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Volume 25, # 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 2010 |
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![inspiration, motivation, Apple Seeds, [Apple]](AppleSeeds_25-left.jpg)
![inspiration, motivation, Apple Seeds, [Apple]](AppleSeeds_25-right.jpg)
Plant these "seeds" well and water often. Enjoy!
download as PDF
Work of Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas Merton
"The least of the work of learning is done in the classroom."
Wish for… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Rohn (RIP, 12/05/09)
"Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom."
Way of Seeing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Msgr. James Turro
"Faith is a way of seeing, an eye for looking out on life and the universe. To look upon the world in faith is to discover there new and unsuspected dimensions that link the world with God. Such discoveries can open a path to prayer."
Books Serve… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Abraham Lincoln
"Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his are not new, after all."
Development of Nobility . . . . . . . . Winston Churchill, "Fifty Years Hence", December 1931, Strand Magazine
"Certain it is that while men are gathering knowledge and power with ever-increasing and measureless speed, their virtues and their wisdom have not shown any notable improvement as the centuries rolled.…We have the spectacle of the powers and weapons of man far outstripping the march of his intelligence; we have the march of his intelligence proceeding far more rapidly than the development of his nobility. We may well find ourselves in the presence of ‘the strength of civilization without its mercy.’ It is therefore above all things important that the moral philosophy and spiritual conceptions of men and nations should hold their own amid these formidable scientific evolutions.…Without an equal growth of Mercy, Pity, Peace and Love, science herself may destroy all that makes human life majestic and tolerable. There never was a time when the inherent virtue of human beings required more strong and confident expression in daily life; there never was a time when the hope of immortality and the disdain of earthly power and achievement were more necessary for the safety of the children of men."
Hope Expectantly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Arthur Ward
"Hope expectantly and confidently for the best;
Prepare cautiously and diligently for the worst;
Enjoy fully and gratefully today’s ‘in-between.’"
Temper - Pride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anonymous
"Temper gets you into trouble.
Pride keeps you there."
The Essential Thing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ernest Kurtz, The Spirituality of Imperfection, p. 74
"Ancient wisdom and modern insight join in assigning priority to vision: the essential thing, the great spiritual teachers constantly remind, is to see oneself in the proper perspective. Pay attention to yourself!"
Lincoln on Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Donald T. Phillips
"Conversation was Lincoln’s chief form of persuasion and the single most important and effective aspect of his leadership style. One on one, Lincoln could convince anybody of just about anything.… President Lincoln also turned to humor to help alleviate the strain of office…Laughter gave him a momentary break from his troubles. ‘…The fact is I have always believed that a good laugh was good for both the mental and physical digestion.’"
Life: Meaning & Mission . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . Fr. John Powell, S.J., A Life-Giving Vision, p. 6
"Everyone must learn to believe in someone or something so deeply that life is charged with meaning and a sense of mission. And the more one dedicates oneself to this meaning and mission, the more such a person will develop a sense of profound and personal belonging and discover the reality of community."
Loneliness vs. Solitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paul Tillich
"Language has created the word ‘loneliness’ to express the pain of being alone, and the word ‘solitude’ to express the glory of being alone."
Our Greatest Threat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laurence K. Gould
"I do not think the greatest threat to our future is from bombs, or guided missiles. I don’t think our civilization will die that way. I think it will die when we no longer care; when the spiritual forces that make us wish to be right and noble die in the hearts of men. Nineteen notable civilizations have died from within, and not been conquered from without. It happened slowly, in the quiet and dark, when no one was aware."
Leadership Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kouses & Posner, The Leadership Challenge, p. 8
"Leaders are pioneers—people who are willing to step out into the unknown. They are people who are willing to take risks, to innovate and experiment in order to find new and better ways of doing things.
The leader’s primary contribution is in the recognition of good ideas, the support of those ideas, and the willingness to challenge the system in order to get new products, processes, and services adopted. In this sense it might be more accurate to call them early adopters of innovation.
True Greatness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Samuel Johnson
"He who waits to do a great deal of good at once will never do anything. Life is made up of little things. True greatness consists in being great in little things."
On Joy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Sherwood Eliot Wirt, The Joyful Noiseletter, 12/03
"C.S. Lewis called joy ‘the serious business of Heaven.’ Joy is merriment sans frivolity, hilarity sans raucousness, and mirth sans bitterness. Joy is high-spirited without being dissipated, and festive without being tasteless. Joy radiates animation, buoyancy and sparkle."
Your Niche . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charles Swindoll, Quest for Character, p. 142
In a series of cartoons some years ago Linus, one of Charles Schultz’s "Peanuts" tribe, was taking heat from his sister Lucy and friends for his newly found "calling"—patting little birds on the head. The distressed birds would approach Linus, lower their feathered heads to be patted, sigh deeply, and walk away satisfied. It brought Linus no end of fulfillment—in spite of Lucy’s embarrassment and chagrin.
Now I’ll grant you, bird patting is a little unusual as a calling.…At least we could agree that it is not one of the great spiritual gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12. Or is it? Let’s look again.
How about that niche called "showing mercy." Romans 12 mentions "encouraging" and a little later "contributing to the needs of others."…Who’s to say that a person’s niche in life couldn’t be giving pats on the head, offering a helping hand, or embracing another’s sorrow or joy with a deep hug.
In one of the cartoon scenes, Charlie Brown and Linus dialogue about all this head patting. Linus wants to know, "What’s wrong with patting birds on the head? He repeats that he simply wants to know what’s wrong with it. It makes the birds feel better, it makes him feel happy all over, "So what’s wrong with it?"
Charlie stares thoughtfully, then declares rather frankly, "No one else does it! That’s it, No one else does it."
Some niches in life must struggle to exist, to say nothing of being appreciated, or even accepted.…
The Three Ups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeff MacNelly
Several years back there was a terrific scene in Jeff MacNelly’s comic strip "Shoe." The main character is a frazzled "Perfesser" sitting in his usual spot in Roz’s Diner. He seems hard at work on his latest writing.
Roz stands behind the counter and asks the "Perfesser" what he’s writing this time. "I’m writing the definitive self-help book based on my personal philosophy," he explains.
"Your philosophy?" Roz chuckles.
The "Perfesser" indignantly looks up and says, "Yes. I’m calling my book The Three Ups: Shut Up, Grow Up and Listen Up."
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Graphics used with permission from ChurchArt Online. They are not to be copied or downloaded.