), Orthodoxy, London, New York: John Lane Company, 1909, p. 170
Sunday, April 26, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/26/2015
CONSIDER
"Just as at sea those who are carried away from the direction of the harbor bring themselves back on course by a clear sign, so Scripture may guide those adrift on the sea of life back into the harbor of the divine will."
~St. Gregory of Nyssa (331?-396?), The Life of Moses, Paulist Press, 1978, p. 32
"Just as at sea those who are carried away from the direction of the harbor bring themselves back on course by a clear sign, so Scripture may guide those adrift on the sea of life back into the harbor of the divine will."
~St. Gregory of Nyssa (331?-396?), The Life of Moses, Paulist Press, 1978, p. 32
Saturday, April 25, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/25/2015
[Jesus said,] "Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
~Matthew 7:13-14
~Matthew 7:13-14
Friday, April 24, 2015
Thursday, April 23, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/23/2015
ON PRAYER
"No erudition, no purity of diction, no width of mental outlook, no flowers of eloquence, no grace of person can atone for lack of fire. Prayer ascends by fire. Flame gives prayer access as well as wings, acceptance as well as energy. There is no incense without fire; no prayer without flame."
~E. M. Bounds (1835-1913), The Necessity of Prayer [1907], Lulu, 2007, p. 19-20
"No erudition, no purity of diction, no width of mental outlook, no flowers of eloquence, no grace of person can atone for lack of fire. Prayer ascends by fire. Flame gives prayer access as well as wings, acceptance as well as energy. There is no incense without fire; no prayer without flame."
~E. M. Bounds (1835-1913), The Necessity of Prayer [1907], Lulu, 2007, p. 19-20
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/22/2015
VERSE TO PONDER
"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."
~Ephesians 6:4
"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."
~Ephesians 6:4
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/21/2015
CONSIDER
"As we begin to see the package God is putting together in our lives and discover his purposes for bringing us to our world, it will provide us with the framework we need to make wise choices. In addition, we will find that a sense of purpose gives hope in the midst of tragedy and difficulty, gives meaning to the mundane aspects of our lives, and helps us to make our lives count for God."
~R. Ruth Barton
"As we begin to see the package God is putting together in our lives and discover his purposes for bringing us to our world, it will provide us with the framework we need to make wise choices. In addition, we will find that a sense of purpose gives hope in the midst of tragedy and difficulty, gives meaning to the mundane aspects of our lives, and helps us to make our lives count for God."
~R. Ruth Barton
Monday, April 20, 2015
MOTIVATION MONDAY - 04/20/2015 - All to the Glory of God
MOTIVATION MONDAY - 04/20/2015 - All to the Glory of God
https://youtu.be/bNVO6Z5V6y4
Published on Apr 20, 2015
1 Corinthians 10:31
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (NASB)
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/20/2015
CONSIDER
"Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it every day, and at last we cannot break it."
~Horace Mann
"Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it every day, and at last we cannot break it."
~Horace Mann
Sunday, April 19, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/19/2015
VERSE TO PONDER
"As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him."
~Psalm 103:13
"As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him."
~Psalm 103:13
Saturday, April 18, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/18/2015
HOW EFFECTIVE ARE WE?
"We are so utterly ordinary, so commonplace, while we profess to know a Power the Twentieth Century does not reckon with. But we are 'harmless,' and therefore unharmed. We are spiritual pacifists, non-militants, conscientious objectors in this battle-to-the-death with principalities and powers in high places. Meekness must be had for contact with men, but brass, outspoken boldness is required to take part in the comradeship of the Cross. We are 'sideliners'--coaching and criticizing the real wrestlers while content to sit by and leave the enemies of God unchallenged. The world cannot hate us, we are too much like its own. Oh that God would make us dangerous!"
~Jim Elliot (1927-1956), Shadow of the Almighty: the life & testament of Jim Elliot, Elisabeth Elliot, Harper, 1958, p. 79
"We are so utterly ordinary, so commonplace, while we profess to know a Power the Twentieth Century does not reckon with. But we are 'harmless,' and therefore unharmed. We are spiritual pacifists, non-militants, conscientious objectors in this battle-to-the-death with principalities and powers in high places. Meekness must be had for contact with men, but brass, outspoken boldness is required to take part in the comradeship of the Cross. We are 'sideliners'--coaching and criticizing the real wrestlers while content to sit by and leave the enemies of God unchallenged. The world cannot hate us, we are too much like its own. Oh that God would make us dangerous!"
~Jim Elliot (1927-1956), Shadow of the Almighty: the life & testament of Jim Elliot, Elisabeth Elliot, Harper, 1958, p. 79
Friday, April 17, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/17/2015
THE IMPORTANCE OF FATHERS
According to Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, a father's involvement with a child increases the child's IQ, the child's motivation to learn and the child's self-confidence. In addition, children with involved dads are more likely to develop a sense of humor as well as an "inner excitement."
~Victor Parachin, "The Fine Art of Good Fathering," Herald of Holiness, February 1995
According to Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, a father's involvement with a child increases the child's IQ, the child's motivation to learn and the child's self-confidence. In addition, children with involved dads are more likely to develop a sense of humor as well as an "inner excitement."
