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Volume 33, # 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . January 2018 |
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![inspiration, motivation, Apple Seeds, [Apple]](AppleSeeds-1c.jpg)
![inspiration, motivation, Apple Seeds, [Apple]](AppleSeeds-2c.jpg)
Plant these "seeds" well and water often. Enjoy!
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A Prayer for the New Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ©Vienna Cobb Anderson
"Come, Holy Spirit,
Spirit of the Risen Christ, be with us today and always.
Be our Light, our Guide, and our Comforter.
Be our Strength, our Courage, and our Sanctifier.
May this new year be a time of deep spiritual growth for us,
A time of welcoming your graces and gifts,
A time for forgiving freely and unconditionally,
a time for growing in virtue and goodness.
Come, Holy Spirit,
Be with us today and always. Amen."
New Year Wisdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Arthur Ward
"Write a new plan; turn a new page; follow a new direction; watch a new program; be a new person; radiate new enthusiasm."
The Best Speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bits & Pieces, 1/‘86
"The best speakers know enough to be scared. ‘Stagefright is the sweat of perfection,’ said Edward R. Murrow. ‘The only difference between the pros and the novices is that the pros have trained their butterflies to fly in formation,’ said Edwin Newman.
"What’s the best medicine to keep stagefright from becoming a disaster? In a word: Preparation."
Bridge the Gulf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, p. 37
"One of the great tragedies of life is that men seldom bridge the gulf between practice and profession, between doing and saying.…How often are our lives characterized by a high blood pressure of creeds and an anaemia of deeds!"
Attain Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bits & Pieces, Vol. 16, #1
"Most people who attain success have learned to forget past failure and concentrate on present goals.…Yet, as Teddy Roosevelt observed, ‘Show me a person who makes no mistakes and I will show you a person who doesn’t do things.’
Failure is often the first step to success. Pick up your pride and keep going."
Do the Right Thing . . . . . . . . . . . . Leo Tolstoy, Calendar of Wisdom, p. 15
"The most important question to keep before ourselves at all times is this: Do we do the right thing? During this short period of time which we call our life, do our acts conform to the will of the force that sent us into the world? Do we do the right thing?"
Just for Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hallmark card
"Just for today…
I’ll try to see the sunny side of any situation…I’ll be an optimist.
"Just for today…
I’ll try to be a bright moment in someone’s life, with a word of kindness or a favor.
"Just for today…
I’ll really appreciate all the good things and not dwell on the bad.
"Just for today…"
4 C’s of Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeff Conley
"Success is spelled with four C’s: Character, Commitment, Cooperation and Communication."
Laugh at the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Og Mandino, The Greatest Salesman in the World
"Scroll 8: ‘Today I will multiply my value a hundredfold.’
I am liken to a grain of wheat with one difference.…I have a choice and I will not let my life be fed to swine nor will I let it be ground under the rocks of failure and despair…
To grow and multiply it is necessary to plant the grain in the darkness of the earth and my failures, my despair, my ignorance, and my inabilities are the darkness in which I have been planted in order to ripen.
…If I stumble I will rise and my falls will not concern me for all must stumble…Only a worm is free from the worry of stumbling. I am not a worm."
Content of Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexandre Havard, Virtuous Leadership, p. xiv
"Dr. Martin Luther King dreamed of an America in which a man would be judged ‘not by the color of his skin, but the content of his character.’
What is the ‘content of character?’ It is virtue, or, more precisely, the set of classical human virtues – above all, magnanimity, humility, prudence, courage, self-control, and justice…It is my contention that leaders either strive to grow in virtue as surely as they breathe or they are not leaders. Life for them is a quest for personal excellence."
Drag & Lift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ed McMahon
"‘No plane can fly if drag exceeds lift.’
When the drag of your doubts exceed the lift of your preparation and confidence, you cannot get off the ground."
Start on the way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pope St. John Paul II, "To Swiss Youth," 6/6/2004
"Start on the way! Do not be contented to discuss; do not wait for occasions to do good that perhaps will never occur. The time has arrived for action!
The time has come…It is essential for every baptized person to pass from a faith of custom to a mature faith, that is expressed in clear, convinced and courageous personal choices."
Listen to Your Wife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anon.
A man whose marriage was in trouble sought the advice of a counselor. The counselor said, "You must learn to listen to your wife."
The husband took the advice to heart and returned after a month to say that he learned to listen to every word his wife was saying.
The counselor smiled and told the husband, "Now go home and listen to every word she wasn’t saying."
A Year of Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steven B. Cloud (adapted), Pulpit Helps, Vol.14, # 2
"Though even thinking on the subject of time may prove discomforting, it is not a bad idea, especially at the beginning of a new year.
As we look toward 2018 we look at a block of time. We see twelve months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds. All is a gift from God. We have done nothing to deserve it, earn it, or purchase it. Like the air we breathe, time comes to us as a part of life.
But the gift of time is not ours alone. It is given equally to each person. Rich and poor, educated and ignorant, strong and weak – every man, woman, and child has the exact same twenty-four hours, 1,440 minutes and 86,400 seconds every day.
Another important thing about time is that you cannot stop it. There is no way to slow it down, turn it off, or adjust it. Time marches on. In addition, you cannot bring back time. Once it is gone, it is gone. Yesterday is lost forever.
If yesterday is lost, tomorrow is uncertain. We may look ahead at a full year’s block of time, but we really have no guarantee that we will experience any part of it.
Time is obviously one of our most precious possessions. We can waste it, worry over it, spend it on ourselves. Or, as good stewards, we can invest it in building up the kingdom of God.
The new year is full of time. As the seconds tick away, will you be tossing time out the window, or will you make every minute count?
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Graphics used with permission from ChurchArt Online. They are not to be copied or downloaded.