~Victor Parachin, "The Fine Art of Good Fathering," Herald of Holiness, February 1995
Thursday, April 16, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/16/2015
CONSIDER
"We are given children to test us and make us more spiritual."
~George Will
"We are given children to test us and make us more spiritual."
~George Will
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/15/2015
CONSIDER
"A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society."
~Billy Graham
"A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society."
~Billy Graham
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/14/2014
"My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in."
~Proverbs 3:11-12
~Proverbs 3:11-12
Monday, April 13, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/13/2015
Nothing is worse than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/12/2015
ON PRAYER
"Lord, the Scripture says: 'There is a time for silence and a time for speech.' Savior, teach me the silence of humility, the silence of wisdom, the silence of love, the silence of perfection, the silence that speaks without words, the silence of faith. Lord, teach me to silence my own heart that I may listen to the gentle movement of the Holy Spirit within me and sense the depths which are of God."
~Frankfurt prayer (16th century
"Lord, the Scripture says: 'There is a time for silence and a time for speech.' Savior, teach me the silence of humility, the silence of wisdom, the silence of love, the silence of perfection, the silence that speaks without words, the silence of faith. Lord, teach me to silence my own heart that I may listen to the gentle movement of the Holy Spirit within me and sense the depths which are of God."
~Frankfurt prayer (16th century
Saturday, April 11, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/11/2015
VERSE TO PONDER
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."
~James 1:12
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."
~James 1:12
Friday, April 10, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/10/2015
CONSIDER
"What if God arranged things so that we would experience a mild jolt of pain with every sin, or a tickle of pleasure with every act of virtue? Would you obey because you loved God? I don't think so. I think you'd obey simply because you desired pleasure and not pain."
~Joni Eareckson Tada
"What if God arranged things so that we would experience a mild jolt of pain with every sin, or a tickle of pleasure with every act of virtue? Would you obey because you loved God? I don't think so. I think you'd obey simply because you desired pleasure and not pain."
~Joni Eareckson Tada
Thursday, April 09, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 4/9/2015
CONSIDER
"We will be known as a culture that feared death and adored power, that tried to vanquish insecurity for the few and cared little for the penury of the many. We will be known as a culture that taught and rewarded the amassing of things, that spoke little if at all about the quality of life for people (other people), for dogs, for rivers. All the world, in our eyes, they will say, was a commodity."
~Mary Oliver, from her poem "Of the Empire"
"We will be known as a culture that feared death and adored power, that tried to vanquish insecurity for the few and cared little for the penury of the many. We will be known as a culture that taught and rewarded the amassing of things, that spoke little if at all about the quality of life for people (other people), for dogs, for rivers. All the world, in our eyes, they will say, was a commodity."
~Mary Oliver, from her poem "Of the Empire"
Wednesday, April 08, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/08/2015
VERSE TO PONDER
"There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men."
~ 1 Timothy 2:5-6
"There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men."
~ 1 Timothy 2:5-6
Tuesday, April 07, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/07/2015
OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH MUST BE RUGGED
"I do not find that this position, that of unbroken peacefulness and inward song, is one which we can hope to hold unassailed. It is no soft arrangement of pillows, no easy-chair. It is a fort in an enemy's country, and the foe is wise in assault and especially in surprise. And yet there can be nothing to fear, for it is not a place that we must keep, but a stronghold in which we are kept, if only, in the moment we are conscious of attack, we look 'away unto our faith's Princely Leader and Perfecter, Jesus, who endured.'"
~ Amy Carmichael (1867-1951), Rose from Brier [1933], London: SPCK, 1950, p. 76
"I do not find that this position, that of unbroken peacefulness and inward song, is one which we can hope to hold unassailed. It is no soft arrangement of pillows, no easy-chair. It is a fort in an enemy's country, and the foe is wise in assault and especially in surprise. And yet there can be nothing to fear, for it is not a place that we must keep, but a stronghold in which we are kept, if only, in the moment we are conscious of attack, we look 'away unto our faith's Princely Leader and Perfecter, Jesus, who endured.'"
~ Amy Carmichael (1867-1951), Rose from Brier [1933], London: SPCK, 1950, p. 76
Monday, April 06, 2015
THOUGHT FOR TODAY - 04/06/2015
NOTHING BUT FAITH
"When the time comes to enter the darkness in which we are naked and helpless and alone; in which we see the insufficiency of our greatest strength and the hollowness of our strongest virtues; in which we have nothing of our own to rely on, and nothing in our nature to support us, and nothing in the world to guide us or give us fight--then we find out whether or not we live by faith."
~Thomas Merton (1915-1968), Seeds of Contemplation, London: Hollis & Carter, 1949, New Directions. 1949, p. 172
"When the time comes to enter the darkness in which we are naked and helpless and alone; in which we see the insufficiency of our greatest strength and the hollowness of our strongest virtues; in which we have nothing of our own to rely on, and nothing in our nature to support us, and nothing in the world to guide us or give us fight--then we find out whether or not we live by faith."
~Thomas Merton (1915-1968), Seeds of Contemplation, London: Hollis & Carter, 1949, New Directions. 1949, p. 172
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